Two Dozen COC Athletes Race to Strong Finishes at NVAC XC Championships

Oryon Hart (#37) smiling in the blue Craftsbury kit early in the boy’s 5k. Oryon would go on to finish 44th, and score to help Craftsbury Academy to finish 5th in the day’s team scoring.

Twenty-four athletes from Craftsbury’s ski, biathlon, and cycling programs raced at Wednesday’s Northern Vermont Athletic Conference (NVAC) Mountain Division cross country championships, held on our own trails. Stowe senior Leila Griffith, a member of our Junior program, won the girls’ 5k outright. Craftsbury sixth grader Asher Jacobs was 6th in the middle school boys’ race. Fifth grader Ruthie Podolin was 12th among the middle school girls and scored for a Craftsbury team that placed second. In all, nine COC athletes finished in the top 20 of their races, and twelve scored for their school teams.

The kids raced for six different schools (Craftsbury, Stowe, Peoples Academy, U-32, Montpelier, and St. Johnsbury), not for Craftsbury, on a misty, humid, 50°F afternoon after more than an inch of rain the day before. It was one of the last tune-ups before the state meets.

High school girls. Leila Griffith won in 19:50.1 and led Stowe to the team title, 51 points to St. Johnsbury’s 53. Craftsbury sophomore Aemilia Terrone, was 11th in 22:46.6. A few places back, Anna Cotterill (Montpelier) and Hadley Abbene (Peoples Academy) crossed the line together in 23:20.7 for 15th and 16th. Peoples Academy placed third as a team. Hadley, Ava Stratman, and Silvia Earlandt were three of its five scorers, and Lillian Suddaby was its sixth runner.

Girls 5k: Craftsbury-affiliated finishers (66 finishers)

Place	Name	School	Time
1	Leila Griffith	Stowe	19:50.1
11	Aemilia Terrone	Craftsbury	22:46.6
15	Anna Cotterill	Montpelier	23:20.7
16	Hadley Abbene	Peoples Academy	23:20.7
23	Ava Stratman	Peoples Academy	24:23.1
24	Silvia Earlandt	Peoples Academy	25:15.9
38	Lillian Suddaby	Peoples Academy	27:08.3
58	Amalie Pratt	St. Johnsbury	29:59.9
66	Althea Veve	Stowe	40:41.5

High school boys. The boys’ 5k was the biggest race of the day, with 108 finishers. Craftsbury sophomore Oakley Crawford, was 18th in 18:57.8. Montpelier’s Isaac Nadzam, finished one second behind him in 19th and was the third scorer for a Montpelier team that placed third. Travis Roy was likewise Stowe’s third scorer as Stowe took fourth. With Oakley and Oryon Hart among its scorers, Craftsbury placed fifth of ten teams.

Boys 5k: Craftsbury-affiliated finishers (108 finishers)

Place	Name	School	Time
18	Oakley Crawford	Craftsbury	18:57.8
19	Isaac Nadzam	Montpelier	18:58.8
24	Travis Roy	Stowe	19:24.4
33	Jin Ramsay	Peoples Academy	20:20.8
42	Henry Young	Peoples Academy	20:44.5
44	Oryon Hart	Craftsbury	20:53.7
51	Dean Roy	Stowe	21:10.3

Middle school girls. Ruthie Podolin, a fifth grader finished 12th in 15:05.0. She was one of Craftsbury’s five scorers as the team placed second, 52 points to Montpelier’s 46.

Girls two-mile: Craftsbury-affiliated finishers (69 finishers)

Place	Name	School	Time
12	Ruthie Podolin	Craftsbury	15:05.0
30	Petra Stewart	U-32	17:04.8
34	Ellie Stevenson	Peoples Academy	17:36.6
52	Hyla Thompson	Craftsbury	20:31.3

Middle school boys. Craftsbury sixth grader Asher Jacobs, ran 12:53.6 for 6th. U-32’s Ben Cotterill, was 16th in 13:50.8, U-32’s second scorer as the team placed fifth.

Boys two-mile: Craftsbury-affiliated finishers (94 finishers)

Place	Name	School	Time
6	Asher Jacobs	Craftsbury	12:53.6
16	Ben Cotterill	U-32	13:50.8
25	Joe Krebs	Craftsbury	14:29.3
54	Teddy Harvey	Stowe	16:07.2

Thank you to the coaches, officials, volunteers, and 802 Timing for a great afternoon of racing. Full results are posted at 802 Timing. Next up: the Vermont HS Cross Country State Championships at Thetford Academy on Saturday, October 24, and the Vermont MS State Championships at the Tree Farm in Essex on Sunday, October 25.