Reading Cross-Country Falls to Belmont
(4-minute read)
Resident Tom Grant, a parent of a student-athlete, wrote this article.
Reading fights back in the last mile. Pictured (left-to-right): Julia Connelly, Allie Juffre, Stella Harrington, Harper Davis. Photo by Raymond Vaillancourt.
Girls lose 23-33, Boys lose 25-30
Reading girls make a late charge but cannot catch Belmont
Belmont’s top three boys are too much for Reading
Health issues played a role on the boys’ side
On a muddy, challenging 3-mile course, the Reading girls’ and boys’ cross-country teams both fell to the home team, Belmont. The girls picked up places in the last mile but could not quite close the gap. Meanwhile, on the boys’ side, Belmont took the top three spots, with all three Marauders posting personal-best times. That top-end talent made for a difficult day for Reading’s harriers.
Next up is an away meet at Lexington on Tuesday, October 6th. Lexington has some of the top runners in the state on their team (girls and boys) and some very tough hills on their home course. Go out and support those Rockets if you can!
Reading Girls Lose to Belmont 23-33
Reading runners push to the front. Pictured (left-to-right): Eva Kirkwood, Bridget Branson, Emily Nicholls, Allie Juffre, Harper Davis, Julia Connelly. Photo by Raymond Vaillancourt.
The Reading girls’ cross-country team suffered their first loss of the season against Belmont, moving their overall record to 2-1 on the season. On paper, Belmont’s top pack appeared to be too fast for Reading to contend with. However, Reading’s 1-2 punch of Eva Kirkwood (2nd place; 20:24) and Emily Nicholls (4th place; 21:14) did not back down from the challenge. “Eva and Emily worked so hard to break up the top three runners, and they ran very strong races,” said Coach Mike Connelly. “I was pleased with the girls' race. They competed and battled a strong Belmont team, and we ran a great last mile…we really went after it the second half of the race,” added Connelly.
Bridget Branson (7th; 21:34) and Allie Juffre (9th; 22:05) were Reading’s next two finishers. Belmont’s 3rd- and 4th-place runners posted personal bests to eclipse Branson; meanwhile, Juffre put up her own personal best (for a three-mile course). “Bridget and Allie really ran well and moved up throughout the race to take the 7th and 9th places,” said Coach Connelly. Posting her first top-five finish on Reading’s varsity was ninth-grader Julia Connelly (11th; 22:21). She was closely followed by senior Stella Harrington (13th; 22:30). “Julia and Stella also ran a strong final half of the race to try to keep the team in the race. Julia was able to kick ahead of two Belmont girls in the final stretch,” commented Coach Connelly. While the result was not what they wanted, Coach observed, “Overall, I am pleased and proud of the girls’ effort today. If we can keep working hard each week, we can continue to get better.”
Senior Allie Juffre flies past a Belmont runner. Photo by Tom Grant.
Belmont’s course is three miles, so several runners ran their first three-mile race and, as a result, set personal bests. Below are the times for the top seven Rockets, plus anyone who set a PR:
Eva Kirkwood - 20:24 (PR)
Emily Nicholls - 21:14 (PR)
Bridget Branson - 21:34
Allison Juffre - 22:05 (PR)
Julia Connelly - 22:21 (PR)
Stella Harrington - 22:30
Grace Hayes - 23:44 (PR)
Other PRs: Josephine McGilvray (24:48), Kaylani Raimundo (28:56), and Fiona Bishop (31:30)
Reading Boys Lose to Belmont 25-30
After a strong start to the season, the Reading boys’ cross-country team faced a much stiffer challenge against Belmont. Unfortunately, due to varying ailments affecting all three captains, the Reading boys were shorthanded for the second week in a row. This combination of a tough Belmont team and an ailing set of captains was too difficult for the team to overcome.
They’re off! Pictured (left-to-right): Colin Carroll, Max King, Finn Johnson-Houlihan, Colin Herlihy, Will Olmsted (Belmont), Curran Healy, Ishaan Kanagaraj (Belmont), Declan Grant. Photo by Raymond Vaillancourt.
“The boys’ team had a tough defeat today against a really strong Belmont team, who had a great day on their home course. I was really impressed with their top three runners today,” said Coach Mike Connelly. Indeed, all three set a personal best on their home course. Reading ran as a pack and put all five scoring runners ahead of Belmont’s fourth runner. However, Belmont took the next two spots to close out the win.
“The boys battled hard, but came up short against an experienced Belmont team,” said Coach Connelly. The Rockets were led by junior Declan Grant (4th place; 16:06), who set a personal best at the three-mile distance by over two minutes. The next four runners - Finn Johnson-Houlihan (5th; 16:11), Colin Herlihy (6th; 16:12), Colin Carroll (7th; 16:24), and Curran Healy (8th; 16:26) - were separated by a mere 15 seconds. While this pack literally did its best, as three of them had personal bests on the day, Belmont’s top-end speed was too much. Despite the loss, the team remains optimistic about their chances later in the season as they get back to full strength.
Reading boys jockey for position. Reading runners, pictured (left-to-right): Aaron Walker, Wesley McCarty, Ben Kaberle, Dimitri Speros, Isaac Olivier-Mason, Colin Carroll, Colin Herlihy, Curran Healy, Finn Johnson-Houlihan, Declan Grant, Max King. Photo by Kate Grant.
Belmont’s course is three miles, so several runners ran their first three-mile race and, as a result, set personal bests. Below are the times for the top seven Rockets, plus anyone who set a PR:
Declan Grant - 16:06 (PR)
Finn Johnson-Houlihan - 16:11
Colin Herlihy - 16:12 (PR)
Colin Carroll - 16:24 (PR)
Curran Healy - 16:26 (PR)
Ben Kaberle - 17:26 (PR)
Wesley McCarty - 17:48
Other PRs: Dimitri Speros (18:18), Aaron Walker (18:19), Eli Roscillo (19:03), Ryan Cintolo (19:23), Nicholas Princic (19:38), Reid Morgan (19:53), Nick Castiglia (20:00), Quinn Kane (20:01), Leonardo De Llano (20:08), PJ Vaillancourt (21:27), Caleb Brown (22:18), Noah Epstein (24:39), Westley Keating (24:59), Kellen Masterson (25:11), JD Means (29:50), Kyle See (32:48), Bowen Day (32:51), Adrian Gibson (33:16)
Interested in seeing more high school sports coverage in The Reading Observer? We’re looking to expand our coverage with the help of parents, coaches, and community members who want to contribute. If you’re interested in collaborating, reach out to Taylor Gregory at TGregory@TheReadingObserver.com.