LEX GIRLS MAKE THEIR MARK, FINISH RUNNER-UP AT DIVISION 1 ALL-STATE CHAMPS
Meet Information
MIAA Division 1 All-State Championships
November 16, 2024
Willard Park - Fort Devens, MA
RESULTS
DEVENS, MA - The Minutemen turned a lot of heads last week at the Division 1A Championships. After barely cracking the top-10 in coaches' rankings throughout the season, the Lex girls made a statement with their runner-up finish at Northfield Mountain that they could compete with anyone. Fast-forward one week, and opportunity was again in front of them at the MIAA Division 1 All-State Championships. Along with the teams from Division 1A, LHS expected to have their hands full with the likes of Billerica, who easily won the Division 1C title and was ranked fifth in the Northeast coming into All-States. Division 1B champs Westford Academy also presented a tough challenge. However, the great thing about championship level cross country is the cream always seems to rise to the top. And, sure enough The Minutemen proved themselves in an elite class as they bested Billerica on their way to a runner-up finish with 122 points, just behind Westford Academy who won the Division 1 crown with 118 points. LHS's boys did not find the same success as they finished a disappointing eighth place overall.
Throughout the season, the hallmark of the Lex girls has been their pack attack. That was on full display Saturday as The Minutemen had fastest #5 runner in the field. That runner was freshman Ella Tyson. Her time of 20:08.39 was a strong performance, but it was her final surge at the line that held off a hard charging Wellesley athlete by just three-hundredths-of-a-second to secure 46th place in the field and earn 38 points in the team competition. While Tyson finished it off, fellow classmate Janie Conrad led the way as she has all season for The Minutemen. Conrad used a strong second mile to climb up into the top-10 overall, and as she came around the final bend she found another gear to land in seventh place overall with a time of 18:58.24. Sophomore Callie Glenn was next across the line for the Lex girls after a sensational day. Glenn used a conservative opening mile then grinded through the latter portion of the race to land in 23rd place with a time of 19:33.56. Third across the line for LHS was sophomore Alycia Charest. Last year, the All-State Championships was her coming out party, as she stepped in as a last minute alternate and finished third for her team. This year's third place finish was on another level, however. Charest (19:50.31) battled her way around the course to finish 33rd overall, which was an improvement of 34 places over last year's showing. The final leg of The Minutemen's sophomore trio was Erin Ehmann, and while she did not have her best stuff on Saturday, she delivered the performance her team needed to bring home some hardware. Her time of 20:04.48 placed her 43rd overall. Along with the top-five, junior captain Meghan Caldera had a strong day as she finished 57th overall. Her time of 20:19.12 made her the fastest #6 runner in the field. Fellow classmate and captain Thayer DiCerbo was LHS's final finisher on the day with a time of 21:04.13 to land 110th overall.
Final Girls Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Westford Academy - 118
2. Lexington - 122
3. Wellesley - 127
4. Billerica - 132
5. Needham - 140
6. Cambridge Rindge & Latin - 145
7. Weymouth - 169
8. Newton North - 204
9. Oliver Ames - 307
10. Braintree - 330
The Minutemen got behind the eight-ball at the start, and were at the back of the pack before the first turn. Despite that bad positioning, they made a furious charge in the middle portion of the race to give themselves a chance at a podium spot. Unfortunately the work to get into position drained their tanks, and the team fell apart in the final mile. Sophomore Patrick Noonan was first across the line for Lexington. His time of 16:24.63 earned him 18th place overall. Rhys Behling finished off his dream freshman campaign in 81st place overall. His time of 17:09.99 was the second fastest by any ninth grader on the day. Senior Nathan Cunningham closed out his high school cross country career with a time of 17:12.52 to place 83rd. Sophomore Caleb Ford was 86th in 17:13.58. Trevor Stevens (17:14.16) ran his heart out, but fell back in the pack after a tremendous effort that landed him 87th overall. Fellow classmates Owen Ross (17:15.25) and Eric House (17:17.90) rounded out the crew for The Minutemen as they finished 89th and 94th respectively.
Final Boys Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Brookline - 62
2. B.C. High - 71
3. Andover - 142
4. Concord-Carlisle - 162
5. Natick - 180
6. Reading - 269
7. Lowell - 270
8. Lexington - 274
9. North Andover - 294
10. Newton South - 302
Up Next
After they proved to be one of the best in the Bay State, the Lex girls will now travel down to Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Fall, New York for the Nike Cross Northeast Regionals. Two spots at the Nike Cross Nationals will be up for grabs as The Minutemen square off against the best teams in New England, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Action begins on Saturday, November 23rd at 2:25pm. Livestream is available with subscription HERE.
