Marquand Places 16th at National Race

Allyson Marquand of University High placed 16th in the girls’ race of the national cross-country championships Saturday at Oaks Trail Course at Shades of Green in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Marquand finished the 5,000-meter course in 18 minutes 32 seconds after finishing 28th in 19:01.1 on the same course in 1997.

Marquand, a senior who is headed to Stanford on a soccer scholarship, said the race was extra special to her because she doesn’t plan on running cross-country in college, which is held during the same time of the year as soccer.

“I gave it everything I had,” she said. “This was the last cross-country race of my high school career and maybe the last one of my life so I wanted it to be a good one. I felt kind of sad this morning when I thought about that, but I used it to motivate me. I kept telling myself, ‘This is it. This is your last cross-country race ever, so let’s make it a good one.’ ”

Although Marquand’s 16th-place effort met her pre-race goal of finishing among the top 20, she said she was a little disappointed she didn’t finish 15th because that would have made her a third-team All-American.

The top five finishers were first-team All-Americans. The sixth- through 10th-place finishers were named to the second team with the 11th through 15th selected to the third.

“I think running [in the national championships] last year really helped,” she said. “I wasn’t as nervous as I was last year. I was looking more to the race itself instead of just making it here. Last year, I was just glad to be here. But this year, I really wanted to run well.”

Senior Erin Sullivan of Mt. Mansfield High in Jericho, Vt., won the girls’ race in 17:35.7 to become the third runner to win consecutive girls’ titles since the meet began in 1979.