A week’s worth of rain didn’t affect Mascenic’s dirt oval track, and the Vikings hosted Conant and Hinsdale for a day of racing in a warm, festive atmosphere.
It was an unscored meet; had it been scored, Conant would have won on sheer number of entries. But with the pressure of a team win off the table, all the teams had fun. Youth members of the Valhalla Running Club joined the high school athletes as they tried to outrun the black flies, the celebratory strains of “I Got Five On It” ringing out from the Orioles’ tent all along.
There was still plenty of competitive spirit from all sides. Conant won a hotly contested distance medley relay over Mascenic, with Chris Taylor’s blistering speed opening up a gap, which Landon Vaillancourt closed, but couldn’t surpass, as he chased Matt Bernier on the anchor leg.
Mascenic’s Dakota Somero just edged out Taylor in the 100M and won the 800M as well.
Conant’s Ethan Vitello won the 200M.
Vaillancourt and Logan Thibault went head-to-head down the stretch in the mile, with Vaillancourt hanging on to win in 5:01.
With Thibault pacing him, Boynton’s Drew Traffie won the 3,200M in 12:39.