AC Girls Cross-Country Takes League Title

Girls 1st, Boys 2nd in Catholic Central League

– Allison Goldsberry

The undefeated Arlington Catholic Girls Cross-Country team, 7-0, snagged the Catholic Central League championship title with a victory over Marian on Tuesday.

The girls pulled out a decisive 21-39 win on Marian’s home course in Framingham. The Cougars once again finished in a close pack, with sophomore Bridget Kirkpatrick (Medford) the first Cougar to cross the finish line in 2nd place with a time of 20:32. Senior captain Corinne Lavassuer (Melrose) finished 3rd, sophomore Mary Stanton (Woburn) was 4th, freshman Janelle Solviletti (Billerica) 5th, junior Lauren Reis (Arlington) 7th, sophomore Becca Gonsalves 8th, senior captain Linda Buehler (Woburn) 10th, senior captain Bonnie Ferreira (Somerville) 12th and senior Harriet Gabbidon (Malden) 13th.

“It was a day to remember,” said Head Coach Jack Dempsey.

Coach Dempsey was extremely proud of his team and the effort they not only put into the race, but also for the entire undefeated season.

The league title is the first for the girls team since 1998.

The AC boys also ran well, defeating Marian 20 to 40 and finishing in 2nd place in the CCL with a record of 6 wins and 1 loss. The Cougar boys were once again led by junior Joe Donlon (Stoneham), who won the race with a time of 17:37. Freshman Kevin Connors (Belmont) placed 3rd, sophomore Chris Laffey (Billerica) 4th, sophomore Kyle Liberti (Medford) 5th, junior Andrew Cohen (Waltham) 7th, senior Jon Mancini (Arlington) 8th, sophomore Nolan Hart (Medford) 10th and senior Alex Morella (Arlington) 12th.

Next on tap for the Cougar squads are the CCL Championships, State Coaches Invitational and State Divisional meet.