Twentieth cross country championship sweet for Amherst Regional girls
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NORTHFIELD - For the 20th time, the Amherst Regional girls cross country team is the western Massachusetts Division 1 champion.
This title could not have been any sweeter.
A year after seeing its winning streak end, the Hurricanes climbed back to the top, edging Longmeadow 51 to 56 to claim the trophy Saturday at Northfield Mountain.
"This one feels better than it has in the past," Amherst senior Audrey Gould said. "In the past it felt like we got it because we expected to have it and no one challenged us. Knowing that we had challenges, it feels better to know that we really earned it rather than having it handed to us."
Longmeadow had the individual champion in Camille Blackman, but the Hurricanes stayed one step ahead of the Lancers the rest of the way.
"This year we knew we'd be in it but we had to get it done," said Hurricanes coach Eric Nazar. "We did. Closer than I like to see because it makes me go crazy, but when you can win the close ones that's when you know you have heart."
Blackman finished in a record time of 19 minutes, 20.15 seconds on the 5k course. Gould was second in 19:55.01 and was followed by teammates Mel Devoney (fourth, 20:48.46), Emmy Zimmerman (eighth, 21:19.02), Sara Vannah (17th, 22:07.28) and Kate O'Brien (21st, 22:25.73).
Longmeadow's other runners finished sixth, 12th, 14th and 23rd.
"This means so much more to me as a coach and I know it means so much more to them, particularly the veterans," Nazar said. "The ones who have been around who know what it was like to be on top and then last year to lose it and to get it back now. It's really emotional. It's special."
Last season Northampton claimed the title to end Amherst's 15-year reign as sectional champions.
"Northampton was clearly the better team last year and we knew that going in," Gould said. "I didn't have a great race and even if I had an amazing race it wouldn't have changed anything. It's nice to know this year I had the race I wanted and it paid off with the team. I wanted to finish with a western Mass. championship again."
The addition of Devoney to the Amherst lineup this year paid dividends. Devoney played basketball, volleyball and soccer before trying her hand at cross country. The junior stayed with the front runners en route to her top-five finish.
"We have power cards, little sayings that pump us up before the race and mine was 'stick like glue to Audrey' and there was a picture of her and me running," Devoney said. "I had it in my head to keep up with her."
Madison Granger of Belchertown finished third in 20:39.14. Granger is headed to Duke next fall.
"I really struggled," Granger said. "In running you never know what kind of day you're going to get and even if your training is going well and if you had a great race last week like I did, sometimes it just is not a good day and that's a struggle runners face."
Granger qualified for the state meet, which is next Saturday at Franklin Park in Boston.
"It's a matter of getting back on the horse and shaking it off," Granger said. "I'm going to states next week so I'm happy about that. Next week is a new race, a new day, a new course."
Freshman Serena Sarage of South Hadley finished fifth in 21:07.85. Sarage held off sophomore Manon Blackman of Longmeadow (21:12.16).
"I used her to push myself and at the third mile I pushed enough to beat her," Sarage said.
Pittsfield finished third (113), Ludlow was fourth (128) and Northampton was fifth (158).
Eliana Zimmerman was eighth in 21:20.37 for the Blue Devils.
"We had high expectations," Zimmerman said. "We knew if we put in our best we could be proud of ourselves. It was a good race and I'm really happy with the way my teammates performed and I'm really proud to be a part of this team."
Mike Moran can be reached at mmoran@gazettenet.com.
