THE MINUTEMEN FINALLY BREAK THROUGH AT MIDDLESEX LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Meet Information
Middlesex League Championships
October 28, 2024
Woburn Country Club - Woburn, MA
RESULTS
WOBURN, MA - On Monday, Massachusetts' oldest cross country league championship meet was back at Woburn Country Club for its 54th edition. While last year's race was a cold, wet, rain-soaked mess. This year's conditions were some of the finest in meet history, which made for fast times and tremendous competition across the five races. For The Minutemen, it had been five long years since either the boys or girls were crowned Middlesex League Champions. That was the longest such streak since the early 1980s. However, the Lex Girls had been dominant throughout this year's regular season, and were again on Monday. Behind an effort that saw Lexington's top five girls all place in the top-10 of the race, LHS won convincingly with 27 points. Winchester was the closest competitor with 67 points of their own. In the boys meet, things were much closer. In what ended up being a battle between Lexington, Reading, Arlington, and Wakefield, The Minutemen prevailed with a score of 68 points over Reading's 86.
Highlights from the Bill O'Connor Varsity Girls Race
The girls' race turned into a classic dual between Arlington senior Evie Lauzon and LHS's freshman phenom Janie Conrad. Lauzon and Conrad were stride-for-stride through the first two miles of the race, as they blazed their way to an 11:58 split. The pair approached the hill in the center of the golf course with little more than a half mile to go still on pace to break Ava Criniti's (LHS '23) course record. However, as they charged up that hill, it appeared that Lauzon had gapped the Lexington freshman. Conrad then fired back down the hill to keep things close. The Arlington veteran was simply not to be denied. She found one more gear that Conrad could not match, and went on to pull away and break the tape in a new record of 17:55.52. For her efforts, Conrad also dipped under the previous record with a time of 18:06.50. Behind Lauzon and Conrad, sophomore Callie Glenn was in the middle of the best race of her career. After flying through the opening mile in 5:58, she broke away from everyone in the chase pack with a 6:06 second mile. Glenn continued to grit her teeth throughout the final mile-plus and crossed the line to win bronze with a time of 18:19.36. Fellow classmate Erin Ehmann also had a career day for herself. The LHS sophomore placed fifth overall with a time of 18:30.53. Not far behind, another one of LHS's star sophomores - Alycia Charest - placed seventh overall with a time of 18:40.87. With their top-seven finishes, Conrad, Glenn, Ehmann, and Charest all earned Middlesex League All-Conference honors. However, the job was not done until freshman Ella Tyson put an exclamation point on a tremendous race. Her time of 19:01.63 earned her 10th place overall and sealed the championship for the Lex Girls. Along with the top five, both junior captains put on impressive performances of their own. Meghan Caldera (19:08.87) finished 15th overall, while Thayer DiCerbo (19:14.93) was 18th.
Final Girls Team Scores
1. Lexington - 27
2. Winchester - 67
3. Arlington - 88
4. Wakefield - 136
5. Belmont - 153
6. Melrose - 165
7. Reading - 166
8. Wilmington - 192
9. Woburn - 195
10. Stoneham - 280
11. Burlington - 314
12. Watertown - NS
Highlights from the John DiComandrea Varsity Boys Race
While the girls' race came down to a battle of two stellar athletes, the boys' race was up for grabs throughout. After laying back on the initially fast pace, LHS's Patrick Noonan charged to the lead and broke away from a pack of seven runners, which included his teammate, sophomore Trevor Stevens. Noonan passed the 2-mile mark in a blistering 9:54. However, in the final mile the pack came back on Noonan and it was Winchester senior Nicholas Walker (15:02.07) who outlasted Melrose senior Caleb Barnes for the victory. Reading's Chris Barbato and Tim Connolly were next across the line. And while Noonan struggled over the final mile, he gutted it out for his teammates to place sixth overall in 15:24.90. Further back in the race, Lexington's pack of five that included sophomores Eric House and Caleb Ford, along with freshman Rhys Behling, and seniors Nathan Cunningham and Max Zhang were tasked with breaking up Arlington's tight pack. While the race was out quick, it was the effort of captain Zhang that kept the pressure on in the second mile. He led his group through in a 10:24 split that had them right in the middle of things with just over a mile to go. The group remained only strides apart until the final quarter mile where House broke free. He was able to kick to the finish to place 12th overall with a sensational time of 15:51.66. Not far behind, Ford landed 15th in 15:56.29. Next was Stevens, who had a rough finish to the race but was still able to deliver the performance his teammates needed as he finished 17th in 15:58.89. Finally, it was the freshman sensation, Behling, who put a stamp on the victory for The Minutemen. The youngest runner on the varsity squad was in 4th grade the last time LHS won the League Championship, but with his 18th place finish in a time of 16:00.14, he not only got his team the title, but ran the fastest time by a ninth grader in Massachusetts this fall. Cunningham (16:05.38) and Zhang (16:15.35) both finished off their careers at Woburn Country Club in fine style. The two where able to displace some of Reading's and Arlington's top runners, and made big contributions to what was undoubtedly the best performance of the season by The Minutemen.
