Here are 10 cross country runners to keep an eye on this fall
This fall marks a significant changing of the guard in the state’s cross country ranks.
Devan Kipyego and Sophia Gorriaran were superstars at the peak of their powers. Troy Silvestri, Andrew Frezza, Nick Martin, Reese Fahys, Rylee Shunney and Caroline Cummings took a backseat to no one. They’ve all graduated and moved on, leaving room at the top when November rolls around at Ponaganset Regional.
Who will step forward to claim a slice of glory? Bishop Hendricken’s boys and East Greenwich’s girls will be defending team titles while two new individual champions are already assured. Kipyego is at Iowa State after going back-to-back on the boys side and Gorriaran is settling in at Harvard after denying Fahys a three-peat among the girls.
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The boys leaders will be just about all new. Eleven of the top 13 finishers at the state meet last season have graduated. The Hawks captured a fourth team crown in six years and closed second at the New England championships, outpacing the likes of La Salle, Cumberland and St. Raphael.
Four of the top six girls at the state meet last season were seniors, leaving room for new frontrunners in that race as well. The Avengers featured four current seniors – Alicia Chen, Ava Peters, Ella Maybaum and Celia Caliri – behind Fahys and Shunney, and each closed in the top 26 individually. Cumberland, Moses Brown and Barrington are among the teams who will be tasked with keeping that group from elevating and repeating.
Blink your eyes and the state meet will be here. Get to know a few of the names to watch over the next three months. They could well be among the first to cross the line on the Chieftains football field in barely two months.
BOYS
Sam Henderson
Cumberland, Junior
Henderson is one of just two underclassmen who finished in the top 13 at last year’s state meet. That automatically makes him one of the individual title favorites at Ponaganset Regional in November. Henderson will also be hoping to lead the Clippers to at least another top three team finish.
Jack Moretta
Bishop Hendricken, Junior
Moretta is the top returning runner for the Hawks based on last year’s form. He seemed to grow stronger throughout 2022-23, going from 14th at the cross country state meet in the fall to second in the outdoor track 3,000 meters in the spring. Another jump like that could put Moretta on the podium in November.
Noah VanHorn
St. Raphael, Junior
Four different Saints have combined for five individual titles since 1988, including the last two. Can that run of success continue this fall? VanHorn is their top returning performer from last season’s state meet, closing in 18th place.
Jeremiah Rocha
St. Raphael, Senior
Could Rocha be the next member of the Saints to emerge? Talented runners are nothing new in their program, and he’s one of the latest. Rocha closed 19th at last fall’s state meet and will be hoping to start his senior year with a bang.
Jeremy Roe
Ponaganset, Senior
It’s always intriguing to see a member of the Chieftains among the state’s top returning cross country runners. The season’s most important races – the class and state meets – will be on Roe’s home course, giving him what should be an advantage. He closed 20th last year in the state field.
GIRLS
Mia Bettez
La Salle, Senior
The Rams are perennial team title contenders thanks to reliable veterans like Bettez. She’ll enter her senior year hoping to improve on an eighth place finish at last year’s state meet. A lane to the individual and team crowns could be open.
Chandaniey Boyce
St. Raphael, Senior
Boyce finished ninth at the state meet last year and could be even better in 2023. There is no value to be placed on the experience a senior carries into loaded fields like the one she’ll encounter at Ponaganset Regional. The Saints also carry a shot at the team championship into the fall.
Jessica Deal
Mt. Hope, Sophomore
Deal enjoyed a glittering debut season for the Huskies in 2022-23. She closed fourth at the cross country state meet, second in the indoor track 3,000 meters and fourth in the outdoor track 3,000. That consistency and an extra year of strength makes Deal a title threat entering her sophomore year.
Kiley DeFusco
Cumberland, Junior
DeFusco is one of the state’s best three-season distance runners. She bookended 2022-23 by closing 10th at the cross country state meet and third in the outdoor track 3,000 meters. DeFusco will be a key member of a group hoping to pursue a team title.
Rory Sullivan
St. Raphael, Senior
The Saints had an All-Stater walk through their doors via transfer last season. Sullivan departed North Kingstown for a private power and closed third on the trail at Ponaganset Regional. She’s firmly among the girls title contenders in 2023.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Here are 10 RI high school cross country runners to keep an eye on