MIAA Division 1 All-State Championships
November 16, 2024
Willard Park - Fort Devens, MA
RESULTS
DEVENS, MA - The Minutemen turned a lot of heads last week at the Division 1A Championships. After barely cracking the top-10 in coaches' rankings throughout the season, the Lex girls made a statement with their runner-up finish at Northfield Mountain that they could compete with anyone. Fast-forward one week, and opportunity was again in front of them at the MIAA Division 1 All-State Championships. Along with the teams from Division 1A, LHS expected to have their hands full with the likes of Billerica, who easily won the Division 1C title and was ranked fifth in the Northeast coming into All-States. Division 1B champs Westford Academy also presented a tough challenge. However, the great thing about championship level cross country is the cream always seems to rise to the top. And, sure enough The Minutemen proved themselves in an elite class as they bested Billerica on their way to a runner-up finish with 122 points, just behind Westford Academy who won the Division 1 crown with 118 points. LHS's boys did not find the same success as they finished a disappointing eighth place overall.
Throughout the season, the hallmark of the Lex girls has been their pack attack. That was on full display Saturday as The Minutemen had fastest #5 runner in the field. That runner was freshman Ella Tyson. Her time of 20:08.39 was a strong performance, but it was her final surge at the line that held off a hard charging Wellesley athlete by just three-hundredths-of-a-second to secure 46th place in the field and earn 38 points in the team competition. While Tyson finished it off, fellow classmate Janie Conrad led the way as she has all season for The Minutemen. Conrad used a strong second mile to climb up into the top-10 overall, and as she came around the final bend she found another gear to land in seventh place overall with a time of 18:58.24. Sophomore Callie Glenn was next across the line for the Lex girls after a sensational day. Glenn used a conservative opening mile then grinded through the latter portion of the race to land in 23rd place with a time of 19:33.56. Third across the line for LHS was sophomore Alycia Charest. Last year, the All-State Championships was her coming out party, as she stepped in as a last minute alternate and finished third for her team. This year's third place finish was on another level, however. Charest (19:50.31) battled her way around the course to finish 33rd overall, which was an improvement of 34 places over last year's showing. The final leg of The Minutemen's sophomore trio was Erin Ehmann, and while she did not have her best stuff on Saturday, she delivered the performance her team needed to bring home some hardware. Her time of 20:04.48 placed her 43rd overall. Along with the top-five, junior captain Meghan Caldera had a strong day as she finished 57th overall. Her time of 20:19.12 made her the fastest #6 runner in the field. Fellow classmate and captain Thayer DiCerbo was LHS's final finisher on the day with a time of 21:04.13 to land 110th overall.
Final Girls Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Westford Academy - 118
2. Lexington - 122
3. Wellesley - 127
4. Billerica - 132
5. Needham - 140
6. Cambridge Rindge & Latin - 145
7. Weymouth - 169
8. Newton North - 204
9. Oliver Ames - 307
10. Braintree - 330
The Minutemen got behind the eight-ball at the start, and were at the back of the pack before the first turn. Despite that bad positioning, they made a furious charge in the middle portion of the race to give themselves a chance at a podium spot. Unfortunately the work to get into position drained their tanks, and the team fell apart in the final mile. Sophomore Patrick Noonan was first across the line for Lexington. His time of 16:24.63 earned him 18th place overall. Rhys Behling finished off his dream freshman campaign in 81st place overall. His time of 17:09.99 was the second fastest by any ninth grader on the day. Senior Nathan Cunningham closed out his high school cross country career with a time of 17:12.52 to place 83rd. Sophomore Caleb Ford was 86th in 17:13.58. Trevor Stevens (17:14.16) ran his heart out, but fell back in the pack after a tremendous effort that landed him 87th overall. Fellow classmates Owen Ross (17:15.25) and Eric House (17:17.90) rounded out the crew for The Minutemen as they finished 89th and 94th respectively.
Final Boys Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Brookline - 62
2. B.C. High - 71
3. Andover - 142
4. Concord-Carlisle - 162
5. Natick - 180
6. Reading - 269
7. Lowell - 270
8. Lexington - 274
9. North Andover - 294
10. Newton South - 302
Up Next
After they proved to be one of the best in the Bay State, the Lex girls will now travel down to Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Fall, New York for the Nike Cross Northeast Regionals. Two spots at the Nike Cross Nationals will be up for grabs as The Minutemen square off against the best teams in New England, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Action begins on Saturday, November 23rd at 2:25pm. Livestream is available with subscription HERE.