CHESHIRE -- A new course meant two brand new records at Hoosac Valley High School Wednesday in the first cross country meet the school has hosted since 2010.
Travis Ciempa set the boys’ record, winning the 2.9-mile race in 17 minutes, 8 seconds. Pittsfields’ Lauren Farry won the girls’ race by 21 seconds over Hoosac’s Kalyn Alibozek.
"I’m happy about [winning]," Ciempa said. "I worked on all my stretches perfectly before and it helped."
His individual victory helped pace a sweep for the boys. Hoosac beat Taconic 23-32 and St. Joseph’s 15-30.
"What can I say about Travis?" coach Ron Namislo said. "He went after it on his home course. He wants to hold the record, he wants to have his name up there and he did it today."
It was the team’s depth that completed the sweep, as Hoosac had three runners finish in the top ten. Jared Haley finished sixth and Trevor Ciempa finished a second behind him for seventh.
The Greylock boys also swept their two meets, beating Pittsfield, 22-33, and Taconic, 18-39.
"We had a game plan of how we thought we had to run," Greylock coach Scott Burdick said. "Everyone had a job to do and every single kid executed. They all did what they had too."
Carter Stripp was the top Mountie across the line, finishing third with a time of 17:27. Will Kirby finished fourth. Sam Kobrin and Will Nolan also secured top ten finishes, while
"I thought I did great, I got a lot closer to [Pittsfield’s Dan] Brien and to Travis," Stripp said. "That was really my goal for this race, to get closer to those guys.
"I think our pack is running a lot stronger, and sticking closer together."
On the girls side, both the Mounties and Hurricanes split their meets. Greylock ran without four of its top five runners. Emily Kaegi, Kat Chenial, Jenna Phelps and Stephanie Adamczyk all sat out in preparation for Friday’s Wide World of Sports/Disney meet in Florida. Nineteen members of the team will leave Thursday to participate in the race.
Pittsfield beat the Mounties, 18-37 and Greylock beat Hoosac 24-33. The Hurri canes beat Taconic 24-31.
"All along the girls have said they care about the postseason the most," Greylock coach Larry Bell said. "I mean they wanted to run, but it was my decision to hold people out."
Sitting the top four gave the Mounties a chance to show off their depth. Laura Galib and Mollyann Haskins finished in the top 10, while Sophia Dastoli finished 12th.
"A lot of girls know they’re in a battle to get a top ten slot," Bell said. "If they can get into our top ten, then they can get to run two weeks longer. I’m not sure if they think that’s a reward or a punishment, but I’m hoping they think it’s a reward."
It was a good course for the Mounties to test their end of the year depth on as many runners and coaches compared the new course to the Northfield course that the Western Massachusetts’ meet is run on.
"It’s an OK course, I like it," Alibozek said. "There is a big hill we have to go up twice and then there is a big hill that’s really steep that we have to go down and it’s hard to try to go down it without tumbling down. It feels a bit like [Northfield]."
It’s not just a feeling. The course is designed to mimic the course Western Mass. and this year’s state meet will be run on.
"I have a way to set up the course to make it kind of similar [to Northfield]," Namislo said. "We start at the bottom of this hill and do it twice before the rest of the course, that’s kind of what Western Mass. does."
Halfway through the year, it provides a good test for the end of the season.
"I think this is a great simulator for Western Mass.," Stripp said. "It has those two hills in the middle of the course, so I think it goes great for our future and how guys will run at Western Mass."
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