Div. 3 cross country: Multiple Hampshire County schools punch tickets to states (PHOTOS)

NORTHFIELD — It was a strong showing from multiple Hampshire County schools at the MIAA Division 3 state qualifier at Northfield Mountain on Saturday. 

Competing in the 3B boys wave, Hampshire picked up a second place team finish. With the top seven teams and the top 10 individuals making it to states, the Raiders will be heading to Fort Devens next week for the Division 3 Championships. 

“We really packed up well,” Hampshire’s Nick Brisson said. “Going up the first hill it was nice being with my teammates. We just pushed downhill and we had a good feeling that all the hard work this season would pay off today.” 

Brisson was the top Raiders finisher, taking 15th with a time of 17 minutes, 55 seconds. Oscar Schiff (18th, 18:11), Tim Cahill (20th, 18:14), Zach Jones (23rd, 18:28) and Nicholas Elias-Gillette (32nd, 18:54) rounded out the Hampshire scorers. 

At a tough course like Northfield Mountain, Brisson said the training done beforehand helped prepare the Raiders for what they’d be running on Saturday. 

“We handled the course pretty well,” Brisson said. “We prepped for it and came here last week. We got the feel for the course and today we were able to put that practice to use.” 

Frontier also ran in the 3B heat and earned a fifth place team finish to secure a spot at states. 

“It feels good,” Frontier’s Luke Howard said. “We haven’t done that since 2019. It feels good to finally get to states as a team. We knew we were going to but after we did it it finally felt real.” 

Evan Hedlund was the top Redhawks finisher, earning fifth place with a time of 16:47. Howard placed eighth (17:23), Amory Maxey finished in 38th (19:11), Oliver Brown came in 55th (19:36) while Charles Dennis came in 80th (20:20) to round out the Frontier scorers. 

“I did alright,” Howard said. “I was hoping to do better but I’m fine with it. I just wanted to qualify. We practice here a lot so we knew how difficult this course would be.” 

The Belchertown boys got the day going in the 3A wave, taking fifth to advance to states. Benjamin Les (21, 18:16), Derek Gould (36, 18:58), Miles McNamara (42, 19:12), Nathan Fernandes (45, 19:14) and Noah Les (48, 19:24) scored for the Orioles. 

The boys 3C race saw PVCICS sneak into states with a seventh place team finish. Grafton Tolopko was the top Dragon finisher, taking 31st with a time of 18:41. 

“There were about two guys in front of me but we ran well as a team,” Tolopko said. “We felt good about the day. I kept it steady on the hill and once I got to the top I pushed it down the hills.” 

Frank Sup (51, 19:49), Owen Bauman (56, 19:59), Asa Taggert (57, 20:04) and Alexander Rachele (60, 20:14) also scored for PVCICS. 

Also in the 3C heat, Granby earned a 14th place finish behind a 21st place individual finish from Nathan Hutchinson (18:08). That time will send him to states with a top 10 individual finish for non-qualifying teams. 

Easthampton came in 17th with Will Jourdain the top Eagle (83rd, 21:08), and Gateway’s Jacob Maynard came in 72nd (20:43) as the Gators placed 22nd.

Hopkins did not have enough runners to place as a team. Christopher Rex was the top Golden Hawk finisher (93rd, 21:44). 

The Hampshire girls had a stellar day in the 3B wave, coming away with a fourth place team finish to move on to states. 

Kathleen Barry was the top Raider finisher, taking fifth overall to cross the finish line with a time of 20:41. 

“It was a rough course,” Barry said. “The hills were tough. We practiced here a couple times and it helped but it was still rough.” 

Amelia Perry came in 27th (23:12), Alex Henrichon took 28th (23:15), Sicily Chase finished in 31st (23:30) while Natalie Dunlap took 40th (24:00) to round out a big day for Hampshire. 

“I think I did pretty well,” Henrichon said. “I didn’t run fast enough at the beginning or the end.” 

The 3C girls wave saw Frontier come in with a sixth place finish to lock up a spot in states. 

Nicole Plasse paced the Redhawks with a 32nd place finish (22:32) to help keep Frontier’s season alive. 

“It went pretty well,” Plasse said. “I was prepared for the hills with all the practice. I just wanted to make it to the finish line without passing out.” 

Being nearby, the Redhawks have been able to train at Northfield to prepare for the rigorous hills, especially the first hill which can sap your energy off the jump. 

“The start is so hard,” Plasse said. “We’ve practiced here so many times that it’s like a routine. You just have to get used to the adrenaline and saving your energy for the whole course. These races are so fun and challenging. We’re going to states which is great. I’m proud of everybody. We left everything out there.” 

Sylvie DiBartolomeo came in 38th (22:47), Leah Gump took 53rd (23:17), Liv Christensen took 55th (23:19) and Maia Christensen placed 56th (23:21) for Frontier. 

Also in the 3C wave, PVCICS came in 13th, with Ellery Maier the top Dragon finisher (36th, 22:37). Granby’s Addison Hill placed 24th to help the Rams come in 18th as a team, with Hill finishing in the top 10 for individuals on non-qualifying teams to move on to states. 

Gateway’s Anya Niles took 45th (23:03) to help the Gators come in 19th. Easthampton and Hopkins did not have enough runners to score as a team. Katie McCleland was the top Eagle finisher (149th, 29:08) while Caprial DiBartolomeo was the first Golden Hawk runner across (49th, 22:52). 

Belchertown competed in the 3A wave and took 13th. Kami Wlodyka came in ninth overall (21:16) to secure an individual spot at states.