Girls sweep, boys split

Published in the September 13, 2018 edition

NORTH READING — The 2018 North Reading Hornet Cross Country season opened up last Wednesday at Harold Parker State Forest with a contest between the Hornets, Ipswich and Georgetown.

Head Coach Ryan Spinney (13th season, 4th as Head Coach) is very optimistic about this group of young student athletes.

“The attitude so far has been excellent,” said Spinney. “Everyone wants to get better and contribute to the team. I am really looking forward to seeing how this season unfolds and where we end up.”

JUNIOR Andrew DeBenedetto finished second overall and first for North Reading during the Hornets’ first XC meet against Georgetown and Ipswich on Sept. 5 at Harold Parker. (Courtesy Photo)

Leading the way for the Hornets are boys’ captains Zach Rinaldi and Aidan Wyatt and girls’ captains Samantha Martel and Haley MacIntyre. Returning athletes on the boys side include Andrew DeBenedetto, Jack Murphy, Karlis Plavins, Christopher Nearing, Ben Eli, Nic O’Donnell, Pano Kalaras, Erik Doucette, Erik Wieselquist and Matt McGotty, Kyle Moore and Nick Rinaldi. Newcomers to the squad include Billy Lord, Frank Cassarino, PJ Menis, Devin Adams and Peter Wood.

On the girls side, returning athletes include All-State finalist from 2017 Lindsay MacLellan, Ali Grasso, Kerry O’Brien, Grace Hadley, Lauren Meaney, Lauren Sullivan and Nathania Brachanow. New to the squad are Abigail McLaughlin, Charlotte Grant, Nicole Steinmeyer, Samantha Galvin, Emily Slavin, Elena Cogan, Kaitlyn Lehane and Isabella Raso. Both teams are looking to improve on the 2017 records of 1-9 (Boys) and 3-7 (Girls) respectively.

Royals slain, Tigers partially caged

In the opening meet of the year, the Hornets ran in tough conditions of 90-degree heat and brought their own heat as the girls defeated Georgetown (19-40) and Ipswich (27-29) in a close meet. The boys defeated Georgetown (21-36) and fell to a solid Ipswich team (23-32).

The girls’ team was led by junior Lindsay MacLellan who bested the field by over two minutes with a time of 18:28.

“Lindsay really worked hard this summer and it shows,” said Coach Spinney.

JUNIOR HARRIER Lindsay MacLellan finished first overall against Georgetown and Ipswich on Sept. 5 at Harold Parker. (Courtesy Photo)

Finishing 5th and 6th overall were junior Ali Grasso and freshman Abigail McLaughlin in times of 21:45 and 21:59 respectively. Seniors Kerry O’Brien and Charlotte Grant snagged 9th and 10th overall in times of 22:35 and 22:40. Freshman Nicole Steinmeyer had a great debut with a 13th place finish of 23:17. Juniors Lauren Meaney, Lauren Sullivan and Senior Nathania Brachanow took places 15-17 in times of 23:38, 23:45 and 24:24. Junior Samantha Galvin (22nd, 25:54) and Sophomore Emily Slavin (23rd, 25:56) came in next for the Hornets. Rounding out the Hornet squad were juniors Elena Cogan 26th, 26:55), Kaitlyn Lehane (28th, 27:53) and senior Haley MacIntyre (35th, 32:26). The Hornets are now 2-0 and lead the Kinney division for the Cape Ann League.

The boys squad was led by junior Andrew DeBenedetto who took 2nd overall in a time of 17:07, a personal best.

“Andrew has really pushed him to be a leader on this team and it is definitely starting to pay off,” said Spinney.

Following DeBenedetto was sophomore Jack Murphy (6th, 17:26) and Karlis Plavins (7th, 18:10). Just outside the top 10 were senior Aidan Wyatt (11th, 19:13) and junior Billy Lord (12th, 19:14). Senior Zach Rinaldi took 16th in a time of 19:37. Junior Christopher Nearing rounded out the top seven with a 22nd place finish in a time of 20:12. Close behind Nearing were sophomores Nick Rinaldi (23rd, 20:25) and Frank Cassarino (24th, 20:26). Rounding out the rest of the Hornets included junior Ben Elis (30th, 22:02), sophomore PJ Menis (35th, 24:14), sophomore Devin Adams (37th, 26:33), junior Nic O’Donnell (38th, 27:22) and senior Pano Kalaras (39th, 27:28). Freshman Nicholas Doucette finished 40th with a time of 27:22.

Both Hornet squads are back in action on Tuesday, September 11 at Newburyport and on Friday, September 14 at Hamilton-Wenham.