CRINITI RE-WRITES THE RECORD BOOKS AS LHS COMPETES AT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Meet Information
Middlesex League Championships
October 31, 2022
Woburn Country Club - Woburn, MA
RESULTS
WOBURN, MA - For over a half century the Middlesex League has descended upon the grounds of the Woburn Country Club for the League Championships. Of the 12 teams that make up the Middlesex League, only eight Boys teams have taken home the title. That changed on Monday as the Burlington Red Devils, led by the one-two punch of seniors Eric Sekyaya and Rithikh Prakash who placed first and third overall, took home the title with 67 points. Wakefield was second with 72 points. The Minutemen ran their best race of the season to finish third with 86 points. The Girls Championship Race also saw history made. For 48 years, the League Meet was competed over a 2.5 mile layout of the course. In 2018, the course was extended to the now standard 5k distance. Last year, Wakefield's Samantha Seabury set an impressive course record of 18:46.17. This year LHS senior Ava Criniti obliterated that record with a jaw dropping time of 18:08.67. Criniti's time was historically great, but so was the performance of the Arlington Girls. The Spy Ponders placed their first five runners in the top-10 to win the team title with just 26 points. That was the best winning score at the League Championships since Lexington's 2001 State Title winning team set the record by scoring 16 points. The Lex Girls were finished runner-up to Arlington with 54 points.
Highlights from the Championship Race
Something about the Woburn Country Club course brings out the best in LHS junior Glenn Burcsu. Last year he broke the elusive 17-minute barrier for the first time. This year he raised himself to the next level. Laying off the blistering pace set by the leaders, Burcsu moved up through the latter half of the race to run an even split 15:59.40 to place seventh overall, earning a spot on the All-Conference Team. That time bested his previous PR by over 40-seconds. Along with Burcsu's big day, Joey "Candy Man" Ryan turned in a championship level performance of his own. Breaking the 17-minute barrier for the first time, Ryan placed 11th overall with a time of 16:29.85. Next for The Minutemen was senior captain Antonio Lopez (16:45.83) and sophomore Max Zhang (16:50.78) who both turned in huge PRs en route to placing 20th and 21st respectively. Sealing The Minutemen's third place finish was senior captain Aidan McPhee. He ran a PR of his own (17:11.41) to place 27th. Fellow classmate Aviv Spitz (17:23.03) also ran a PR as LHS's sixth man. And, senior Jackson Monks finished his LHS XC career by finishing in the top-50 with a time of 18:28.78. All told, The Minutemen's varsity squad averaged 30-seconds faster than they have in any race this season. It was without question their best performance of the season, in the biggest meet to date.
Final Boys Team Scores
1. Burlington - 67
2. Wakefield - 72
3. Lexington - 86
4. Belmont - 106
5. Arlington - 130
6. Winchester - 131
7. Reading - 134
8. Woburn - 187
9. Melrose - 233
10. Wilmington - 243
11. Stoneham - 339
12. Watertown - NT
As was the case for the Boys, the Lex Girls turned in PRs across the board. Senior captain Uma Sanker, who took the first mile out extremely quick, gutted her way through the latter half of the race to run a personal best time of 19:48.41. Next across the line was fellow classmate and captain Mirra Payson (19:58.20) who placed 13th. With the League Championships having a Freshmen Division, it is rare that 9th graders toe the line in the Championship Race. It is even more rare when two of them make a huge impact. Nadia Abdinoor and Meghan Caldera did just that. The young harriers were glued together throughout the race, moving up through the field to place 17th and 18th respectively. Both Abdinoor (20:03.35) and Caldera (20:06.00) turned in massive PRs in what was one best debuts by a freshmen duo at a League Championship in recent memory. Their efforts sealed the silver medals for The Minutemen. The Lex Girls' sixth runner was junior Dora Liao. Her time of 20:23.93 was another huge PR for an LHS athlete. Senior Jasmine Sun (20:30.40) ran a PR of her own to finish 24th.
Final Girls Team Scores
1. Arlington - 26
2. Lexington - 54
3. Wakefield - 113
4. Winchester - 115
5. Wilmington - 158
6. Reading - 167
7. Woburn - 178
8. Melrose - 186
9. Belmont - 234
10. Stoneham - 276
11. Burlington - NT
12. Watertown - NT
Highlights from the JV Race
In the Boys Race, Wakefield sophomore George Palmer ran 17:21.13 to take the tape. Lexington's top runner was Jinn Janpathompong. The senior ran a nearly 30-second PR of 17:33.38 to place fifth overall. He was followed closely behind by sophomore Nathan Cunningham, who was sixth in a time of 17:35.60. Senior Oliver Morris had the breakout performance of all breakout performances. Having never broken the 19-minute mark, Morris simply was a different runner on Monday. Gliding over the rolling hills of the Woburn Country Club, Morris crossed the line in 17:52.33. Sophomore Will Fletcher turned in another of LHS's huge PRs on the day. His time of 18:12.19 was a PR, and placed him 16th in the field. LHS's fifth runner was senior captain Ian Miller. He finished his career with a time of 18:24.22 to place 21st.
