LEX GIRLS TAKE A FINAL TURN ON THE TRAILS AT THE ALL-STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Meet Information
MIAA Division 1 All-State Championships
November 19, 2022
Fort Devens - Devens, MA
RESULTS
DEVENS, MA - The Lex Girls traveled to Fort Devens on Saturday for the All-State Championships. While the hills around Willard Park, which made this course very challenging at the Baystate Invitational in October, were taken out of the equation for All-States, the identical three loop course offered deceptively challenging terrain for what was a tremendous day of racing for Massachusetts. In the Division 1 Race - where LHS competed - it was the Brookline Girls who took home the team title by scoring 90 points. They bested second place Wellesley by 13 points en route to victory. The Lex Girls showed well by placing 11th overall with a combined score of 294 points.
As she has all year long, senior Ava Criniti led the way for LHS. The recently crowned Division 1A Champion took the lead early in the race, and held back a pack of over a dozen for the first two miles. That pack was blown apart when Cambridge Rindge & Latin sophomore Aofie Shovlin made a move with around 1k to go. That move would prove to be decisive, as Shovlin would take the tape with a time of 18:12.97. Criniti would hang tough to hold on to a sixth place finish with a time of 18:41.24. After a tough race at Divisionals, senior Jasmine Sun turned in her best performance of the season at All-States. Her time of 20:12.31 was a huge PR and placed her 70th overall. Next across the line for The Minutemen was freshman Meghan Caldera. The young harrier came on strong throughout the year, and turned into The Minutemen's most consistent runner throughout Championships Season. She placed 73rd overall with a time of 20:14.61. Finishing fourth for the Lex Girls - 102nd overall - was senior captain Uma Sanker. She finished with a time of 20:31.01. Fellow classmate and captain Mirra Payson was the fifth place finisher for her team. Her time of 20:39.80 placed 111th overall. Freshman Nadia Abdinoor (20:59.27) and junior Dora Liao (21:01.24) finished 132nd and 134th respectively.
Final Girls Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Brookline - 90
2. Wellesley - 103
3. Cambridge Rindge & Latin - 137
4. Oliver Ames - 180
5. Needham - 195
6. Acton-Boxborough - 213
7. Billerica - 236
8. Arlington - 242
9. Weymouth - 288
10. Hopkinton - 293
11. Lexington - 294
Now that the 2022 Cross Country Season has come to a close, it is worth noting a number a firsts that took place for The Minutemen. In her first - and only - season on the trails, Ava Criniti shattered course records, and brought Lexington an individual Divisional Title for the first time in over 20 years. Junior Glenn Burcsu was the first LHS boy to break the 16-minute barrier in the 5k since 2018. Between the Boys and Girls Teams, The Minutemen had four freshmen - Nadia Abdinoor, Meghan Caldera, Will Parker, and Sam Finch - make the post season roster for the first time in recent memory. And this was the first year that Halston Taylor joined the LHS XC family as a member of the coaching staff. His impact on the program was felt immediately, and his massive contributions helped to guide the athletes and coaches to bring the best out of themselves throughout the season. Firsts aside, this season will not be remembered as one that put more banners in the rafters at the Field House, but rather it will be remembered for all of the times that the athletes came together as a team to achieve great things together. Cross Country is first and foremost a team sport. However, it requires the buy-in and sacrifice of each of its members to be able to succeed as a group. The athletes on this team, truly bought into that idea of competing for each other, and it has been a thrill to see them come together throughout the fall.
Up Next
The Minutemen will now head inside for the start of the Indoor Track & Field Season. The first meet - at The Track at New Balance - will be held on Thursday, December 15th at 4:30pm against Arlington.
MIAA Division 1 All-State Championships
November 19, 2022
Fort Devens - Devens, MA
RESULTS
DEVENS, MA - The Lex Girls traveled to Fort Devens on Saturday for the All-State Championships. While the hills around Willard Park, which made this course very challenging at the Baystate Invitational in October, were taken out of the equation for All-States, the identical three loop course offered deceptively challenging terrain for what was a tremendous day of racing for Massachusetts. In the Division 1 Race - where LHS competed - it was the Brookline Girls who took home the team title by scoring 90 points. They bested second place Wellesley by 13 points en route to victory. The Lex Girls showed well by placing 11th overall with a combined score of 294 points.
As she has all year long, senior Ava Criniti led the way for LHS. The recently crowned Division 1A Champion took the lead early in the race, and held back a pack of over a dozen for the first two miles. That pack was blown apart when Cambridge Rindge & Latin sophomore Aofie Shovlin made a move with around 1k to go. That move would prove to be decisive, as Shovlin would take the tape with a time of 18:12.97. Criniti would hang tough to hold on to a sixth place finish with a time of 18:41.24. After a tough race at Divisionals, senior Jasmine Sun turned in her best performance of the season at All-States. Her time of 20:12.31 was a huge PR and placed her 70th overall. Next across the line for The Minutemen was freshman Meghan Caldera. The young harrier came on strong throughout the year, and turned into The Minutemen's most consistent runner throughout Championships Season. She placed 73rd overall with a time of 20:14.61. Finishing fourth for the Lex Girls - 102nd overall - was senior captain Uma Sanker. She finished with a time of 20:31.01. Fellow classmate and captain Mirra Payson was the fifth place finisher for her team. Her time of 20:39.80 placed 111th overall. Freshman Nadia Abdinoor (20:59.27) and junior Dora Liao (21:01.24) finished 132nd and 134th respectively.
Final Girls Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Brookline - 90
2. Wellesley - 103
3. Cambridge Rindge & Latin - 137
4. Oliver Ames - 180
5. Needham - 195
6. Acton-Boxborough - 213
7. Billerica - 236
8. Arlington - 242
9. Weymouth - 288
10. Hopkinton - 293
11. Lexington - 294
Now that the 2022 Cross Country Season has come to a close, it is worth noting a number a firsts that took place for The Minutemen. In her first - and only - season on the trails, Ava Criniti shattered course records, and brought Lexington an individual Divisional Title for the first time in over 20 years. Junior Glenn Burcsu was the first LHS boy to break the 16-minute barrier in the 5k since 2018. Between the Boys and Girls Teams, The Minutemen had four freshmen - Nadia Abdinoor, Meghan Caldera, Will Parker, and Sam Finch - make the post season roster for the first time in recent memory. And this was the first year that Halston Taylor joined the LHS XC family as a member of the coaching staff. His impact on the program was felt immediately, and his massive contributions helped to guide the athletes and coaches to bring the best out of themselves throughout the season. Firsts aside, this season will not be remembered as one that put more banners in the rafters at the Field House, but rather it will be remembered for all of the times that the athletes came together as a team to achieve great things together. Cross Country is first and foremost a team sport. However, it requires the buy-in and sacrifice of each of its members to be able to succeed as a group. The athletes on this team, truly bought into that idea of competing for each other, and it has been a thrill to see them come together throughout the fall.
Up Next
The Minutemen will now head inside for the start of the Indoor Track & Field Season. The first meet - at The Track at New Balance - will be held on Thursday, December 15th at 4:30pm against Arlington.