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Local Runners Get Fast Times at MIAA State Championship Meet

The Oliver Ames boys finished third in the Division 1 team standings while Chris Allen of King Philip finishes in 5th place.

Dan Libon, Neighbor

Posted Sat, Nov 19, 2011 at 9:52 pm ET|Updated Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 1:30 pm ET

The MIAA wrapped up cross-country season at midday Saturday with the State Championship Meet. Multiple teams and individuals from around the Hockomock League qualified for the meet across three divisions for the chance to run one last time this year at Franklin Park.

Chris Allen of King Philip once again had one of the best performances from runners in the area with a fifth place finish in the Boys’ Division 1 race and a time of 15:54. The highly competitive race saw Allen with company at the front of the pack for the first time in a while as Jonathan Green of Saint John’s took first place with a time of 15:41.

“The competition was so great I was hoping for a good time but I still think I ran pretty good though. I think I can run better but I’m happy. It was a great field,” said Allen.

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Also running for King Philip was Owen Gonser who ran a time of 16:45.

In the team scores the top three read as they did last year. Brookline walked away with the team title with Lowell taking the runner up title. Oliver Ames took third in a highly talented team battle.

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“Our kids just turned it on today. They ran like there was no tomorrow,” said Oliver Ames coach Neil Levine.

Drew Beck led the Tigers with an 11th place finish and a time of 16:10. Next in for Oliver Ames was Sean Gorham with a time of 16:54 that was good enough for 50th place. Andrew Kerester, Dennis Maclaine, and Dan Moverman wrapped up the scoring for OA coming in 68th, 75th, and 86th.

After battling injuries all season the Mansfied Hornets battled back with a 9th place finish. The Hornets walked away with a top 10 finish after Mitchell Negus, Brendan McCarthy, and Dan Caughey all finished between 17:05 and 17:06 to help the Hornets get a boost in the team scores. Dave Morill was in next with a time of 17:11 and Kham Haleudeth rounded out the Mansfield top 5 with a time of 17:13

Despite a 12th place finish in the Girls’ Division 2 Race, the Tigers all managed to improve on their times from last week and were able to get five of their seven runners across the finish line in under 21 minutes.

“They ran above their ability and they executed the race plans perfectly. This girls team is probably the most coachable team we’ve had,” said Levine.

Shannon Hickey led the way with time of 19:34 and a 20th place finish. Maggie Harding was 88th with a time of 20:46. Robin Loewald, Megan Fitzgerald, Jillian McAuliffe used pack running to their advantage and worked together to get across the line between 20:52 and 20:59.

In individual performances, Caroline Sun of Sharon finished in 16th place with a time of 19:38. Stacey Wojcik of King Philip finished in 56th place with a time of 20:22 while her teammate Hannah Beaulieu finished in 81st place with a time of 20:42. Andrea Keklak was the winner of the Girls’ Division 1 Race with a time of 16:36.

Brendan Sullivan of Foxborough was the soul representative from the Hockomock Leauge in the Boys’ Division 2 race. In a race that was just as competitive as the Division 1 race, the Foxborough senior finished the race in 16:38. The time was good enough for 13th place. Wesley Gallagher of Pembroke repeated as the individual champion with a time of 15:43.

For complete results click Here

Local Results

Boys Division 1 Race

King Philip

Chris Allen

15:54

5th

Owen Gonser

16:45

37th

Oliver Ames

Team Result

3rd

Drew Beck