Arlington's Charley Snell shattered the JV Race record by over a minute, winning the Girls Race with a time of 19:42.86. For reference, that time would have placed eighth in the Championship Race. The Minutemen's first finisher was senior Serena Caira. She finished her LHS XC career in style, turning in a huge personal best time of 20:51.43 to place fourth overall. Next across the line, were sophomores Claire Cunningham (21:05.57) and Tanvi Samavedam (21:08.65). The two both turned in lifetime bests to place sixth and seventh respectively. Fellow classmate Mirei Saneyoshi was fourth for the Lex Girls with a PR of 21:28.05. Her time placed her ninth overall. Rounding out the top-five for LHS was junior Maya Dubrovsky who ran a PR of 21:54.84 to place 13th.
Highlights from the Freshmen Race
As has been the tradition in recent years, the 3k Freshmen Race is run as a co-ed division. The team title is given to the school who's top-five boys and top-five girls have the lowest combined score. LHS took home the joint title led by some impressive performances. Sam Finch led the way for LHS's Boys with a time of 10:01.96 to place second overall. He was followed by Colin Smith (10:09.71) who placed fourth. Will Parker was next for The Minutemen, placing fifth with a time of 10:15.41. Liam Singh and Eric Zhang rounded out the top-five for the Boys finishing with nearly identical times of 10:31.79 and 10:31.84 respectively. For the Lex Girls it was Thayer DiCerbo's 12:23.00 that led the way. Her time placed her fourth overall. Sophie Johnson was next with a fifth place finish in a time of 12:30.60. Prachi Aggarwal's time of 12:58.70 placed seventh in the Girls Race. Sophie Kuo was next for LHS in a time of 14:13.60. The all important fifth runner for the Lex Girls was Ella Wolosoff, who's time of 16:46.60 sealed the victory for the freshmen. It should also be noted that in the Boys Freshmen Race, Melrose's Adam Caldwell took down LHS Class of 2022 Evan Eberle's 3k Course Record. Caldwell's time of 9:52.19 bested Eberle's by eight seconds.
Up Next
The Minutemen will have a week off before heading to the Wrentham Developmental Center for the MIAA Division 1A Championships. Competing against the largest schools in the state, LHS's Boys and Girls will look to earn their 10th consecutive trips to the All-State Championships. The Girls Race will go off promptly at 1pm, followed by the Boys at 1:45pm.
Middlesex League Championships
October 31, 2022
Woburn Country Club - Woburn, MA
RESULTS
WOBURN, MA - For over a half century the Middlesex League has descended upon the grounds of the Woburn Country Club for the League Championships. Of the 12 teams that make up the Middlesex League, only eight Boys teams have taken home the title. That changed on Monday as the Burlington Red Devils, led by the one-two punch of seniors Eric Sekyaya and Rithikh Prakash who placed first and third overall, took home the title with 67 points. Wakefield was second with 72 points. The Minutemen ran their best race of the season to finish third with 86 points. The Girls Championship Race also saw history made. For 48 years, the League Meet was competed over a 2.5 mile layout of the course. In 2018, the course was extended to the now standard 5k distance. Last year, Wakefield's Samantha Seabury set an impressive course record of 18:46.17. This year LHS senior Ava Criniti obliterated that record with a jaw dropping time of 18:08.67. Criniti's time was historically great, but so was the performance of the Arlington Girls. The Spy Ponders placed their first five runners in the top-10 to win the team title with just 26 points. That was the best winning score at the League Championships since Lexington's 2001 State Title winning team set the record by scoring 16 points. The Lex Girls were finished runner-up to Arlington with 54 points.
Highlights from the Championship Race
Something about the Woburn Country Club course brings out the best in LHS junior Glenn Burcsu. Last year he broke the elusive 17-minute barrier for the first time. This year he raised himself to the next level. Laying off the blistering pace set by the leaders, Burcsu moved up through the latter half of the race to run an even split 15:59.40 to place seventh overall, earning a spot on the All-Conference Team. That time bested his previous PR by over 40-seconds. Along with Burcsu's big day, Joey "Candy Man" Ryan turned in a championship level performance of his own. Breaking the 17-minute barrier for the first time, Ryan placed 11th overall with a time of 16:29.85. Next for The Minutemen was senior captain Antonio Lopez (16:45.83) and sophomore Max Zhang (16:50.78) who both turned in huge PRs en route to placing 20th and 21st respectively. Sealing The Minutemen's third place finish was senior captain Aidan McPhee. He ran a PR of his own (17:11.41) to place 27th. Fellow classmate Aviv Spitz (17:23.03) also ran a PR as LHS's sixth man. And, senior Jackson Monks finished his LHS XC career by finishing in the top-50 with a time of 18:28.78. All told, The Minutemen's varsity squad averaged 30-seconds faster than they have in any race this season. It was without question their best performance of the season, in the biggest meet to date.
