2023 LEX XC SQUAD MAKES ITSELF KNOWN AFTER BIG DEBUT AT CLIPPER RELAYS
Meet Information
22nd Annual Clipper Relays
September 9, 2023
Maudslay State Park - Newburyport, MA
RESULTS
NEWBURYPORT, MA - After 83 days away, the sport of Athletics was back in the form of Cross Country as The Minutemen opened up the fall season at the Annual Clipper Relays. Hosted by Newburyport's program, the relays have become a staple on the Lex XC schedule for years now. The relay format of the meet allows teams to test their depth as each squad is split up into three-person relays, with each leg running the same two-mile loop through the muddy rain-soaked trails of Maudslay State Park. The Girls Race saw the ladies from Pentucket complete the three-peat, as their top team cruised to victory with a time of 37:20. After finishing fifth last year, the Lex Girls' top team improved on both place and time by finishing fourth overall in a time of 38:33. In the Boys Race, The Minutemen led from wire-to-wire and took the title over Billerica with a time of 30:14.
After a stellar junior campaign on the track as an 800m runner, Samara McVey debuted for the Lex Girls on the trails for the first time in her LHS career. The senior did so in style as she ran the fastest two-mile split of the day for her team with a time of 12:27. Next up for The Minutemen was senior captain Dora Liao who ran an adjusted split of 12:51. The two seniors teamed up with sophomore Meghan Caldera (12:59) to form the 'A' Team that placed fourth overall. Perhaps the biggest breakout performance in a day full of success for the Lex Girls came from freshman Callie Glenn. The young harrier turned in a tremendous effort in her high school debut, as she handed off the baton with a split of 12:51. Junior Claire Cunningham was next for her team with a time of 12:54. Fellow classmate Nadia Abdinoor ran an adjusted split of 13:02 to finish sixth on the team. Sophomore Sophie Johnson (13:34) was seventh overall for the Lex Girls. Then it was junior Leontine Meunier (13:37), and pair of freshmen - Maite Striuli (13:42) and Erin Ehmann (13:44) - who made up the last three spots in the top-10.
The jump from middle school to high school is often a difficult transition, especially for boys competing in cross country. Mileage goes up, intensity goes up, races get longer, and they are facing upperclassmen who are often on the doorstep of competing in the NCAA. Clearly no one gave LHS's Class of 2027 this message, as four of The Minutemen's top-10 splits on the day came from freshmen. Patrick Noonan, Trevor Stevens, and Caleb Ford each were on the opening leg of their respective relays and competed with the intensity and focus of seasoned veterans. Noonan gapped the entire field by nearly 20-seconds with a split of 9:43 for two miles, and set the table for his relay mates - junior Max Zhang (10:15) and senior captain Joey "The Candyman" Ryan (10:11) - to earn the title. Stevens came through the passing zone after running an impressive 10:19 split of his own, which led to his relay finishing 12th in the field. While Ford raced for The Minutemen's #6 squad, he was just steps behind the #2 team's opening leg - sophomore Colin Smith (10:32) - in a time of 10:34. Finally, freshman Owen Ross anchored his relay with an adjusted split of 10:49. That time was good for ninth on the team. While the freshmen were making themselves known, it was a very strong day across the board for The Minutemen. Junior Zach Barry was fifth for LHS with a split of 10:30. Fellow classmate Nathan Cunningham ran an adjusted split of 10:44, which placed eighth on his team. And, it was yet another 11th grader - James Joseph - who rounded out the top-10 for The Minutemen. Joseph turned in a time of 10:55.
Up Next
The Minutemen begin the Middlesex League Regular Season in a division crossover meet against the Freedom Division's Melrose Red Hawks. This will be the first time the team competes on LHS's historic home course this year. The nearly all-road course begins at Lincoln Field and winds its way through the neighborhood surrounding the high school. Since 1970 the brutally hilly course has helped lead to the team's unparalleled success in Middlesex League competition. The meet is set to begin this Tuesday, September 12th at 4:15pm.
