Ocean City’s Maeve Smith continued her terrific junior year with a dominating win in the Varsity F race Saturday at the Manhattan Invitational.
Racing in cold, rainy conditions, Smith ran the 2 ½-mile course at historic Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx in 15:02.1 to win by about 100 meters over senior Shaylen Goslar of Pine Bush High in Orange County, N.Y.
So far this year, Smith has placed 3rd in the Cherokee Challenge and Shore Coaches and won the Cape May County race and now the Manhattan Invite.
Even unpressed, Smith’s time Saturday was 14th-fastest among six varsity races and fastest by a girl from a New Jersey high school.
Ocean City, which wasn’t at full strength, still placed 3rd in team scoring with 154 points, behind only East Islip (N.Y.), which scored 88, and Somers High of Lincolndale, N.Y., which scored 100.
Junior Chloe Care also finished near the front, taking 6th place in 15:56.4.
Sophomore Gabrielle Henry [40th in 17:39.5], senior Frankie Ritzel [54th in 18:04.3] and freshman Lillian Flora [63rd in 18:15.2] made up the rest of Ocean City’s scoring group.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 