Emma Morrissey’s breakout run shakes up the RI state title race

GLOCESTER – A new cross country star came of age on the girls side Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Class and JV State Championships. Emma Morrissey clocked the day's fastest time while winning the Class B title, an impressive achievement under bright sunshine at Ponaganset Regional. Morrissey broke the tape in 18 minutes, 24.22 seconds, a debut for South Kingstown that adds some intrigue to next weekend's state meet field on the same course. La Salle, Barrington and Moses Brown brought home team titles while returning All-State selections Alyssa Parenteau and Mackenzie Lickert prevailed in Class A and Class C for the Rams and Providence Country Day/St. Raphael, respectively. "I've been putting in a lot of hard work, so I definitely do expect big things from myself," Morrissey said. "How today went, I'm really happy with it." Morrissey's race was the last of six varsity contests off the starting line, and she came out of the woods along the tennis courts with a comfortable lead over top Eagles finisher Carly Gill. It was all about protecting that advantage the rest of the way, and Morrissey did so easily while coming through a finishing strait flanked by pumpkins in honor of Halloween. "I've really liked the cross country season," Morrissey said. "It's one of my favorites. I'm really excited to be here." Morrissey started running competitively in middle school and could be next in line for the Rebels, a program that is no stranger to success. Their six different state champions started with Sherry Murphy in 1974, and Ellie Lawler was the most recent while dominating the 2010s. Her three consecutive crowns from 2015-17 were part of the reason she was recruited to continue her career at Syracuse. "She's such a big role model for me," Morrissey said. "It's really good to know I'm part of such a great program." There will certainly be a returner or two who will have something to say about whether or not Morrissey can add another gold next Saturday. Gill's time of 18:31.75 was well within striking distance, and Parenteau led a loaded Class A field by crossing the line first in 18:34.92. She's committed to Providence and knows how to navigate her way through an elite field. "The more races I get in, the more confidence I get," Parenteau said. "I just keep carrying that." Parenteau suffered from a bit of an upset stomach after she finished – her meal of choice prior to the state meet is certain to change. That minor physical distress didn't stop her from holding off North Kingstown's Abbie Tighe and Cumberland's Cecelia Ludwig, the defending state champion who was one of eight runners on the day to crack the 19-minute mark. "I do my workouts how I want to race, so I get that good exposure," Parenteau said. "I get into a race and it's nothing new." Lickert held back over the early stages before dropping the field with a strong finish. She closed in under six minutes for the last mile and hit the line in 18:50.42, nearly 30 seconds ahead of Block Island's Keira Closter. Next weekend offers a chance to move up one spot from the silver medal Lickert earned at last year's state meet. "Honestly, at this point in the season, the hay is in the barn," Lickert said. "I've done the work. Now it's just getting to that starting line healthy and strong and with a good mindset." Watch RI high school sports on NFHS!The Rams put five finishers in the top 12 to end with 38 team points, besting North Kingstown's runner-up total of 59 and Cumberland's third-place mark of 70. Carolina Terlato (sixth), Layne Stevens (ninth), Kenya Depina (10th) and Satya Mohan (12th) followed Parenteau to help La Salle lock out the field. Gill had company in the top three through Evelyn Lefort, and their combined