Final Boys Team Scores
1. Lexington - 68
2. Reading - 86
3. Arlington - 92
4. Wakefield - 105
5.Belmont - 120
6. Woburn - 132
7. Melrose - 164
8. Winchester - 166
9. Burlington - 242
10. Wilmington - 303
11. Stoneham - 337
12. Watertown - NS
Highlights from the JV Races
As was the case in the varsity race, the girls' JV race was a two-person show. Sophomore Josie Bettencourt and senior Brett Castro matched strides throughout the entire race. Their 6:17 opening miles gave them a large lead that would only increase over the course of the race. In the end, Bettencourt was able to pull away from Castro and took the win with a time of 19:51.54. Castro's time of 19:53.68 was her best at Woburn Country Club. However, the Lex Girls were not done. They broke out the golden broom to sweep the podium as senior Leontine Meunier earned bronze in 21:09.11. Junior Prachi Aggarwal was fifth overall in a time of 21:30.70. And, senior captain Claire Cunningham closed out her LHS Cross Country career with a season best time of 21:43.14 to place sixth. Senior Tanvi Samavedam (22:07.14) and sophomore Renata Uribe-Salas (22:43.14) finished off the top-seven for LHS. With that, Lexington took the overall victory with 17 points.
The hallmark of LHS's boys this season has been their depth of talent. That was on full display on Monday as The Minutemen took the top seven places in the JV race, and of the top 16 finishers overall, 13 were in blue and gold. The champion of last year's boys' freshman race, now sophomore Alden Hall was masterful in his tactics to win this year's JV race. Fellow classmate Owen Ross went right to the lead and cruised through the mile-mark in 5:06. Meanwhile, Hall was back at 5:15. That gap remained the same as Ross hit the 2-mile in 10:31, while Hall was through in 10:40. However, from there Hall made his move. He covered the final mile-plus in 5:35 and won the race in a new JV race record of 16:15.75. For his efforts, Ross was also under the previous record with a time of 16:17.97. Sophomore Finn O'Donnell had a huge day for himself with a third place finish in a time of 16:32.28. Junior Sam Finch (16:34.07) was next across the line. Then it was the trio of senior James Joseph (16:51.76), junior Liam Singh (16:52.44), and junior Owen Kuder (16:53.16) who rounded out the top-seven places.
Highlights from the Co-Ed Freshmen Race
The freshmen compete in a co-ed race over 3k. The title is given to the school with the lowest combined score of its top-five boys and girls. From the gun, LHS's Ethan Wang decided he was going to win this race or die trying. He opened in sizzling 5:08 for the mile, which put a big lead on teammate Andrew Zhang. While he faded in the latter half of the race, he was still able to win going away in a time of 9:44.62. Zhang earned silver with a time of 9:59.14. Rohan Banerji was third for The Minutemen, sixth overall, in a time of 10:24.90. Zach Danner had a fantastic race to end his season, as he placed 23rd overall in 11:11.73. Nate Williams rounded out the top-five for the boys with a 28th place finish in a time of 11:20.28. The Lex Girls were led by Talia Rech, who earned a second place finish overall with a time of 12:00.67. She was followed by Addie Haiar (12:29.10), Isabella Gorospe (12:31.43), and Daphne Warren (12:31.89) who placed third, fourth, and fifth respectively. Sarojini Nath (12:57.22) placed seventh overall to give The Minutemen their fifth team title on what was simply a perfect day for Lexington Cross Country.
Up Next
With the Middlesex League Season now in the rearview, The Minutemen turn their eyes to the MIAA Division 1A Championships. The meet will be held at the vaunted Northfield Mountain 5k course. The most challenging course in Massachusetts features the first mile being run straight up the mountain, before rolling hills test athletes throughout the latter half of the course. Action will begin at 11:00am on Saturday, November 9th.
Middlesex League Championships
October 28, 2024
Woburn Country Club - Woburn, MA
RESULTS
WOBURN, MA - On Monday, Massachusetts' oldest cross country league championship meet was back at Woburn Country Club for its 54th edition. While last year's race was a cold, wet, rain-soaked mess. This year's conditions were some of the finest in meet history, which made for fast times and tremendous competition across the five races. For The Minutemen, it had been five long years since either the boys or girls were crowned Middlesex League Champions. That was the longest such streak since the early 1980s. However, the Lex Girls had been dominant throughout this year's regular season, and were again on Monday. Behind an effort that saw Lexington's top five girls all place in the top-10 of the race, LHS won convincingly with 27 points. Winchester was the closest competitor with 67 points of their own. In the boys meet, things were much closer. In what ended up being a battle between Lexington, Reading, Arlington, and Wakefield, The Minutemen prevailed with a score of 68 points over Reading's 86.
