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The Vikings qualified for the open for the first time at last week’s Class LL championships, where they finished seventh. Claire Howlett (fourth) and Nicole Ambrosecchio (sixth) earned all-state honors. Alison Ambrosecchio, Isabelle Yick and Laura Schaffer helped carry veteran coach Ed Lane to his first State Open appearance with a Westhill girls team.
“I really am looking forward to this one,’’ said Nicole Ambrosecchio, a senior. “It means a lot to me that we’re going as a team. We haven’t brought a team there ever. To do that my senior year is awesome.”
Coming off a strong year in 2011 with a strong returning cast, the Vikings were poised for a big year. But one of last year’s runners decided not to return, leaving just five girls on the team. Midway through season, another runner missed some meets because of illness. The Vikings had to forfeit those races because they did not have the minimum number to score.
“It’s kind of frustrating with only four girls,’’ Ambrosecchio said. “We were still optimistic. I definitely think in the end it helped us. We knew we were going to have a full team for the meets that really mattered. When we did have girls, we tried to go in and run a really good race.”
She believes the team's unity will help her at the Open. Ambrosecchio qualified for the race for the fourth straight time but has yet to crack the Top 25 and earn a spot in the New England championships. Her training has been sporadic this week because of the storm, but she's confident she has a good chance of making her first New England race.
“That’s what I really want to do,’’ said Nicole, who finished 54th last year. “I think having the whole team there will make a big difference. Last year we had just three people there, and it wasn’t as much fun. This time the atmosphere will be entirely different. It will be a lot more fun. I’m confident I can meet my goal.”
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