22nd Annual Clipper Relays
September 9, 2023
Maudslay State Park - Newburyport, MA
RESULTS
NEWBURYPORT, MA - After 83 days away, the sport of Athletics was back in the form of Cross Country as The Minutemen opened up the fall season at the Annual Clipper Relays. Hosted by Newburyport's program, the relays have become a staple on the Lex XC schedule for years now. The relay format of the meet allows teams to test their depth as each squad is split up into three-person relays, with each leg running the same two-mile loop through the muddy rain-soaked trails of Maudslay State Park. The Girls Race saw the ladies from Pentucket complete the three-peat, as their top team cruised to victory with a time of 37:20. After finishing fifth last year, the Lex Girls' top team improved on both place and time by finishing fourth overall in a time of 38:33. In the Boys Race, The Minutemen led from wire-to-wire and took the title over Billerica with a time of 30:14.
After a stellar junior campaign on the track as an 800m runner, Samara McVey debuted for the Lex Girls on the trails for the first time in her LHS career. The senior did so in style as she ran the fastest two-mile split of the day for her team with a time of 12:27. Next up for The Minutemen was senior captain Dora Liao who ran an adjusted split of 12:51. The two seniors teamed up with sophomore Meghan Caldera (12:59) to form the 'A' Team that placed fourth overall. Perhaps the biggest breakout performance in a day full of success for the Lex Girls came from freshman Callie Glenn. The young harrier turned in a tremendous effort in her high school debut, as she handed off the baton with a split of 12:51. Junior Claire Cunningham was next for her team with a time of 12:54. Fellow classmate Nadia Abdinoor ran an adjusted split of 13:02 to finish sixth on the team. Sophomore Sophie Johnson (13:34) was seventh overall for the Lex Girls. Then it was junior Leontine Meunier (13:37), and pair of freshmen - Maite Striuli (13:42) and Erin Ehmann (13:44) - who made up the last three spots in the top-10.
The jump from middle school to high school is often a difficult transition, especially for boys competing in cross country. Mileage goes up, intensity goes up, races get longer, and they are facing upperclassmen who are often on the doorstep of competing in the NCAA. Clearly no one gave LHS's Class of 2027 this message, as four of The Minutemen's top-10 splits on the day came from freshmen. Patrick Noonan, Trevor Stevens, and Caleb Ford each were on the opening leg of their respective relays and competed with the intensity and focus of seasoned veterans. Noonan gapped the entire field by nearly 20-seconds with a split of 9:43 for two miles, and set the table for his relay mates - junior Max Zhang (10:15) and senior captain Joey "The Candyman" Ryan (10:11) - to earn the title. Stevens came through the passing zone after running an impressive 10:19 split of his own, which led to his relay finishing 12th in the field. While Ford raced for The Minutemen's #6 squad, he was just steps behind the #2 team's opening leg - sophomore Colin Smith (10:32) - in a time of 10:34. Finally, freshman Owen Ross anchored his relay with an adjusted split of 10:49. That time was good for ninth on the team. While the freshmen were making themselves known, it was a very strong day across the board for The Minutemen. Junior Zach Barry was fifth for LHS with a split of 10:30. Fellow classmate Nathan Cunningham ran an adjusted split of 10:44, which placed eighth on his team. And, it was yet another 11th grader - James Joseph - who rounded out the top-10 for The Minutemen. Joseph turned in a time of 10:55.
Up Next
The Minutemen begin the Middlesex League Regular Season in a division crossover meet against the Freedom Division's Melrose Red Hawks. This will be the first time the team competes on LHS's historic home course this year. The nearly all-road course begins at Lincoln Field and winds its way through the neighborhood surrounding the high school. Since 1970 the brutally hilly course has helped lead to the team's unparalleled success in Middlesex League competition. The meet is set to begin this Tuesday, September 12th at 4:15pm.