Harwood Union cross country teams have competed in the Maine Festival of Champions every year (minus 2020) since 2011. Harwood performances have been solid if not outstanding. Harwood boys placed second in the 50-plus team field in 2013 and Harwood girls placed first in a 60-plus field of runners in 2019. Coach John Kerrigan, head coach of the HUXC program since 1978, thought his teams’ chances of finishing in the top half of the 2023 field of 85 teams was tenuous at best. Every high school in Maine was represented along with teams from the Canadian Maritimes and southern New England. Because the Maine course will be the site for the 2023 New England Championships, the competitive field of runners was packed with outstanding individuals and teams from New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island. All were hoping to get a preview before the elite race on November 11 on the Belfast trail.
The boys’ race was won by Matt Giardina of Bishop Guertin of Nashua, New Hampshire. E.O. Smith near the UCONN campus in Mansfield, Connecticut was the winning boys’ team.
The girls race was won by Ruth White of Orono, Maine. White also won this race in 2021 and 2022. She smashed her own course record, dipping below 17:00 minutes for the first time in her career. The winning girls team was Cumberland, Rhode Island.
“This is the most competitive race in which that the Harwood XC team has ever competed! I was proud of our boys (38th) place and our girls (15th place). The event provided a wonderful opportunity for our runners to run against some of the top individuals and teams in the country” said Kerrigan.
Seven of the 12 Harwood girls competing finished in the top half, ten of the 11 Harwood boys competing also finished in the top half. More than half of the runners had personal (PR) record times on the fast course.
Harwood girls were led by Celia Wing who placed 36th in the 700+ runner field, followed by Heidi Haraldsen (71), Julia Thurston (79), Hazel Lillis (116), Rowan Clough (182) and Pippa Diller (200) freshman. Julia Cisz, Eireann McDonough and Harmony Devoe also had outstanding races finishing in the top half in the freshman race.
There were over 900 boys competing. Chris Commiskey (137) led the Harwood boys. He was followed by Quinn Smith (177), Indy Metcalf (239) Chapin Rivers (280), Atticus Ellis (310) and Cooper Hansel (333). Brody Hackett finished in the top 50 in the 300 runner freshman race.
“It was PR for JV runners Wyatt Ross and Mason Jones. Both had huge personal best times. Mason crushed his previous best time by almost 2:00 minutes,” said Kerrigan
Next up for the Harwood Cross Country team is the Thetford Woods Trail Race on October 7.