Final Boys Team Scores
1. Burlington - 67
2. Wakefield - 72
3. Lexington - 86
4. Belmont - 106
5. Arlington - 130
6. Winchester - 131
7. Reading - 134
8. Woburn - 187
9. Melrose - 233
10. Wilmington - 243
11. Stoneham - 339
12. Watertown - NT
As was the case for the Boys, the Lex Girls turned in PRs across the board. Senior captain Uma Sanker, who took the first mile out extremely quick, gutted her way through the latter half of the race to run a personal best time of 19:48.41. Next across the line was fellow classmate and captain Mirra Payson (19:58.20) who placed 13th. With the League Championships having a Freshmen Division, it is rare that 9th graders toe the line in the Championship Race. It is even more rare when two of them make a huge impact. Nadia Abdinoor and Meghan Caldera did just that. The young harriers were glued together throughout the race, moving up through the field to place 17th and 18th respectively. Both Abdinoor (20:03.35) and Caldera (20:06.00) turned in massive PRs in what was one best debuts by a freshmen duo at a League Championship in recent memory. Their efforts sealed the silver medals for The Minutemen. The Lex Girls' sixth runner was junior Dora Liao. Her time of 20:23.93 was another huge PR for an LHS athlete. Senior Jasmine Sun (20:30.40) ran a PR of her own to finish 24th.
Final Girls Team Scores
1. Arlington - 26
2. Lexington - 54
3. Wakefield - 113
4. Winchester - 115
5. Wilmington - 158
6. Reading - 167
7. Woburn - 178
8. Melrose - 186
9. Belmont - 234
10. Stoneham - 276
11. Burlington - NT
12. Watertown - NT
Highlights from the JV Race
In the Boys Race, Wakefield sophomore George Palmer ran 17:21.13 to take the tape. Lexington's top runner was Jinn Janpathompong. The senior ran a nearly 30-second PR of 17:33.38 to place fifth overall. He was followed closely behind by sophomore Nathan Cunningham, who was sixth in a time of 17:35.60. Senior Oliver Morris had the breakout performance of all breakout performances. Having never broken the 19-minute mark, Morris simply was a different runner on Monday. Gliding over the rolling hills of the Woburn Country Club, Morris crossed the line in 17:52.33. Sophomore Will Fletcher turned in another of LHS's huge PRs on the day. His time of 18:12.19 was a PR, and placed him 16th in the field. LHS's fifth runner was senior captain Ian Miller. He finished his career with a time of 18:24.22 to place 21st.
Arlington's Charley Snell shattered the JV Race record by over a minute, winning the Girls Race with a time of 19:42.86. For reference, that time would have placed eighth in the Championship Race. The Minutemen's first finisher was senior Serena Caira. She finished her LHS XC career in style, turning in a huge personal best time of 20:51.43 to place fourth overall. Next across the line, were sophomores Claire Cunningham (21:05.57) and Tanvi Samavedam (21:08.65). The two both turned in lifetime bests to place sixth and seventh respectively. Fellow classmate Mirei Saneyoshi was fourth for the Lex Girls with a PR of 21:28.05. Her time placed her ninth overall. Rounding out the top-five for LHS was junior Maya Dubrovsky who ran a PR of 21:54.84 to place 13th.
Highlights from the Freshmen Race
As has been the tradition in recent years, the 3k Freshmen Race is run as a co-ed division. The team title is given to the school who's top-five boys and top-five girls have the lowest combined score. LHS took home the joint title led by some impressive performances. Sam Finch led the way for LHS's Boys with a time of 10:01.96 to place second overall. He was followed by Colin Smith (10:09.71) who placed fourth. Will Parker was next for The Minutemen, placing fifth with a time of 10:15.41. Liam Singh and Eric Zhang rounded out the top-five for the Boys finishing with nearly identical times of 10:31.79 and 10:31.84 respectively. For the Lex Girls it was Thayer DiCerbo's 12:23.00 that led the way. Her time placed her fourth overall. Sophie Johnson was next with a fifth place finish in a time of 12:30.60. Prachi Aggarwal's time of 12:58.70 placed seventh in the Girls Race. Sophie Kuo was next for LHS in a time of 14:13.60. The all important fifth runner for the Lex Girls was Ella Wolosoff, who's time of 16:46.60 sealed the victory for the freshmen. It should also be noted that in the Boys Freshmen Race, Melrose's Adam Caldwell took down LHS Class of 2022 Evan Eberle's 3k Course Record. Caldwell's time of 9:52.19 bested Eberle's by eight seconds.
Up Next
The Minutemen will have a week off before heading to the Wrentham Developmental Center for the MIAA Division 1A Championships. Competing against the largest schools in the state, LHS's Boys and Girls will look to earn their 10th consecutive trips to the All-State Championships. The Girls Race will go off promptly at 1pm, followed by the Boys at 1:45pm.