AN INSTANT CLASSIC AS NOONAN GETS THE RECORD, BUT READING GETS THE WIN
Meet Information
Reading Dual Meet
October 17, 2023
Lincoln Field - Lexington, MA
RESULTS
READING, MA - Anytime The Minutemen and the Rockets face off, it reignites all the passion and fire that can be expected between two longstanding rivals. And, after an injury riddled 2022 campaign saw Reading beaten handily on LHS's home course, Head Coach Mike Connolly's team was healthy and firing on all cylinders on Tuesday as they welcomed The Minutemen to Reading's Town Forest. A year to stew over "what could have been," combined with the influx of young talent for both squads, made for what was quite simply the best meet ever held at the Rocket's 5k home course. 11 boys broke 17 minutes (all ran PRs). Six were under 16:30. And, freshman Patrick Noonan broke the course record with a time of 16:00. However, in the end it was the finishing kick of Reading's top-seven that put down The Minutemen by a score of 32 to 24. The Girls Race was a different story. As the LHS swept Reading by a score of 15-50.
When the gun fired, Noonan went to the lead early, and dragged Reading's top-four through the mile in five-minutes flat. They were followed not too far behind by freshman Caleb Ford, who was just ahead of fellow classmate Trevor Stevens, as well as juniors Max Zhang and Nathan Cunningham. As the race came through the two mile mark, things had tightened up as Noonan's blistering opening mile had begun to take its tole on Reading's top crew. However, the Rockets showed plenty of guts over the final stretch of the race, potting its top three runners before Ford (16:25) was able to cross the line in fifth place. Reading junior Chris Barbato then outkicked Stevens (16:32) for sixth place, to put the meet out of reach for The Minutemen. Despite the effort by Zhang (16:42) to place eighth, Reading's own freshman, Finn Johnson-Houlihan ran a nearly one-minute PR to seal the win with a ninth place finish. LHS's fifth finisher was Cunningham, who broke the elusive 17-minute barrier for the first time with a mark of 16:57. Junior Zach Barry was the next varsity finisher for LHS with a PR of 17:09. He was followed closely by senior Owen Lawler (17:11) and freshman Owen Ross (17:12) who both ran personal bests. Freshman Eric House and sophomore Owen Kuder rounded out the top 10 racers for The Minutemen with PRs of 17:21 and 17:22 respectively.
The Lex Girls saw the triumphant return to form of Meghan Caldera on Tuesday. After a slow start to her season, the sophomore harrier went to Reading with a goal to test her limits. After quick 6:14 opening mile, it was clear to spectators that she was in control of this race early. Caldera continued to pour it on over the next two-plus miles and crossed the line with a new PR of 19:53. She was followed by fellow classmate Nadia Abdinoor who ran a 10-second season best time of 20:29 to place second. Speaking of triumphant returns, sophomore Thayer DiCerbo showed exactly what she was capable of on Tuesday. After injuries derailed her entire Outdoor Season last spring, and had her off to a slow start this fall, DiCerbo dropped an absolute bomb of a performance against the Rockets. Her time of 20:40 was a PR by over a minute, and placed her third overall. Another big performance was turned in by freshman Erin Ehmann. Her time of 20:42 was a huge personal best that placed her fourth. The next racer across the line for the Lex Girls was freshman Alycia Charest, who ran a PR of 20:52, and broke the elusive 21-minute barrier for the first time. Junior Lucy Kontos (21:07) was the next LHS girl who turned in a massive PR. She was followed closely by freshman Josie Bettencourt (21:13), who turned in another stellar race to back up what she did at Catholic Memorial on Saturday. Junior Leontine Meunier (21:22) strung together her second strong race in as many tries after a big PR of her own. Finally it was junior Claire Cunningham (22:19) and senior captain Sarah Weisberg (22:32) who earned the final two spots in the top 10 for The Minutemen.
Up Next
Next Tuesday, October 24th, The Minutemen will travel to Winchester for their final Middlesex league Dual Meet of the season. A share of the Liberty Division crown will be on the line for the Boys, as the Red and Black - who bested Reading earlier this year - will come to Horn Pond as the only remaining undefeated team in the Division. Last year, The Minutemen dashed Winchester's hopes of a Division title with a convincing 17-41 defeat. This year both the Winchester Boys and Girls squads will come prepared to defend their home turf. The meet will begin at 4:15pm.
