Correction: Pat Pierce Was a Winner

On Sept. 16, I wrote that only one Newton North runner other than Barnicle and Polgar had won a cross-country meet since 2000.

I was mistaken. In October 2003, Barnicle sat out two meets with a calf injury and then-senior Pat Pierce won both meets. In the first meet, Pierce won at Natick, leading the Tigers to a 21-40 victory in what was expected to be a close meet. The next week, Pierce beat Dedham's Rex Radloff (16:49 to 16:52) in a thrilling duel at Cold Springs Park. I can't think why I didn't remember these two races when I was making the point that one should always be prepared to win a race. In fact, these races illustrate the same point. In the Natick meet, Barnicle didn't withdraw from the race until a few minutes before it started, clearing the way for Pierce's first varsity win. When he woke up that morning, Pat probably didn't think he had any chance for victory, but he seized the opportunity when it was presented to him.