Of everything sports-related that will stay ingrained in our memories from 2008, there's one thing that we in The Salem News sports department wish had never transpired.
The North Shore sports community lost one of its brightest young faces in August when Hamilton-Wenham track superstar Gabe Pacione was killed in an automobile accident.
The recently-graduated Pacione — the most dominant male distance runner of his era — was slated to run at prestigious Dartmouth College in the fall.
For three years running, Pacione was named the Salem News Male Cross Country Runner of the Year, and he was chosen as an All-Star nine times for this newspaper, a feat equaled only by fellow General runner Emily Lanois.
Countless Division 4 Eastern Mass. titles, Cape Ann League crowns and team championships decorated Pacione's resume. He capped his unbelievable career last fall by breaking a 35-year old school record in the two-mile.
By all accounts, though, Pacione's passion for life and his unique ability to touch those he came in contact with through academics and athletics set him apart. That was on display last month, when hundreds of runners met for the inaugural "Gabe's Race" — a charitable event run in Pacione's honor.
"He was an ambassador for our sport — and really, an ambassador for life," said Steve Sawyer, Pacione's coach at Hamilton-Wenham.
We couldn't agree more.
