After a tough week of school with exam preparations and a tough week of practice, the Crusader cross country team rose to the occasion on Saturday, October 8, 2016 at the Catholic High Invitational in Baton Rouge. Ethan Dupas ’20 set the tone in the junior high race by taking the early lead in the race, leading the large field for more than one mile. Teammate Abram Bernstein ’20 followed closely and was able to pass Ethan in the late stages of the race. The effort of our junior high in a tough field was an impressive start to the day.
The varsity race offered something the likes of which Brother Martin cross country had not yet seen. Hayden Courregé ’18 and Hunter Appleton ‘19 ran away from the field from the moment the gun went off, en route to both of these young men breaking the three mile school record of 15:06, previously held by Randy Hanning in 1994. Hayden won the race, and Hunter finished in 2nd, both racing to a time of 15:05 re-writing the school record. The confidence, effort, guts, and toughness of these two was a sight to behold on Saturday.
Benjamin Crowley ‘18 responded to the fast pace set by his teammates and finished in the Top 15, with teammates Tyler Epps ‘18 and Cade Litolff ‘19 finishing in the Top 30 for the Crusaders to solidify the victory. This was Litolff’s first race as a scorer for the Crusaders, and he set a personal best time of 16:23. Reid Kern ’17 and Marco Perez ‘18 followed closely behind to round out the Top 7. The Crusaders defeated 2nd place Episcopal High School 73-93 in a field of 43 total teams.
Myles Ceravolo ‘17, Jeremy Baier ‘18, Justin Levy ‘17, Kyle Alexander ‘17, and Michael Champagne ’19 raced as a solid pack in the Open Race, finishing in the Top 10, as did André Roevens ‘17 and Jordan Thompson ‘17.
The junior high will compete in the Governor’s Games this weekend in City Park for 9 a.m. The All State/Sugar Bowl Metro Championships will follow at 11:45 a.m. with the varsity Top 7 competing in this race.
Anatomy of a Crusader Cross Country Record Performance:
Mile One Mile Two Mile Three
Hayden Courregé 4:50 9:59 15:05.10
Hunter Appleton 4:50 9:59 15:05.60
Click here to read more on SportsNOLA.com
Click here to read more about Courregé and Appleton at The Advocate New Orleans
Click here to read about Allstate Sugar Bowl Metro Cross Country Championships
