GLRR Junior Olympics Cross Country

The Renegades ready for the Junior Olympics

By Joe Ferris

For the fourth straight year, the Greater Lowell Road Runners Youth Program qualified runners to the Junior Olympics Cross Country National Championships in San Antonio, Texas.

GLRR fielded 17 athletes for the New England Association Qualifier in Smithfield, R.I. — Makayla Paige, Riley Clark, Riley Veits (Tewksbury), Alisa Crueger-Cain (Lowell), Lily Robinson, McKenzie Clark, Devyn Veits (Tewksbury), Terryn Fraser-Mines (Tyngsboro), Sarah Cain (Andover), Mason Veits (Tewksbury), Hunter Williams (Lowell), Cameron Gondola, Joseph Balboni, Lucas Gondola (Tewksbury), Eliot Lyle (Billerica), Jack Balboni and Bobby Clark (Tewksbury).

Riley, Makayla, and Alisa enjoy Sea World.

Three athletes qualified to compete at the national championships in San Antonio, Texas. 10-year-old runner Makayla Paige competed for the first time at nationals in the girls 9-10 age group over 3K. Paige finished sixth at the Regional Qualifiers in Wappingers Falls, N.Y.. Riley Clark, 9, competed for the second time at nationals. Alisa Crueger-Cain, 12, competed in her fourth consecutive nationals. The girls finished, 110th, 204th, and 46th respectively against the best the nation had to offer.

Our first track and field meet in 2014 will be at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston on February 9th. Anyone who has a young athlete between the ages of 7-14 that would like to be part of the 2014 program can contact the coach, Joe Ferris, at jdfhere@yahoo.com for information.