Reading Dual Meet
October 17, 2023
Lincoln Field - Lexington, MA
RESULTS
READING, MA - Anytime The Minutemen and the Rockets face off, it reignites all the passion and fire that can be expected between two longstanding rivals. And, after an injury riddled 2022 campaign saw Reading beaten handily on LHS's home course, Head Coach Mike Connolly's team was healthy and firing on all cylinders on Tuesday as they welcomed The Minutemen to Reading's Town Forest. A year to stew over "what could have been," combined with the influx of young talent for both squads, made for what was quite simply the best meet ever held at the Rocket's 5k home course. 11 boys broke 17 minutes (all ran PRs). Six were under 16:30. And, freshman Patrick Noonan broke the course record with a time of 16:00. However, in the end it was the finishing kick of Reading's top-seven that put down The Minutemen by a score of 32 to 24. The Girls Race was a different story. As the LHS swept Reading by a score of 15-50.
When the gun fired, Noonan went to the lead early, and dragged Reading's top-four through the mile in five-minutes flat. They were followed not too far behind by freshman Caleb Ford, who was just ahead of fellow classmate Trevor Stevens, as well as juniors Max Zhang and Nathan Cunningham. As the race came through the two mile mark, things had tightened up as Noonan's blistering opening mile had begun to take its tole on Reading's top crew. However, the Rockets showed plenty of guts over the final stretch of the race, potting its top three runners before Ford (16:25) was able to cross the line in fifth place. Reading junior Chris Barbato then outkicked Stevens (16:32) for sixth place, to put the meet out of reach for The Minutemen. Despite the effort by Zhang (16:42) to place eighth, Reading's own freshman, Finn Johnson-Houlihan ran a nearly one-minute PR to seal the win with a ninth place finish. LHS's fifth finisher was Cunningham, who broke the elusive 17-minute barrier for the first time with a mark of 16:57. Junior Zach Barry was the next varsity finisher for LHS with a PR of 17:09. He was followed closely by senior Owen Lawler (17:11) and freshman Owen Ross (17:12) who both ran personal bests. Freshman Eric House and sophomore Owen Kuder rounded out the top 10 racers for The Minutemen with PRs of 17:21 and 17:22 respectively.
The Lex Girls saw the triumphant return to form of Meghan Caldera on Tuesday. After a slow start to her season, the sophomore harrier went to Reading with a goal to test her limits. After quick 6:14 opening mile, it was clear to spectators that she was in control of this race early. Caldera continued to pour it on over the next two-plus miles and crossed the line with a new PR of 19:53. She was followed by fellow classmate Nadia Abdinoor who ran a 10-second season best time of 20:29 to place second. Speaking of triumphant returns, sophomore Thayer DiCerbo showed exactly what she was capable of on Tuesday. After injuries derailed her entire Outdoor Season last spring, and had her off to a slow start this fall, DiCerbo dropped an absolute bomb of a performance against the Rockets. Her time of 20:40 was a PR by over a minute, and placed her third overall. Another big performance was turned in by freshman Erin Ehmann. Her time of 20:42 was a huge personal best that placed her fourth. The next racer across the line for the Lex Girls was freshman Alycia Charest, who ran a PR of 20:52, and broke the elusive 21-minute barrier for the first time. Junior Lucy Kontos (21:07) was the next LHS girl who turned in a massive PR. She was followed closely by freshman Josie Bettencourt (21:13), who turned in another stellar race to back up what she did at Catholic Memorial on Saturday. Junior Leontine Meunier (21:22) strung together her second strong race in as many tries after a big PR of her own. Finally it was junior Claire Cunningham (22:19) and senior captain Sarah Weisberg (22:32) who earned the final two spots in the top 10 for The Minutemen.
Up Next
Next Tuesday, October 24th, The Minutemen will travel to Winchester for their final Middlesex league Dual Meet of the season. A share of the Liberty Division crown will be on the line for the Boys, as the Red and Black - who bested Reading earlier this year - will come to Horn Pond as the only remaining undefeated team in the Division. Last year, The Minutemen dashed Winchester's hopes of a Division title with a convincing 17-41 defeat. This year both the Winchester Boys and Girls squads will come prepared to defend their home turf. The meet will begin at 4:15pm.