BE boys cross country holds down top spot with state championship around the corner

The Bishop England High School boys’ cross country team lived up to its No. 1 ranking among Class AA teams during last Saturday’s Coaches Classic, one of the top events leading up to next month’s state championship meet.

 

What made the Bishops’ collective effort even more impressive is the Bishops finished in the top 10 in the team standings despite not having their top runner available as Juston Hafner competed in the state swim meet, where he won four gold medals.

 

The Bishops competed in the International Division of the Coaches Classic, which was contested in Newberry and the field included 33 schools and 244 runners. The Bishops finished 10th overall and were the top Class AA finisher.

 

Charlie Tessier led the Bishops with a time of 16 minutes and 46 seconds over the 5K course while Mark Brahim finished 47th and JJ Romano finished in 50th place. Gabe Hislop was 83rd and Joseph Condon was 130th. 

 

“The boys have been either No 1 or No. 2 all season,” Bishop England coach Tony Colizzi said. “They have been in a battle for the top spot all season with Greer Middle College. The boys are strong one through seven. The eighth and ninth runners on the team have been very consistent and are improving as the season progresses. The top-seven are also young with three juniors, a sophomore and three middle school athletes. 

 

The BE boys weren’t the only team that fared well Saturday. The Bishop England girls, currently ranked No. 2 in the state in Class AA, finished fourth overall.

 

Philip Simmons High School also had impressive performances in the International Division. The boys’ team finished in 11th place while the Iron Horse girls were 6th in the International Division.

James Island won the girls’ championship, followed by Lexington and Chapin.

 

“The girls team has been working exceptionally hard this season by practicing six days a week and adding a 6 a.m. gym workout before school on Tuesdays,” Colizzi said. “The girls are seeing improvements in their workout times which is translating into faster race times.

For the first time in school history we had three girls race under 20 minutes in the same race. The girls’ team is also in a battle with Greer Middle College for that top spot.”

 

Nora Brahim. Who set a school record earlier this season finished 14th with a time of 19:14. Madison Riley and Grace Buss, who finished 23rd and 27th  respectively, also were under 20 minutes. Marlee Asmer finished in 51st place and Olivia Seymour finished in 91st place.

 

Pierce Walker led the Iron Horse boys, finishing 22nd in the race with a time of 16:31 while Joseph Wright finished 29th. Ryan Rousseau finished 65th, Ian Mullaney finished 67th and Burket Yaun finished 151st place.

 

Josie May led the Iron Horse girls with a 27th-place finish with a time of 19:56. Laura Perry finished 39th and Emmy Wood finished 45th. Avah Mallek finished 51st and Phoebe Cogan finished 56th.