BOYS AND GIRLS FINISH 3RD AT MIDDLESEX LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Meet Information
Middlesex League Championships
November 1, 2021
Woburn Country Club - Woburn, MA
RESULTS
WOBURN, MA - After a one-year hiatus, the Middlesex League returned to the Woburn Country Club for the 51st Annual Middlesex League Championships. The 2021 installment of the oldest League Championship meet in the state featured one of the deepest fields in recent memory in both the boys and girls races. In the boys race, Wakefield proved to be the class of the League. Scoring 63 points and besting Arlington by eight points, the Freedom Division Champions took home the Middlesex League crown. On the girls side, the Spy Ponders' depth could not be matched. All seven of Arlington's runners placed in the top-20 en route to a nearly 40 point victory over Winchester. The Minutemen placed third in both races with the boys scoring 112 points, and the Lex Girls coming through with 85.
"Runner on the Course" by Serena Caira, Uma Sanker, and Ashley Taylor
The regular season has come to a close! We here at “Runner on the Course” will miss you guys. Not to worry though! We’ll definitely be back. Now, onto what you’re here for: the Middlesex League Championships recap. The Minutemen were up against a lot of competition this Monday, but we were ready with our speaker and flag, which was a big hit among the other teams this year, who asked several times if they could wave the flag, or in the case of one boy, take a picture with it.
Highlights from the Freshmen Race
Starting off with a bang were the freshmen, who ran in a co-ed 3k. The three girls and herd of boys stampeded off quite quickly. Bringing in the Lexington girls pack, and placing 5th overall, was Tanvi Samavedam (13:04.6). Next up came Leontine Meunier with an impressive 13:05.1. She was followed by Asha Banerji (13:59.1). A double-take revealed that there were also boys in the same race. Leading the Lexington boys freshmen pack as he has all season was Max Zhang. He finished the season with a strong performance (10:37.5) to place fourth overall. Unfortunately not finishing with his sister by his side, but still putting down a great time of 10:47.0 was Nathan Cunningham. Following shortly after was Daniel Ryans (10:49.0). Zach Barry (11:13.9) placed 15th overall for The Minutemen, proving the future is bright for our team!
Highlights from the Varsity Races
Moving onto the varsity boys! There were a number of season and lifetime bests in this race. The boys had their dramatic main character moments when Eye of the Tiger was playing as they endeavored up the infamous hill in the heart of the Woburn Country Club course. Now whether they heard it or not isn't the question, as our own Maya Dubrovsky’s portable speaker is only so loud, but it’s the thought that counts. Finishing first for LHS, and 13th overall was senior captain Evan Eberle who ran a personal best time of 16:31.3. Fellow classmate and captain Ollie DiCerbo PRed by nearly 20 seconds, finishing 16th in 16:36.8. Finishing third for The Minutemen with a giant PR of his own, Thomas Lane (with the help of his dog Brookie giving him moral support) ran 16:49.5 to place 24th. With a hard charging finish, the youngest member of LHS’s varsity squad, sophomore Glenn Burscu, broke 17-minutes for the first time. He crossed the line in 16:59.3 to place 26th overall. The Minutemen’s all important fifth runner was senior captain Graham Bracken who grinded through the race to a time of 17:17.9. Junior Aidan McPhee and senior captain Noah Quadri ran basically in each other’s pockets the entire race with the two crossing the line 17:27.3 and 17:27.5 respectively.
Now we got the varsity girls! Many of the Lex Girls PRed in this race as well. The iconic trio of varsity girls consisting of senior captain Clara Fu, and juniors Mirra Payson and Uma Sanker who once again pulled through during this race. Leading them off was Clara who placed third overall to earn the bronze medal with a stunning time of 19:23.8. All of her hard work throughout her career is finally paying off, as LHS’s top girl earned her first career All-Conference Honors with that performance. Turning in a solid day of her own was Payson, who followed close behind with a time of 20:03.3. Not to toot her own horn here, but Uma was able to turn in a massive PR when her team needed it most. Her time of 20:33.3 was well under the elusive 21-minute mark, and good enough for 15th place overall. Not to be overlooked was the incredible performance turned in by freshman Brett Castro. Her time of 21:08.9 was a huge PR and enough to finish 29th overall (second among freshmen) in the varsity race. Another big PR was turned in by our fearless leader Cameila Atassi. Her time of 21:20.2 was enough for a 35th place finish. Along with the top-five, junior Jasmine Sun (21:33.4) and freshman Claire Cunningham (22:07.4) finished 37th and 41st.
