EPIC PEFORMANCES CARRY BOYS AND GIRLS TO 9TH STRAIGHT ALL-STATE MEET
Meet Information
MIAA Division 1A Championships
November 13, 2021
Wrentham Developmental Park - Wrentham, MA
RESULTS
WRENTHAM, MA - The 2021 Divisional Championships had a new twist on them. With the MIAA's realignment across all sports being implemented for the first time, that meant The Minutemen would toe the line with the largest schools from across the state for a shot to go to the All-State Championships next week. Under the new formant the top seven teams would advance to All-States, and both the Lex boys and girls squads were on the bubble after disappointing third place finishes at the League Championships on November 1st. With their seasons on the line, both teams turned in their best performances of the year to qualify for All-States. The boys placed sixth and the girls came in fourth overall. LHS has now extended its streak - which began in 2012 - to nine straight years of qualifying both the boys and girls teams for the All-States.
"Runner on the Course" by Uma Sanker & Ashley Taylor
Welcome back to "Runner on the Course"! This time, Ashley and Uma are coming to you from Championship Season. Despite the weather forecast predicting a monsoon, we were surprised when we woke up and saw our friendly yellow face, the sun.
The team arrived at Wrentham on, surprisingly, one bus. When they arrived there, they were unexpectedly confronted with their very own mascot: that’s right, The Minuteman was in fact on the course! Also, “Runner on the Course” author Ashley Taylor’s brother took some stellar professional photos, capturing what ended up being an eventful day. Thank you, Kyle! We will definitely be following your photography account @kyle.taylor.photography.
Now, onto the first race of the morning. The varsity boys were hungry to qualify for All-States. They succeeded, with the team placing sixth overall. First up, we had an incredible performance from senior captain Evan Eberle. He sure secured his spot at the adults table, moving up 22 places over the second half of the race and running a steaming hot PR of 16:29.82 to place 27th. Next up was senior captain Graham Bracken (16:42.03), who saved his best performance of the season for when his team needed him most. Following close behind, was a series of boys who had decided to stick together in a pack. Leading this pack was sophomore Glenn Burscu (16:46.64), who would like to thank Thomas Lane for being his water bottle’s bodyguard (so that he wouldn’t drink too much water). And Coach McKenna for his breathing technique to get rid of cramps. Following shortly behind, was Thomas (16:51.24), who didn’t stick in his own lane during his race, but ran in a pack instead. Lane, being a man of few words, described the race as being “fun.” Rounding out the pack was senior captain Ollie DiCerbo (16:55.47) who had his two sisters there to support him. You may be wondering what happened to the final two of the top seven. Don’t worry, they haven’t gone far! Junior Antonio Lopez managed to step in at the last minute, and pulled a speedy season best time of 17:14.39. Rounding off the top seven was junior Aidan McPhee, who gutted his way through despite his hammies hurting the whole way. Aidan still pulled an amazing time of 17:43.55.
Final Boys Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Brookline - 102
2. Saint John's Prep - 122
3. Westford Academy - 145
4. Newton North - 154
5. Acton-Boxborough - 169
6. Lexington - 227
7. Lowell - 260
8. Natick - 273
9. B.C. High - 302
10. Framingham - 312
Now, onto the girls, who admittedly have less eloquent Strava captions than the boys do, but a way better skincare routine because of Fré. The team overall placed fourth, will also be joining the boys at All-States next Saturday, and broke all of the elusive barriers they could. Senior captain Clara Fu (18:43.61) ran her brains out and proved that being happy really does equate to a good time #positivemindsetalways. It’s worth noting that this 40 second PR broke the elusive 41 second PR barrier, and made her the fastest Lex girl on the Wrentham course in school history. However, this PR isn’t only a result of waking up and being happy, but a result of the hard work and dedication she has put into the team over the last four years. Next for the Lex girls came junior Uma Sanker with another huge PR of her own, running a 19:55.23 and breaking the elusive 20 minute barrier. Following Sanker was fellow classmate (and bunny owner) Mirra Payson, running a 20:54.64. Close behind, followed freshman Brett “I use Study Bunny” Castro (20:56.14) and junior Jasmine Sun (20:59.44). Both girls broke the elusive 21 minute barrier for the first time, running massive PRs in the process. The iconic duo, “Sastro,” definitely heeded Coach Trax’s advice of sticking together during the race. Or maybe it was the girls alternates screaming “pack mentality!” at them the entire race. We’ll never know. Following Sastro was senior captain Camelia “cream cheese spreader critiquer” Atassi, running a speedy time of 21:14.40. Finishing off the Lex girls was freshman Claire Cunningham, carrying courageously a captivating cool time calculated as 21:38.55.
Final Girls Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Weymouth - 88
2. Brookline - 111
3. Newton North - 120
4. Lexington - 217
5. Wachusett - 220
6. Needham - 222
7. Acton-Boxborough - 226
8. Barnstable - 233
9. Franklin - 238
10. Newton South - 272
After all of these amazing performances, we can’t wait to see you guys next week at All-States! Be ready for Mirra’s cookies at team dinner this Friday.
Up Next
It will be deja vu all over again next Saturday as The Minutemen will be back at the Wrentham Developmental Center. The boys will once again race at 10am, and the girls will follow right behind at 10:45am. However, this time the Division 1 All-State Championship will be on the line.
