Former Haverhill star wins Newburyport race: Solimine-Fazioli takes 10-mile women’s event

NEWBURYPORT — 2,670. That’s how many runners descended on High Street Tuesday night to participate in the 63rd annual running of the Yankee Homecoming Road Races — between the 5K and 10-miler. They came from all corners of the country, as they always do, with 23 different states represented including Florida, California, Utah, Arkansas and Washington. Truly, just an absurd number. But that’s what Yankee Homecoming is. That’s what makes the Newburyport tradition so memorable. Every year, without fail, it’s special. “It was really great,” said first-time participant Mac Sloan Anderson, a Shelburne Falls resident who finished third in the 10-mile. “There was just people everywhere, the entire way, and so many runners came out. It was really awesome.” Here are some leftover notes before we turn the page to No. 64 next year:

Former Haverhill star wins women’s 10-Mile

Jaclyn Solimine-Fazioli finally broke through into the winner’s circle. The former Haverhill High and UMass Lowell great had come in second and third at previous Yankee Homecomings, but broke through for a victory in 1:00:16. “It was great,” said Solimine-Fazioli, who has since moved to Derry. “There was a lot of support out there and it was just a lot of fun.” Four out of the next five finishers were from the Newburyport area. Amesbury’s Beth Dollas was second (1:04:09), Merrimac’s Emma Bianculli was third (1:05:27), Newburyport’s Betsy Suda was fourth (1:05:34) and West Newbury’s Siobhan Mitchell was sixth (1:07:43). Suda was the Yankee Homecoming women’s 5K winner in 2021. In the men’s race, Georgetown’s Rusty Shackleford was the top local finisher in fourth (54:04), and he was followed closely by Newburyport’s Cameron Leonard in fifth (54:05), Steve Dowsett in seventh (55:40) and Tim Englehart in ninth (56:47). Amesbury’s Royce Waltrip rounded out the top-10 (57:48), and was followed by two more Newburyport runners in 14th and 15th in Jack Chambers (58:15) and recently-graduated Clipper superstar Bradford Duchesne (58:41).

THE UMASS LOWELL STRANGLEHOLD

Due to deadline constraints here, and the official results not being posted in time to meet it, the 5K race did not get the coverage it deserved in yesterday’s section. Apologies. But man, does UMass Lowell seem to have a stranglehold on it. In 2021, it was recently-graduated River Hawk Chris Alfond of Ashby who won the 5K, and last year it was his former Lowell track teammate, Joseph Walsh of Auburn, who took it home. Walsh returned to defend his title Tuesday night, but had to settle for second as his recently-graduated UMass Lowell teammate, Dan Cosgrove, won in 15:02. Walsh was 12 second behind in 15:14, and his younger brother, Timothy, was third (15:53). Who will step up to stop the River Hawks next year?

First Port male was a 15-year-old!

Moving down the 5K list, there was a handful of local finishers near the top. Groveland’s Will Coppola, a former Pentucket track star, was seventh (16:55), and his older brother Sam was 12th (17:42). You then had Merrimac’s Connor Hughes in eighth (16:59), a pair of Rowley runners in Christopher Plante (17:56) and Connor Barry (18:15) in 14th and 15th, Newbury’s Bryon Popp in 17th (18:29) and Amesbury’s Andrew Goodwin in 20th (18:57). But what about host Newburyport? Well, this year’s winner of the Paula O’Neil Award for the first Newburyport female to finish the 5K — and the first Newburyport resident overall — was Lucy Gagnon in 22nd (19:06). A former Clipper superstar, Gagnon is heading into her senior year at Williams College where she’ll be a captain for the women’s track and field team. And for the males? That honor, the Jon Pearson Award winner, was young Thomas Thoreson. You’ll probably be hearing the 15-year-old’s name a lot over the coming years, and on Tuesday he finished in 23rd (19:08) with his good friend, 16-year-old Henry Walker, right behind in 24th (19:08). So yes, the combined age for the first three Newburyport finishers in the 5K was 52.

