Hillie junior Julie Solimine has been a splendid constant for the Haverhill girls cross country team but, because of injuries, the pecking order behind her has been far less consistent.
But, as the Hillies showed on Oct. 31, it hasn't made much difference as they captured the Merrimack Valley Conference Meet for the fifth straight year with 51 points, a comfortable 40 ahead of runner-up Billerica.
Solimine, who has placed first in all but one race, blitzed the rest of the field to defend her league title, covering the 3.18-mile Chelmsford course in an excellent 19:19 with teammate Beth Fullerton running her best race of the season to take fourth in 19:58.
Sophomore Jillian Meserve, running her first race in a month because of an injury, came in eighth at 20:30. Mary Fullerton (16th) and Corinne Clifford (22nd) completed the Haverhill scoring. Senior standout Christine McNaughton is still recovering from a hip injury and was unable to compete.
"I'm really proud of this team because it's had to overcome so much," said Haverhill coach Mike Maguire. "It's a resilient group and we haven't used any excuses. We've had to rely on a lot of different girls and they've come through for us.
"Julie ran another great race and I was very happy with Beth. She's been training great and she put it all together."
Haverhill sophomore Bridget Twomey came in first in the JV race.
Girls MVC Meet
at Chelmsford (3.18 miles)
Team scores: Haverhill 51, Billerica 91, Lowell 101, Chelmsford 105, Dracut 106, Tewksbury 142, Andover 150, Central Catholic 160, Methuen 217, Notre Dame 297
Winner and top local finishers: 1. Julie Solimine (Hav) 19:19, 4. Beth Fullerton (Hav) 19:58, 8. Jillian Meserve (Hav) 20:30, 9. Molly Van Doren (And) 20:38, 15. Christine Schaffer (CC) 21:06, 16. Mary Fullerton (Hav) 21:17, 17. Petty Kim (Meth) 21:19, 22. Corinne Clifford (Hav) 21:40, 23. Shannon Sullivan (CC) 21:40, 28. Samantha Kelleher (Hav) 22:00, 29. Courtney O'Leary (CC) 22:02, 30. Meghan McPhee (And)22:05, 35. Caroline Kubiszewski (Meth) 22:23, 36. Kathleen McGinty (And) 22:25, 37. Leah Totten (And) 22:35, 38. Rebecca Long (And) 22:40
Boys MVC Meet
at Chelmsford (3.18 miles)
Team scores: Methuen 32, Lowell 36, Andover 88, Chelmsford 116, Central Catholic 129, Dracut 159, Billerica 176, Tewksbury 182, Haverhill 204
Winner and top local finishers: 1. Jared Reddy (Meth) 16:09; 3. Andrew Stamatopulos (Meth) 16:35, 4. Scott Waller (And) 16:37, 6. Simon Voorhees (And) 16:45, 7. Tyler Sullivan (Meth) 1:47, 9. Ben Pare (Meth) 16:55, 12. Corey Hamel (Meth) 17:10, 13. Nick Schumacher (And) 17:10, 15. Nate Webber (CC) 17:14, 24. Garret Hammond (Hav) 17:52, 25. Joseph Rand (CC) 17:52, 26. Adam Gidley (CC) 17:54, 29. Tyler Burke (CC) 17:56, 30. Ryan Cooney (And) 17:58