MIAA Division 1A Championships
November 13, 2021
Wrentham Developmental Park - Wrentham, MA
RESULTS
WRENTHAM, MA - The 2021 Divisional Championships had a new twist on them. With the MIAA's realignment across all sports being implemented for the first time, that meant The Minutemen would toe the line with the largest schools from across the state for a shot to go to the All-State Championships next week. Under the new formant the top seven teams would advance to All-States, and both the Lex boys and girls squads were on the bubble after disappointing third place finishes at the League Championships on November 1st. With their seasons on the line, both teams turned in their best performances of the year to qualify for All-States. The boys placed sixth and the girls came in fourth overall. LHS has now extended its streak - which began in 2012 - to nine straight years of qualifying both the boys and girls teams for the All-States.
"Runner on the Course" by Uma Sanker & Ashley Taylor
Welcome back to "Runner on the Course"! This time, Ashley and Uma are coming to you from Championship Season. Despite the weather forecast predicting a monsoon, we were surprised when we woke up and saw our friendly yellow face, the sun.
The team arrived at Wrentham on, surprisingly, one bus. When they arrived there, they were unexpectedly confronted with their very own mascot: that’s right, The Minuteman was in fact on the course! Also, “Runner on the Course” author Ashley Taylor’s brother took some stellar professional photos, capturing what ended up being an eventful day. Thank you, Kyle! We will definitely be following your photography account @kyle.taylor.photography.
Now, onto the first race of the morning. The varsity boys were hungry to qualify for All-States. They succeeded, with the team placing sixth overall. First up, we had an incredible performance from senior captain Evan Eberle. He sure secured his spot at the adults table, moving up 22 places over the second half of the race and running a steaming hot PR of 16:29.82 to place 27th. Next up was senior captain Graham Bracken (16:42.03), who saved his best performance of the season for when his team needed him most. Following close behind, was a series of boys who had decided to stick together in a pack. Leading this pack was sophomore Glenn Burscu (16:46.64), who would like to thank Thomas Lane for being his water bottle’s bodyguard (so that he wouldn’t drink too much water). And Coach McKenna for his breathing technique to get rid of cramps. Following shortly behind, was Thomas (16:51.24), who didn’t stick in his own lane during his race, but ran in a pack instead. Lane, being a man of few words, described the race as being “fun.” Rounding out the pack was senior captain Ollie DiCerbo (16:55.47) who had his two sisters there to support him. You may be wondering what happened to the final two of the top seven. Don’t worry, they haven’t gone far! Junior Antonio Lopez managed to step in at the last minute, and pulled a speedy season best time of 17:14.39. Rounding off the top seven was junior Aidan McPhee, who gutted his way through despite his hammies hurting the whole way. Aidan still pulled an amazing time of 17:43.55.
Final Boys Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Brookline - 102
2. Saint John's Prep - 122
3. Westford Academy - 145
4. Newton North - 154
5. Acton-Boxborough - 169
6. Lexington - 227
7. Lowell - 260
8. Natick - 273
9. B.C. High - 302
10. Framingham - 312
Now, onto the girls, who admittedly have less eloquent Strava captions than the boys do, but a way better skincare routine because of Fré. The team overall placed fourth, will also be joining the boys at All-States next Saturday, and broke all of the elusive barriers they could. Senior captain Clara Fu (18:43.61) ran her brains out and proved that being happy really does equate to a good time #positivemindsetalways. It’s worth noting that this 40 second PR broke the elusive 41 second PR barrier, and made her the fastest Lex girl on the Wrentham course in school history. However, this PR isn’t only a result of waking up and being happy, but a result of the hard work and dedication she has put into the team over the last four years. Next for the Lex girls came junior Uma Sanker with another huge PR of her own, running a 19:55.23 and breaking the elusive 20 minute barrier. Following Sanker was fellow classmate (and bunny owner) Mirra Payson, running a 20:54.64. Close behind, followed freshman Brett “I use Study Bunny” Castro (20:56.14) and junior Jasmine Sun (20:59.44). Both girls broke the elusive 21 minute barrier for the first time, running massive PRs in the process. The iconic duo, “Sastro,” definitely heeded Coach Trax’s advice of sticking together during the race. Or maybe it was the girls alternates screaming “pack mentality!” at them the entire race. We’ll never know. Following Sastro was senior captain Camelia “cream cheese spreader critiquer” Atassi, running a speedy time of 21:14.40. Finishing off the Lex girls was freshman Claire Cunningham, carrying courageously a captivating cool time calculated as 21:38.55.
Final Girls Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Weymouth - 88
2. Brookline - 111
3. Newton North - 120
4. Lexington - 217
5. Wachusett - 220
6. Needham - 222
7. Acton-Boxborough - 226
8. Barnstable - 233
9. Franklin - 238
10. Newton South - 272
After all of these amazing performances, we can’t wait to see you guys next week at All-States! Be ready for Mirra’s cookies at team dinner this Friday.
Up Next
It will be deja vu all over again next Saturday as The Minutemen will be back at the Wrentham Developmental Center. The boys will once again race at 10am, and the girls will follow right behind at 10:45am. However, this time the Division 1 All-State Championship will be on the line.