NEWBURYPORT — 2,670.

That’s how many runners descended on High Street Tuesday night to participate in the 63rd annual running of the Yankee Homecoming Road Races — between the 5K and 10-miler. They came from all corners of the country, as they always do, with 23 different states represented including Florida, California, Utah, Arkansas and Washington.

Truly, just an absurd number.

But that’s what Yankee Homecoming is. That’s what makes the Newburyport tradition so memorable.

Every year, without fail, it’s special.

“It was really great,” said first-time participant Mac Sloan Anderson, a Shelburne Falls resident who finished third in the 10-mile. “There was just people everywhere, the entire way, and so many runners came out. It was really awesome.”

Here are some leftover notes before we turn the page to No. 64 next year:

Former Haverhill star wins women’s 10-Mile

Jaclyn Solimine-Fazioli finally broke through into the winner’s circle. The former Haverhill High and UMass Lowell great had come in second and third at previous Yankee Homecomings, but broke through for a victory in 1:00:16.

“It was great,” said Solimine-Fazioli, who has since moved to Derry. “There was a lot of support out there and it was just a lot of fun.”

Four out of the next five finishers were from the Newburyport area. Amesbury’s Beth Dollas was second (1:04:09), Merrimac’s Emma Bianculli was third (1:05:27), Newburyport’s Betsy Suda was fourth (1:05:34) and West Newbury’s Siobhan Mitchell was sixth (1:07:43).

Suda was the Yankee Homecoming women’s 5K winner in 2021.

In the men’s race, Georgetown’s Rusty Shackleford was the top local finisher in fourth (54:04), and he was followed closely by Newburyport’s Cameron Leonard in fifth (54:05), Steve Dowsett in seventh (55:40) and Tim Englehart in ninth (56:47). Amesbury’s Royce Waltrip rounded out the top-10 (57:48), and was followed by two more Newburyport runners in 14th and 15th in Jack Chambers (58:15) and recently-graduated Clipper superstar Bradford Duchesne (58:41).

THE UMASS LOWELL STRANGLEHOLD

Due to deadline constraints here, and the official results not being posted in time to meet it, the 5K race did not get the coverage it deserved in yesterday’s section.

Apologies.

But man, does UMass Lowell seem to have a stranglehold on it.

In 2021, it was recently-graduated River Hawk Chris Alfond of Ashby who won the 5K, and last year it was his former Lowell track teammate, Joseph Walsh of Auburn, who took it home. Walsh returned to defend his title Tuesday night, but had to settle for second as his recently-graduated UMass Lowell teammate, Dan Cosgrove, won in 15:02.

Walsh was 12 second behind in 15:14, and his younger brother, Timothy, was third (15:53).

Who will step up to stop the River Hawks next year?

First Port male was a 15-year-old!

Moving down the 5K list, there was a handful of local finishers near the top.

Groveland’s Will Coppola, a former Pentucket track star, was seventh (16:55), and his older brother Sam was 12th (17:42). You then had Merrimac’s Connor Hughes in eighth (16:59), a pair of Rowley runners in Christopher Plante (17:56) and Connor Barry (18:15) in 14th and 15th, Newbury’s Bryon Popp in 17th (18:29) and Amesbury’s Andrew Goodwin in 20th (18:57).

But what about host Newburyport?

Well, this year’s winner of the Paula O’Neil Award for the first Newburyport female to finish the 5K — and the first Newburyport resident overall — was Lucy Gagnon in 22nd (19:06). A former Clipper superstar, Gagnon is heading into her senior year at Williams College where she’ll be a captain for the women’s track and field team.

And for the males?

That honor, the Jon Pearson Award winner, was young Thomas Thoreson. You’ll probably be hearing the 15-year-old’s name a lot over the coming years, and on Tuesday he finished in 23rd (19:08) with his good friend, 16-year-old Henry Walker, right behind in 24th (19:08).

So yes, the combined age for the first three Newburyport finishers in the 5K was 52.