York senior Cary Drake wins second straight Class B title; Wildcats win Class B team crown
BELFAST, Maine – Cary Drake had a case of déjà vu on Saturday in the Class B girls cross country state championship meet.
And so did her York High School teammates.
Drake, the York High School senior who is committed to run next year at Northwestern University, covered the 3.1-mile Troy Howard Middle School course in a first-place time of 18 minutes, 08.47 seconds, leading the Wildcats to their second straight Class B state championship. It was also Drake’s second straight individual championship. She also placed second as a sophomore in 2021.
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York had a team score of 57, while Greely (87), Lincoln Academy (98), Cape Elizabeth (118) and Freeport (124) placed second through fifth, respectively.
"Last year we were mild underdogs, this year we were the favorite," York head coach Fergus Cullen said. "I hadn't fully appreciated how much more confidence it gives a team to go to the starting line, knowing they've been there before and raced well when it counts the most."
Mt. Desert Island junior Amelia Vandongen placed second in 18:51.54.
York senior Molly Kenealy placed seventh overall in 19:46.15, and sophomore Madelyn Hutchins was ninth (19:50.54).
Other York runners included sophomores Karianna Hultstrom (16th, 20:40.43), and Madelyn Herman (31st, 21:41.85), freshman Kaitlin Bloomer (51st, 22:28.69) and junior Audrey Drennan (54th, 22:40.00).
"One of the most satisfying aspects of this win is that it was truly a team effort," Cullen said. "Every girl contributed and we needed every girl to win. Remove any one of our top four finishers and we lose. And any one of our fifth, sixth, and seventh runners was good enough to close it out for us."
Drake, Kenealy and Hutchins all placed in the top 25 of all classes and qualified for the New England championship race.
York boys place second
York junior Aidan Ring placed fifth overall in a time of 16:23.49. Ring finished in the top 25 in all classes and qualified for the New England championship race.
The Wildcats placed second in the team scoring with 63 points, trailing champion Freeport (55). Greely (125), Gray-New Glouceter (133) and Lake Region (136) placed third through fifth, respectively.
York sophomore Hayden Atkinson (13th, 17:06.49), senior Will Gear (15th, 17:10.66), junior Hans Bakke (16th, 17:11.70), and seniors Landon Morrison (26th, 17:44.62), Ken Hermawan (28th, 17:46.03) and Charlie Newton (52nd, 18:35.88) all competed.
Marshwood sophomore fourth in Class A boys
Marshwood sophomore Henri Rivard was fourth overall in the Class A boys race in a time of 16:14.83. Rivard finished in the top 25 in all classes and qualified for the New England championship race.
Marshwood sophomores Nate Kelley (31st, 17:23.23) and Noah Tessier (52nd, 17:46.20) also competed.
The Hawks placed eighth in the 14-team field with 212 points.
In the girls race, Marshwood sophomore Maya Sanzone placed 24th in a time of 20:27.64, and senior Sarah McClellan was 27th (20:45.29).
The Hawks placed ninth overall in the 12-team field.
Traip duo competes in Class C race
Traip Academy sophomore Elise Abbott placed 14th (21:11.76), while teammate Hayden Bouffard was 27th (23:44.64).
In the boys race, Traip junior Camden Cyr was 32nd (18:34.77).
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: York girls, Cary Drake defend Maine state cross country championships