Final Boys Team Scores
1. Wakefield - 63
2. Arlington - 71
3. Lexington - 112
4. Reading - 115
5. Melrose - 122
6. Belmont - 123
7. Burlington - 138
8. Winchester - 147
9. Woburn - 244
-- Stoneham - NT
-- Watertown - NT
-- Wilmington - NT
Final Girls Team Scores
1. Arlington - 46
2. Winchester - 82
3. Lexington - 85
4. Wilmington - 99
5. Wakefield - 131
6. Melrose - 137
7. Reading - 140
8. Woburn - 198
9. Belmont - 285
-- Burlington - NT
-- Stoneham - NT
-- Watertown - NT
Highlights from the JV Races
The JV boys swept the podium in their race taking the top three spots. Leading them off was Antonio Lopez (17:31.1) who held onto the lead for the whole race, with the exception of a few wrong turns. Unfortunately if running does not work out for Antonio, he cannot pursue a career in navigation. Next up was Joey “Candy Man” Ryan who secured himself a sweet (get it?) spot on the postseason roster with a 23-second PR time of 17:35.2. “Hi I’m Candyman, hear me roar! And you get a candy bar, and you get a candy bar! Candy bars galore!” At least that is what we imagine was going through his mind after his stellar performance. Rounding out the top three was senior Dimitri Kontos with a personal best time of his own, 17:44.6.
In the girls junior varsity race, Sophomore Dora Liao - creator of AP Bio Notes on Instagram - placed first for the Lex Girls with a time of 21:49.9. Next up, we had Ashley Taylor. Not only an ice cream aficionado, she also pulled in all the stops and ran an amazing time of 22:01.3 that snagged her a spot on the team’s top ten. Rounding out the top ten for the girls was Sarah Lane who ran a great time in her own right by crossing the line in 22:09.1.
With that being said, great work to everyone! It’s been a tough season and we’re so proud of all of you and grateful for the friendships we made on the team this year. As we wipe away our tears we wish you guys the best of luck finding a new good source of literature and entertainment without these recaps. Our last words come from our own Uma Sanker, “THREE MORE MINUTES MOM, WE’RE ALMOST DONE WRITING THE RECAP!” Until next week at Divisionals!
Up Next
The Minutemen have nearly two weeks to prepare for the MIAA Division 1A Championships, which will be held at the Wrentham Developmental Center on Saturday, November 13th. With the MIAA restructuring its tournament format across all sports, this mean LHS will face the biggest schools from across Massachusetts with a spot at the All-State Championships on the line. The boys race will get underway at 10:00am, with the girls following at 10:45am.
Middlesex League Championships
November 1, 2021
Woburn Country Club - Woburn, MA
RESULTS
WOBURN, MA - After a one-year hiatus, the Middlesex League returned to the Woburn Country Club for the 51st Annual Middlesex League Championships. The 2021 installment of the oldest League Championship meet in the state featured one of the deepest fields in recent memory in both the boys and girls races. In the boys race, Wakefield proved to be the class of the League. Scoring 63 points and besting Arlington by eight points, the Freedom Division Champions took home the Middlesex League crown. On the girls side, the Spy Ponders' depth could not be matched. All seven of Arlington's runners placed in the top-20 en route to a nearly 40 point victory over Winchester. The Minutemen placed third in both races with the boys scoring 112 points, and the Lex Girls coming through with 85.
"Runner on the Course" by Serena Caira, Uma Sanker, and Ashley Taylor
The regular season has come to a close! We here at “Runner on the Course” will miss you guys. Not to worry though! We’ll definitely be back. Now, onto what you’re here for: the Middlesex League Championships recap. The Minutemen were up against a lot of competition this Monday, but we were ready with our speaker and flag, which was a big hit among the other teams this year, who asked several times if they could wave the flag, or in the case of one boy, take a picture with it.
Highlights from the Freshmen Race
Starting off with a bang were the freshmen, who ran in a co-ed 3k. The three girls and herd of boys stampeded off quite quickly. Bringing in the Lexington girls pack, and placing 5th overall, was Tanvi Samavedam (13:04.6). Next up came Leontine Meunier with an impressive 13:05.1. She was followed by Asha Banerji (13:59.1). A double-take revealed that there were also boys in the same race. Leading the Lexington boys freshmen pack as he has all season was Max Zhang. He finished the season with a strong performance (10:37.5) to place fourth overall. Unfortunately not finishing with his sister by his side, but still putting down a great time of 10:47.0 was Nathan Cunningham. Following shortly after was Daniel Ryans (10:49.0). Zach Barry (11:13.9) placed 15th overall for The Minutemen, proving the future is bright for our team!
