Another postseason meet, another impressive finish for the Barrington High School girls and boys cross country teams. 

On Saturday at the Rhode Island Cross Country State Championship meet, the BHS boys team finished second overall and the BHS girls team powered to a fourth place finish. Both teams placed multiple runners in the top-10 spots of the races. And both teams qualified to compete at the New England championship meet next weekend.

Girls race

This year’s fourth place finish for the BHS girls was the team’s best finish and lowest point total since 2019. 

Carly Gill led a strong contingent from Barrington High School. Gill, a sophomore, finished third overall and ran a personal best time of 18:20.84. According to the BHS coaches, Gill was the first Barrington girl to finish in the top-five at the state championship meet since 2019. 

The coaches also said that Emma McMillan, a three-time state champion, is the only Barrington High School runner to clock a faster time than Gill on the Ponaganset course.

Evelyn Lefort finished second for Barrington. She crossed the line in 14th place with a time of 19:19.88. Sarah Clegg, a freshman, finished 27th, and Lizzie Van Hull, also a BHS freshman, finished 28th. Barrington sophomore Charlotte Ford finished in 42nd place overall. 

Other Barrington finishers were Scarlett Wasinowicz, who finished in 60th place with a time of 21:59.67, and Estelle Mentzer, who finished in 91st place with a time of 23:07.98.

Cumberland won the state meet with 40 points, while LaSalle was second with 71 points, and North Kingstown was third with 92 points. East Greenwich rounded out the top five.

The Barrington High School girls team will compete at the New England High School cross country championships this weekend in Belfast, Maine.

Boys race

Brooks Mello led the way for the Barrington High School boys team at the state championship race. The senior finished seventh overall with a time of 15:52.19. Colby Napolitano finished eighth overall with a time of 15:54.84. Ryan Hurlock finished 10th overall, giving Barrington three runners in the top-10 spots. Hurlock clocked a time of 16:05.24.

“We knew at the beginning of the season that we had a strong team, but you just don’t know what’s going to happen. That’s why you play the game,” said BHS Coach Mike Katz. 

“I wanted to make sure that they didn’t try to protect against the second place seeding. They were really loose. They were joking. I think I was way more nervous than they were.

“Having three in the top-10 was great.”

Freshman Finnian Evans powered to a fourth place finish for the team and 23rd overall with a time of 16:42.97. Calvin Mentzer crossed the line in 27th place with a time of 16:54.08. Brady Martin finished in 40th place with a time of 17:13.90 and Jack Williamson was 42nd with a time of 17:15.76.

Katz said his runners’ times were actually a little faster than he thought they would be considering how wet some parts of the course were on Saturday. There had been a heavy ran on Friday.

“It’s the best any of my teams have done,” Katz said, referencing the three finishers in the top-10 spots. 

Barrington High School finished second with 67 points, while Hendricken won with 27 points. East Greenwich was third with 98 points, LaSalle was fourth with 125 points, and Chariho was fifth with 145 points.

Next up for the Eagles will be a trip to Belfast, Maine for the New England Championship meet on Saturday. Katz is expecting cold and wet conditions. 

“It’s going to be cold and rainy or snowy,” he said.