NORTHFIELD — The Amherst Regional girls cross country team placed two runners in the top five, four in the top 11 and five in the top 15 to claim the Western Massachusetts Division 1 girls cross country championship, Saturday at Northfield Mountain.
That depth led to 44 points, 21 better than runner-up Northampton.
Zada Forde (20 minutes, 25.26 seconds) and Tamar Byl-Brann (20:25.82) led the way for the Hurricanes in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Vivian Jacobs-Townsley (10th, 21:06.45), Charlotte Staudenmayer (11th, 21:12.73) and Maddie Shea (14th, 21:51.22) rounded out Amherst’s top five.
Northampton was led by a third place finish from Mary Yount (20:23.64). The Blue Devils’ remaining four cracked the top 20: Naomi Andrew (12th, 21:41.81), Maggie Reade (15th, 21:55.9), Abby Andrews (16th, 21:56.6) and Saraphina Forman (19th, 22:15.3).
Belchertown placed ninth (244) behind freshmen Molly Bail (25th, 22:43.16) and Sierra Crisostomo (26th, 22:47.03). Bail earned the 10th and final state qualifier position.
Amherst, Northampton and Pittsfield (third, 77) qualified for the state championship meet at Gardner Municipal Golf Course on Nov. 16.
The sectional championship is the Hurricanes’ third in a row.
“I was hoping we’d be able to keep our streak because we all wanted it,” Forde said. “Running with everyone on the team is so awesome. We always push each other. It’s a great team dynamic.”
Byl-Brann, a freshman, has been a breakthrough contributor for the program this season. As an eighth grader she was running with other middle school-aged runners. Now she is a top-five finisher at a high school-level championship meet.
When the freshman walked the course with her team prior to the race, the course’s big hill made her nervous, but once she got out onto the 3.1-mile course, the anxiety went away.
“When I was with the team everything felt OK,” Byl-Brann said. “It was fun.”
Each runner has their own way of navigating the course. Jacobs-Townsley found success in breaking the course into two parts.
“I wanted to think of it as two races. The first part is the hill, then the second bit,” Jacobs-Townsley said.
Keeping steady in the first half and then giving it all she had in the second proved to be a winning formula.
“I just wanted to stay in control of the first race and then really feel bad after the second race, and I did,” Jacobs-Townsley said.
The Hurricanes placed fourth at last year’s state championship. Gardner Municipal Golf Course is known for its hilly terrain. The program is excited and motivated to put forward a competitive score.
“Our team is really close this year,” Staudenmayer said. “We have all helped each other work hard all summer and all season. I think we are really ready. I’m really proud of everyone today. I think we have showed how deep Amherst cross country is.”
The individual title was up for grabs with the graduation of four-time individual champion Sophia Jacobs-Townsley of Amherst. Agawam’s Sarah Ross (19:32.42) took first and was followed by Pittsfield’s Kelly Harrington (19:49.21).
Yount was on a steady pace for a large part of the race, but a cramp in the final half of the course derailed her championship aspirations and resulted in her finishing third.
“I got a horrible cramp,” Yount said. “Every year there is a couple of times where I get it and every breath is a sharp pain. I couldn’t kick. Kelly, the girl in front of me, she did really good. She pulled me so much, but my cramp came and I couldn’t kick with her. It came around the midway point. I knew something wasn’t right because I felt absolutely exhausted. Not fresh at all. It’s OK, but I’m disappointed.”
Although her goal was to come out and win the individual title, Yount is excited and focused on putting together her best possible effort at the state championship meet.
Yount has experience with the Gardner course. She ran at the course as an underclassman a few years ago.
“It’s hills again. I remember it being very painful,” Yount said. “It’s the last chance to kind of prove myself, like I can be up there with the fast packers. I’m excited for it.”