Confidence key at the RIIL Girls Cross Country Championships. Here's why.
· Yahoo Sports
GLOCESTER – The note had been attached to her mirror since the end of a disappointing junior season, serving as a subtle reminder to what her big goal was for her senior season.
Perhaps the message wasn’t so subtle.
Visit turconews.click for more information.
Alyssa Parenteau wanted to win the 2026 RIIL Girls Cross Country State Championship and on Saturday, did just that. In a sport that comes a little more difficult to the All-State track star, Parenteau managed to grind through the season and grinder harder through the wet and muddy course at Ponaganset High School. She emptied the tank and nearly ran out of gas at the end, but crossed in a time of 18:16.33, holding off South Kingstown freshman Emma Morrissey by 1.12 seconds.
“This honestly feels surreal,” said Parenteau after becoming La Salle’s first champion since Kaylie Armitage in 2019. “I’ve done it in track, but the cross country title tops it so much. Girls cross country is so much harder for me.
“… I have to put in double the work mentally and physically, so the fact I was able to come out here today and do this was surreal for me.”
While Parenteau was a first-time winner, the team champions were hardly new to the top of the podium. Cumberland gave other teams a glimmer of hope after punting on the Class Championships, but left little doubt about the condition of their dynasty. The Clippers had two runners in the top six, three in the top eight and five in the top 11 to score 40 points, 31 ahead of runner-up La Salle, winning their fourth straight team crowd.
“It’s such a crazy thing that we have a team that’s capable of doing this four years in a row,” said junior Cecelia Ludwig after Cumberland became the first public school to win four straight since North Kingstown won five from 2000-2004. “Coming back ever single year to have the confidence that we can do stuff like this, it’s incredible to have that opportunity.”
Hampered by injuries as a sophomore, Parenteau had a championship opportunity last fall following her first Class A Championship. It wasn’t meant to be, as she finished seventh at the state meet, leading her to write a note about her big goal for 2026 and stick it on a mirror so she could see it every day.
Confidence was key to Parenteau’s success this fall. It built throughout the season and shined in her second straight Class A title. She was the favorite walking into Ponaganset on Saturday, November 7, and wasted little time in showing the field why.
“I had the same plan all season – believe in myself,” Parenteau said. “I know I come out and focus on my race, great things can happen.
Watch RI high school sports on NFHS Network!
“I love to run aggressive at the start and I wanted to stay true to that.”
Parenteau set the tone early, bursting out of the start and quickly taking a lead. A pack developed behind her, keeping their distance and waiting for a chance to make a move.
What they didn’t account for was Parenteau’s will. Running through the woods, Parenteau looked back and saw them there, heard coaches yelling them to wait and she was content to grind out every inch of the race.
As she came out of the trees and turned right at the tennis courts, the race looked well in hand. Parenteau felt confident, but also knew there she had to find a final push. When she arrived at the football field, Morrissey – the freshman sensation who won the Class B crown last weekend – closed the gap in a hurry.
If the race was 20 more yards, Parenteau wasn’t going to finish first. She crossed the line on fumes and, sitting on the muddy field, repeatedly asked if she had, indeed, won.
“I call it the turn of doom and despair,” said Parenteau of the homestretch. “It’s literally slow so slow, it’s on the grass, but as I was coming through the finish I was giving it all I had.
“My body was numb. I was five feet from the line and my legs fully gave out.”
When Cumberland’s first five crossed the line, there was no doubt where it finished in the team standings.
The Clippers’ dynasty has been well documented and skipping the Class Championships, while frustrating to prognosticators, is part of the process.
Cumberland’s experienced shows and its experienced members showed out. Freshman Caylee Kurbec was the first Clipper to finish, taking fifth, with Ludwig right behind her. Two runners later, Natalie Crawford came across the line and two runners after, Gabriella Stoothoff and Anna Bianchi came in.
The five were too exhausted to celebrate immediately after coming in, but they also had to make sure their other team teammates got through their race OK. When Madelyn Stephens and Charlotte Pryor came through, the Clippers huddled up, sat down – which made sense, considering the 3.1 miles they just ran – and had their fun.
“Some people have expectations for what we should be doing, but that gives us strength in doing what we have to do know we have such high expectations,” Ludwig said. “We had to come here and get the job done. It’s a lot of pressure, but at the same time pressure is a good thing to have.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Confidence key at the RIIL Girls Cross Country Championships. Here's why.
Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.