Cross Country: Rocha, Tanner girls run away with Kelley Invitational crown

As she has done so often throughout her career, Peabody High senior Catarina Rocha turned the Division 1 girls race at Saturday’s Frank Kelley Invitational at the Wrentham Development Center into a personal showcase.The reigning Division 1 state champion obliterated the field, covering the 3.1-mile layout in a time of 17:40.2 – nearly a full minute ahead of her nearest pursuer. Five Tanners finished in the Top 50 as Peabody also secured the team title with 81 points.The Kelley Invitational is sponsored by the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association.Junior Sam Allen (6th, 19:08.4), sophomore Lauren Barrett (11th, 19:32.1), senior Heather Maclean (17th, 19:56.3) and junior Antonia Pagliuca (49th, 20:43.2) comprised the Tanners’ top five. Sydney May (75th) and Emma Marc-Aurele also competed but did not factor into the scoring.Three Beverly runners cracked the Top 100 to lead the Panthers to a 16th-place finish with 369 points. Senior Madison Shropshire (20:18.8) and junior Nicole Demars (20:22.3) led the way, placing 31st and 33rd respectively. Haley Albert (76th, 21:25.6), Keely Higgins and Savannah Page also scored.Division 2 GirlsMarblehead turned in the top area finish, placing eighth overall with 211 points, paced by junior Janaya Randall’s 16th-place finish in 20:33.3. Sophomore Anna Barrell (46th, 21:44.5), senior Jessica Cowan (54th, 22:07.2) and juniors Lily Roberts (22:15.6) and Noelle Villa (22:52.0) rounded out the scoring for the Magicians.Swampscott finished 13th behind junior Sarah Kelley (17th, 20:35.1), sophomore Alyssa Mauriello (78th, 22:48.5) and juniors Abigail O’Connor (97th, 23:18.7), Michelle Laconte (100th, 23:31.4) and Megan Mahoney (103rd, 23:32.9).Junior Arianna Maida (13th, 20:21.2) and senior Hannah Smith (55th, 22:07.6) led Bishop Fenwick to 16th place. Abigail Smith (99th), Kaitlyn Constantino (135th) and senior Emily Walsh (150th) completed the Crusaders’ ladder.Lynnfield turned in an outstanding performance but was not eligible for the team title since only four Pioneers competed. Senior Lexi Buonfiglio posted a stellar third-place time of 19:27.3, followed by sophomore Tia Patterson (30th, 21:01.2) and seniors Angelica Kartsounis (40th, 21:23.2) and Mia DeLuccia (51st, 21:57.9).BOYSSt. John’s Prep displayed its depth to win the Division 2 title of the sixth annual Ocean State Invitational at Goddard Park in W. Warwick, RI with 93 points, five points better than Kellenberg Memorial of New York. Cool, cloudy conditions contributed to fast times as all five SJP scorers posted personal bests at the 5,000-meter distance.Juniors Liam Down (5th, 16:35) and Tim Loehner (7th, 16:41) led the effort, followed by seniors Tom O’Shea (13th, 16:54) and Nick Fecteau (31st, 17:11) and junior Colin Monahan (37th, 17:23).”We had a pretty good day,” said coach John Boyle. “It’s a real confidence boost for us because we’ve only had one dual meet so far and it seems all we’ve been doing is practicing. It was good to face some good competition. Having three guys under 17 minutes is a good sign.”KELLEY INVITATIONALDivision 1Peabody placed seventh overall behind juniors Drew Fossa (16th, 16:38), Ben Braz (44th, 17:09) and Cody Picardy (68th, 17:28.4), junior James Christopher (69th, 17:28.8) and junior Richie Fournier (75th, 17:34.5).Division 2Senior Peter Hale powered his way to a second-place finish in 15:59.7 and junior Matthew Mahoney placed sixth in 16:35.1 to lead Swampscott to a fifth-place team finish with 194 points. Senior Samuel Crimmins (31st, 17:30.7), sophomore Robert McLaughlin (83rd, 18:56.5) and junior Marco Scibelli (98th, 19:36.2) also factored in the scoring.Marblehead ran seventh behind junior Christopher Rodts (33rd, 17:47.9), senior John Howard (45th, 18:07.4), juniors Nicholas Carr (57th, 18:33.1) and Chris Wigglesworth (61st, 18:38.4) and sophomore Hillman Hollister (76th, 19:09.3).Lynnfield finished 14th, led by senior Andrew Drinkwater (42nd, 18:01.7), junior Sam Johnson (85th, 19:22.9)