Masciarelli caps first high school cross country season with memorable conclusion, edging Hart in second-closest girls finish in meet history

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

SAN DIEGO – When Sydney Masciarelli decided to run cross country this fall, instead of playing soccer, the Marianapolis Prep CT sophomore could have never anticipated having such a profound impact on the sport nationally in her first season of high school competition.

For all the memorable one-on-one matchups the 5-foot-10 Masciarelli has had competing in her primary sport of basketball, perhaps none rivaled the thrilling head-to-head battle she and Glenbard West IL junior Katelynne Hart engaged in during the final 200 meters Saturday of the 40th Foot Locker Championships.

GIRLS RACE VIDEO | SYDNEY MASCIARELLI INTERVIEW | KATELYNNE HART INTERVIEW

And for all the workouts with twin brother Salvatore where her physical limits were tested and mental toughness was sharpened, Masciarelli didn’t realize until the final moments of her national finals debut at Balboa Park’s Morley Field just how valuable those lessons would be.

Masciarelli, a resident of Northbridge, Mass., not only captured the first girls individual title for her home state, but did so in dramatic and memorable fashion, prevailing against Hart by the second-smallest margin of victory in meet history.

Masciarelli covered the 5-kilometer layout in 17 minutes, 0.3 seconds, edging Hart in 17:01, producing the Nos. 8 and 9 all-time marks on the San Diego course. It was the fastest winning time since Aisling Cuffe of Cornwall Central NY clocked 16:53 to secure the 2010 title.

“Growing up in a competitive household with all my siblings really kind of prepared me for this moment, training with my twin brother and always trying to beat him in workouts, I pictured that in my mind coming down and I just pushed really hard,” Masciarelli said. “He just pushes me and he was preparing me for that sprint to the end with Katelynne. I always do my workouts and try to sprint at the end at beat him, so when I was neck and neck with her, I just remembered that and pretended she was him.”

Only the 2009 final, where Megan Goethals of Rochester MI prevailed against Chelsey Sveinsson of Greenhill School TX by a 17:06.9 to 17:07.1 margin was closer than Masciarelli’s triumph.

“She works harder than anyone else I know. She trains with me and we both had high expectations for this season, but you can never expect winning a national championship. It’s pretty amazing and I’m so happy for her,” Salvatore Masciarelli said. “It meant so much. If you saw how hard she trains, she runs every day, she’s always doing stuff to get one-up on the competition and I’m just really happy for her. She deserves all of this.”

Hart, who finished runner-up for the second year in a row, demonstrated impressive resolve and tenacity to surge to the lead from the opening gun, looking to rebound from a 16th-place finish Dec. 1 at Nike Cross Nationals.

Hart covered the first mile in 5:13.9, with Masciarelli in sixth place. Hart extended her advantage at the 2-mile mark to five seconds, leading the group at 10:50.3, 22 seconds faster than her split last year.

“There were definitely a lot of mixed emotions during the race,” said Hart, who ran the fastest time by a non-champion in meet history.

“There were times where I was questioning my going out and leading and I was like, ‘What am I doing?’ But then there were parts when I was going up the hill, where I was like, ‘OK, this could really work out, so just keep going strong.’”

When they reached the uphill stretch for the second time, Masciarelli began to chip away at the lead, closing the gap to four seconds and continuing to make up ground with each long stride.

“Coming to the hill the second time, my plan was to make a move then. From there, I’m not too sure how far it was when I caught up to Katelynne, but after that it was just a sprint to the end,” said Masciarelli, the third female winner from a Connecticut school.

“I thought I only have a little bit more left in this race and I have to push now.”

By the 3-mile mark, Masciarelli pulled even with Hart at 16:27. Although the Midwest had already wrapped up its record 19th team title with five athletes in the top six, Hart was trying to hold on with every step as the lead went back and forth during the final 160 meters.

“Definitely, the last bit was challenging,” Hart said. “I mean, you’ve got to love the battle in cross country and through the final stretch going neck and neck was a great push and obviously we ran super fast, too, so I was happy with a PR.”
Masciarelli managed to produce that extra push at the end, relying on a decisive surge in the last 50 meters to cross the finish line just ahead of Hart in only the third girls final decided by less than a second.

“I was really happy and really tired and I was kind of in shock for a little bit,” Masciarelli said. “I haven’t had to push that hard in any race really and throughout the whole race. I had to push harder than I would normally have to in all my races this season.”

Hart became the first female athlete since Marie Lawrence of Reno, Nev., in 2004-05 to finish runner-up in consecutive seasons.

She led the most dominant performance in meet history, with the Midwest placing eight individuals in the top 16 and accumulating 20 points, the second-lowest all-time score trailing only the 19-point effort produced by the West in 2000 when teams only fielded eight athletes instead of 10.

“Since I didn’t have a great NXN performance, for me, I was just so excited about getting second. I know it was such a close race, but I was proud of myself that I pushed the pace and I was able to come back from last week,” Hart said. “Sydney ran such a great race, but at the 3-mile, I went for broke and gave it everything I had and that’s all I could ask of myself. I’m so proud of her, first of all, it’s a great honor to win this meet and it’s such great competition.”

Masciarelli ran the fastest time by a female athlete in her national finals debut and established the No. 2 mark at Balboa Park by a sophomore, trailing only the 16:41.9 by Julia Stamps of Santa Rosa CA in 1994.

“It’s a big accomplishment and it makes really motivated to come back stronger next year. I was coming in being happy with top 10, but I kind of wanted to come in the top three the whole time,” Masciarelli said. “I think it was a good choice. I know I love soccer, but I knew coming off the track season I had and making it to nationals really made me re-think the whole thing and pick cross country.”

During her speech at the awards banquet, Masciarelli demonstrated her usual humility, along with a bit of deadpan humor, when she addressed the crowd by saying, “Basketball is still my main sport, but I decided to give cross country a try this season and it turned out to be a good decision.”

Muskegon Western Michigan Christian freshman Abby VanderKooi ran the third-fastest time by a freshman in meet history to place third in 17:14, becoming the first ninth-grader since Emily Sisson of Parkway Central MO in 2006 to place in the top three.

Beavercreek junior Taylor Ewert became the most decorated Ohio athlete to compete at both national finals in the same year, following her third-place finish at Nike Cross Nationals by placing fourth at Foot Locker in 17:20.1.

Senior Emily Covert of Minneapolis Washburn also became the most accomplished Minnesota athlete at both national finals in the same season, finishing fifth at Foot Locker in 17:29.6 after securing fourth at NXN.

Along with VanderKooi, additional Michigan standouts Jaden Theis of Lansing Catholic (17:30) and Ericka VanderLende of Rockford (17:43.9) added to the Midwest depth by placing sixth and 10th.

Kate Wiser of Pomperaug CT was another Northeast sophomore in the top 10, finishing seventh in 17:32.2, with Natick MA senior Grace Connolly earning her second All-America honor in three years by placing eighth in 17:42.

Science Hill TN freshman Jenna Hutchins joined VanderKooi in earning All-America recognition as a ninth-grader, placing ninth in 17:43.4. Hutchins is the first freshman from the South to place in the top 10 since 2009, also the last year that two ninth-graders earned All-America honors in the same season.

Abby Loveys of Randolph NJ enjoyed the biggest move of any returning finalist, elevating from 33rd last year in 18:59.7 to place 11th in 17:48.4.