Ches-Mont Girls X-Country Championships: Hutton takes title, but Unionville owns home course
East Marlborough >> Coatesville High School senior Brooke Hutton finished well ahead of the pack at the Ches-Mont Girls Cross Country Championships Thursday, crossing the finish line 47 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
Hutton clocked 19:03 to finish first on the Unionville High School course, followed by the runner-up, West Chester Henderson junior Courtney Alexander (19:50).
Two years ago, Hutton finished fourth at the Ches-Mont Championships, sixth at Districts and 19th at States, but was injured last fall and did not compete.
“I wanted to make my mark today,” said Hutton. “I wanted to go out strong, set my pace and keep the [pace] cart in sight.”
Hutton, who as a freshman finished fourth at the District 1 meet and ninth at States, said, “My next goal is to win the district meet, then [hopefully] win the state meet, then go on to Regionals and Nationals.”
A pair of West Chester East runners earned the third- and fourth-place spots, sophomore Allyson Clarke (19:53) and senior Hanna Kelly (20:04).
Host Unionville won the team championship with 68 points, ahead of West Chester Henderson (83) and West Chester East (91). The Indians had five of the top 30 finishers – sophomore Marcella Krautzel (fifth, 20:04), junior Madison McGovern (ninth, 20:25), senior Hallie Weaver (11th, 20:35), sophomore Meghan Smith (14th, 20:46) and sophomore Gemma Krautzel (29th, 21:23).
Unionville head coach Mark Lacianca said, “Our girls did a good job today, I thought the race was a complete performance by our runners. We’ve had a great season this year, and we have only one senior among our top 7-8 runners, so I think we’re building something.”
Alexander, who finished fourth (behind three seniors) at last year’s Ches-Mont Championships, said, “My goal [today] was to stick with the top three runners, then the last 100 yards I made a big push. The weather was perfect today, and I like this course – it’s relatively flat with rolling hills, and it’s open and spread out, so you have space to make moves.”
Clarke, who placed eighth at the 2016 Ches-Mont Championships, said, “I felt strong at the beginning of the race today, and got off to a good start. I’ve been trying to stay mentally strong throughout a race, and I feel like I did that today.”
Following Marcella Krautzel in fith place were West Chester Rustin freshman Sofia Piccone (sixth, 20:09); Great Valley junior Amy Willig (seventh, 20:12); Coatesville sophomore Leah Moffitt (eighth, 20:23); Unionville junior Madison McGovern (ninth, 20:25); and Downingtown West sophomore Reagan Flannery (10th, 20:34).
NOTES: Unionville has hosted the Ches-Mont Cross-Country Championships for the past few years, and Lacianca noted, “We had a great crowd here today, a good number of spectators from all over the area. I’m always shocked at how many cars show up here. I think our course is a very fair course, very spectator-friendly.”
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Unionville 68; 2. West Chester Henderson 83; 3. West Chester East 91; 4. Downingtown West 141; 5. Kennett 153; 6. Coatesville 167; 7. Great Valley 181; 8. Bishop Shanahan 189; 9. Downingtown East 200; 10. Oxford 213; 11. West Chester Rustin 273; 12. Avon Grove 303; 13. Octorara 309.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1. Brooke Hutton, Coatesville, 19:03; 2. Courtney Alexander, West Chester Henderson, 19:50; 3. Allyson Clarke, West Chester East, 19:53; 4. Hanna Kelly, West Chester East, 20:04; 5. Marcella Krautzel, Unionville, 20:04; 6. Sofia Piccone, West Chester Rustin, 20:09; 7. Amy Willig, Great Valley, 20:12; 8. Leah Moffitt, Coatesville, 20:23; 9. Madison McGovern, Unionville, 20:25; 10. Reagan Flannery, Downingtown West, 20:34; 11. Hallie Weaver, Unionville, 20:35; 12. Emma Teneza, West Chester Henderson, 20:38; 13. Allie Squeri, Downingtown East, 20:41; 14. Meghan Smith, Unionville, 20:46; 15. Sofie Lusvardi, Kennett, 20:47.