Highlights from the Varsity Races
Moving onto the varsity boys! There were a number of season and lifetime bests in this race. The boys had their dramatic main character moments when Eye of the Tiger was playing as they endeavored up the infamous hill in the heart of the Woburn Country Club course. Now whether they heard it or not isn't the question, as our own Maya Dubrovsky’s portable speaker is only so loud, but it’s the thought that counts. Finishing first for LHS, and 13th overall was senior captain Evan Eberle who ran a personal best time of 16:31.3. Fellow classmate and captain Ollie DiCerbo PRed by nearly 20 seconds, finishing 16th in 16:36.8. Finishing third for The Minutemen with a giant PR of his own, Thomas Lane (with the help of his dog Brookie giving him moral support) ran 16:49.5 to place 24th. With a hard charging finish, the youngest member of LHS’s varsity squad, sophomore Glenn Burscu, broke 17-minutes for the first time. He crossed the line in 16:59.3 to place 26th overall. The Minutemen’s all important fifth runner was senior captain Graham Bracken who grinded through the race to a time of 17:17.9. Junior Aidan McPhee and senior captain Noah Quadri ran basically in each other’s pockets the entire race with the two crossing the line 17:27.3 and 17:27.5 respectively.
Now we got the varsity girls! Many of the Lex Girls PRed in this race as well. The iconic trio of varsity girls consisting of senior captain Clara Fu, and juniors Mirra Payson and Uma Sanker who once again pulled through during this race. Leading them off was Clara who placed third overall to earn the bronze medal with a stunning time of 19:23.8. All of her hard work throughout her career is finally paying off, as LHS’s top girl earned her first career All-Conference Honors with that performance. Turning in a solid day of her own was Payson, who followed close behind with a time of 20:03.3. Not to toot her own horn here, but Uma was able to turn in a massive PR when her team needed it most. Her time of 20:33.3 was well under the elusive 21-minute mark, and good enough for 15th place overall. Not to be overlooked was the incredible performance turned in by freshman Brett Castro. Her time of 21:08.9 was a huge PR and enough to finish 29th overall (second among freshmen) in the varsity race. Another big PR was turned in by our fearless leader Cameila Atassi. Her time of 21:20.2 was enough for a 35th place finish. Along with the top-five, junior Jasmine Sun (21:33.4) and freshman Claire Cunningham (22:07.4) finished 37th and 41st.
Final Boys Team Scores
1. Wakefield - 63
2. Arlington - 71
3. Lexington - 112
4. Reading - 115
5. Melrose - 122
6. Belmont - 123
7. Burlington - 138
8. Winchester - 147
9. Woburn - 244
-- Stoneham - NT
-- Watertown - NT
-- Wilmington - NT
Final Girls Team Scores
1. Arlington - 46
2. Winchester - 82
3. Lexington - 85
4. Wilmington - 99
5. Wakefield - 131
6. Melrose - 137
7. Reading - 140
8. Woburn - 198
9. Belmont - 285
-- Burlington - NT
-- Stoneham - NT
-- Watertown - NT
Highlights from the JV Races
The JV boys swept the podium in their race taking the top three spots. Leading them off was Antonio Lopez (17:31.1) who held onto the lead for the whole race, with the exception of a few wrong turns. Unfortunately if running does not work out for Antonio, he cannot pursue a career in navigation. Next up was Joey “Candy Man” Ryan who secured himself a sweet (get it?) spot on the postseason roster with a 23-second PR time of 17:35.2. “Hi I’m Candyman, hear me roar! And you get a candy bar, and you get a candy bar! Candy bars galore!” At least that is what we imagine was going through his mind after his stellar performance. Rounding out the top three was senior Dimitri Kontos with a personal best time of his own, 17:44.6.
In the girls junior varsity race, Sophomore Dora Liao - creator of AP Bio Notes on Instagram - placed first for the Lex Girls with a time of 21:49.9. Next up, we had Ashley Taylor. Not only an ice cream aficionado, she also pulled in all the stops and ran an amazing time of 22:01.3 that snagged her a spot on the team’s top ten. Rounding out the top ten for the girls was Sarah Lane who ran a great time in her own right by crossing the line in 22:09.1.
With that being said, great work to everyone! It’s been a tough season and we’re so proud of all of you and grateful for the friendships we made on the team this year. As we wipe away our tears we wish you guys the best of luck finding a new good source of literature and entertainment without these recaps. Our last words come from our own Uma Sanker, “THREE MORE MINUTES MOM, WE’RE ALMOST DONE WRITING THE RECAP!” Until next week at Divisionals!
Up Next
The Minutemen have nearly two weeks to prepare for the MIAA Division 1A Championships, which will be held at the Wrentham Developmental Center on Saturday, November 13th. With the MIAA restructuring its tournament format across all sports, this mean LHS will face the biggest schools from across Massachusetts with a spot at the All-State Championships on the line. The boys race will get underway at 10:00am, with the girls following at 10:45am.