Rachel Paul Qualifies for Nike Cross Country Nationals

At the Nike Regional Qualifier meet held on Saturday at Bowdoin Park in upstate Wappingers Falls, Sachem East harrier Rachel Paul placed fifth overall in 18:40 to punch her ticket to next weekends Nike Cross Country Nationals in Portland, Oregon.

Sponsored by Nike, the top two teams and top five individuals from the eight regions of the U.S. receive all expense paid trips to compete at Portland Meadows racetrack over the standard 3.1 mile distance. The race will be webcast live on the internet, details will be available later in the week.

In addition to Paul, a number of East Boys and Girls also competed. The East boys top finishers were Ryan Scarpelli (78th in 17:41), Jerrson Torres (81st in 17:46), Tom Rascona (87th in 17:53), and Zach Patsy (129th in 18:35). The top East girls behind Rachel were Shannon O'Hehir (39th in 19:54), Jayda Allen (96th in 21:30), and Kaitlin DiMartino (98th in 21:41).