efforts gave Barrington the power up front to close at 31 points. East Greenwich was second with 64 and Ponaganset claimed third on its home course at 116. Elizabeth Van Hull (seventh), Sarah Clegg (eighth) and Charlotte Ford (11th) gave the Eagles a tight secondary pack behind their top two. Lickert helped her co-op team to second place with 45 points, but the Quakers were a touch better to bring home a banner with 41. Catherine Tang (fifth), Edie Lane (seventh), Penelope Shapiro (10th), Lola Baill (12th) and Grace Wilson (17th) were all among the scorers for Moses Brown. Burrillville finished third in the team standings with 86 points.Girls Cross Country ResultsPonaganset, 3.1 miles Class A Team standings 1, La Salle, 38; 2, North Kingstown, 59; 3, Cumberland, 70; 4, Coventry, 135; 5, Cranston West, 141; 6, Toll Gate, 145; 7, Pilgrim, 172; 8, Classical, 220; 9, Cranston East, 220. Individual placements 1, Alyssa Parenteau, LS, 18:34.92; 2, Abbie Tighe, NK, 18:43.83; 3, Cecelia Ludwig, Cumb., 18:54.89;; 4, Lucy Stowe, NK, 18:55.63; 5, Molly Richardson, Cov., 19:06.60; 6, Carolina Terlato, LS, 19:08.35; 7, Gabby Stoothoff, Cumb., 19:18.04; 8, Anna Bianchi, Cumb., 19:20.12; 9, Layne Stevens, LS, 19:22.43; 10, Kenya Depina, LS, 19:31.51; 11, Aubrey Jarvis, Pil., 19:35.35; 12, Satya Mohan, LS, 19:36.47; 13, Mea Ayotte, TG, 19:38.25; 14, Molly Slinko-Gosetti, CW, 19:50.62; 15, Maura Whitney, NK, 20:00.19; 16, Stella Pelagio, LS, 20:06.12; 17, Michaela O'Connor, LS, 20:12.90; 18, Avrie Tighe, NK, 20:19.32; 19, Juliana Kavanaugh, Pil., 20:27.23; 20, Mackenzie Baker, NK, 20:28.89; 21, Madelyn Stephens, Cumb., 20:31.79.Class B Team standings 1, Barrington, 31; 2, East Greenwich, 64; 3, Ponaganset, 116; 4, Lincoln, 119; 5, Portsmouth, 122; 6, Chariho, 155; 7, South Kingstown, 170; 8, Mt. Hope, 170; 9, Smithfield, 176; 10, Davies, 299. Individual placements 1, Emma Morrissey, SK, 18:24.22; 2, Carly Gill, Barr., 18:31.75; 3, Evelyn Lefort, Barr., 18:57.08; 4, Julia Fuimarello, EG, 19:15.26; 5, Kayla Siedliski, EG, 19:22.06; 6, Meriden Alge, Char., 19:38.49; 7, Elizabeth Van Hull, Barr., 19:51.67; 8, Sarah Clegg, Barr., 19:52.29; 9, Lucy Walker, Ports., 20:15.70; 10, Hayden Lugar, Linc., 20:22.48; 11, Charlotte Ford, Barr., 20:37.21; 12, MacKenzie Ahern, Smith., 20:44.33; 13, Maci Lafontaine, Ponag., 20:54.31; 14, Addyson Wilcox, Ports., 20:56.58; 15, Kylie Violette, Ponag., 20:58.45; 16, Violet Thakuria, EG, 21:06.61; 17, Madison Ourique, Ponag., 21:23.73; 18, Olive Willis, EG, 21:29.43; 19, Sophia DeSimone, Linc., 21:39.25; 20, Estelle Mentzer, Barr., 21:39.27; 21, Courtney Martin, EG, 21:39.83.Class C Team standings 1, Moses Brown, 41; 2, Providence Country Day/St. Raphael, 45; 3, Burrillville, 86; 4, Prout, 94; 5, North Smithfield, 115; 6, Narragansett, 162; 7, Bay View, 172. Individual placements 1, Mackenzie Lickert, PS, 18:50.42; 2, Keira Closter, BI, 19:19.53; 3, Julia Dowling, NS, 19:29.03; 4, Lily Chabot, EWG, 19:39.32; 5, Catherine Tang, MB, 20:28.19; 6, Sophia Zampello, Burr., 20:5.83; 7, Edie Lane, MB, 21:11.65; 8, Laura Osorio, PS, 21:12.70; 9, Ella Procaccianti, P, 21:18.79; 10, Penelope Shapiro, MB, 21:31.34; 11, Stella Starring, Burr., 21:35.43; 12, Lola Baill, MB, 21:44.73; 13, Savannah Johnson, PS, 21:59.57; 14, Kelsey Sheldon, P, 22:14.66; 15, Satya Tandon-Friedman, PS, 22:21.95; 16, Alanna Celio, PS, 22:24.61; 17, Grace Wilson, MB, 22:31.84; 18, Sadie Dougherty, MB, 22:35.46; 19, Brielle Baillargeon, NS, 22:36.26; 20, Ellie Gobin, Burr., 22:48.74; 21, Astra Bernardo, MB, 22:49.82. bkoch@providencejournal.com On X: @BillKoch25 This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Emma Morrissey’s breakout run shakes up the RI state title raceOur editors independently choose our recommendations. 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