Highlights from the Bill O'Connor Varsity Girls Race
The girls' race turned into a classic dual between Arlington senior Evie Lauzon and LHS's freshman phenom Janie Conrad. Lauzon and Conrad were stride-for-stride through the first two miles of the race, as they blazed their way to an 11:58 split. The pair approached the hill in the center of the golf course with little more than a half mile to go still on pace to break Ava Criniti's (LHS '23) course record. However, as they charged up that hill, it appeared that Lauzon had gapped the Lexington freshman. Conrad then fired back down the hill to keep things close. The Arlington veteran was simply not to be denied. She found one more gear that Conrad could not match, and went on to pull away and break the tape in a new record of 17:55.52. For her efforts, Conrad also dipped under the previous record with a time of 18:06.50. Behind Lauzon and Conrad, sophomore Callie Glenn was in the middle of the best race of her career. After flying through the opening mile in 5:58, she broke away from everyone in the chase pack with a 6:06 second mile. Glenn continued to grit her teeth throughout the final mile-plus and crossed the line to win bronze with a time of 18:19.36. Fellow classmate Erin Ehmann also had a career day for herself. The LHS sophomore placed fifth overall with a time of 18:30.53. Not far behind, another one of LHS's star sophomores - Alycia Charest - placed seventh overall with a time of 18:40.87. With their top-seven finishes, Conrad, Glenn, Ehmann, and Charest all earned Middlesex League All-Conference honors. However, the job was not done until freshman Ella Tyson put an exclamation point on a tremendous race. Her time of 19:01.63 earned her 10th place overall and sealed the championship for the Lex Girls. Along with the top five, both junior captains put on impressive performances of their own. Meghan Caldera (19:08.87) finished 15th overall, while Thayer DiCerbo (19:14.93) was 18th.
Final Girls Team Scores
1. Lexington - 27
2. Winchester - 67
3. Arlington - 88
4. Wakefield - 136
5. Belmont - 153
6. Melrose - 165
7. Reading - 166
8. Wilmington - 192
9. Woburn - 195
10. Stoneham - 280
11. Burlington - 314
12. Watertown - NS
Highlights from the John DiComandrea Varsity Boys Race
While the girls' race came down to a battle of two stellar athletes, the boys' race was up for grabs throughout. After laying back on the initially fast pace, LHS's Patrick Noonan charged to the lead and broke away from a pack of seven runners, which included his teammate, sophomore Trevor Stevens. Noonan passed the 2-mile mark in a blistering 9:54. However, in the final mile the pack came back on Noonan and it was Winchester senior Nicholas Walker (15:02.07) who outlasted Melrose senior Caleb Barnes for the victory. Reading's Chris Barbato and Tim Connolly were next across the line. And while Noonan struggled over the final mile, he gutted it out for his teammates to place sixth overall in 15:24.90. Further back in the race, Lexington's pack of five that included sophomores Eric House and Caleb Ford, along with freshman Rhys Behling, and seniors Nathan Cunningham and Max Zhang were tasked with breaking up Arlington's tight pack. While the race was out quick, it was the effort of captain Zhang that kept the pressure on in the second mile. He led his group through in a 10:24 split that had them right in the middle of things with just over a mile to go. The group remained only strides apart until the final quarter mile where House broke free. He was able to kick to the finish to place 12th overall with a sensational time of 15:51.66. Not far behind, Ford landed 15th in 15:56.29. Next was Stevens, who had a rough finish to the race but was still able to deliver the performance his teammates needed as he finished 17th in 15:58.89. Finally, it was the freshman sensation, Behling, who put a stamp on the victory for The Minutemen. The youngest runner on the varsity squad was in 4th grade the last time LHS won the League Championship, but with his 18th place finish in a time of 16:00.14, he not only got his team the title, but ran the fastest time by a ninth grader in Massachusetts this fall. Cunningham (16:05.38) and Zhang (16:15.35) both finished off their careers at Woburn Country Club in fine style. The two where able to displace some of Reading's and Arlington's top runners, and made big contributions to what was undoubtedly the best performance of the season by The Minutemen.
Final Boys Team Scores
1. Lexington - 68
2. Reading - 86
3. Arlington - 92
4. Wakefield - 105
5.Belmont - 120
6. Woburn - 132
7. Melrose - 164
8. Winchester - 166
9. Burlington - 242
10. Wilmington - 303
11. Stoneham - 337
12. Watertown - NS
Highlights from the JV Races
As was the case in the varsity race, the girls' JV race was a two-person show. Sophomore Josie Bettencourt and senior Brett Castro matched strides throughout the entire race. Their 6:17 opening miles gave them a large lead that would only increase over the course of the race. In the end, Bettencourt was able to pull away from Castro and took the win with a time of 19:51.54. Castro's time of 19:53.68 was her best at Woburn Country Club. However, the Lex Girls were not done. They broke out the golden broom to sweep the podium as senior Leontine Meunier earned bronze in 21:09.11. Junior Prachi Aggarwal was fifth overall in a time of 21:30.70. And, senior captain Claire Cunningham closed out her LHS Cross Country career with a season best time of 21:43.14 to place sixth. Senior Tanvi Samavedam (22:07.14) and sophomore Renata Uribe-Salas (22:43.14) finished off the top-seven for LHS. With that, Lexington took the overall victory with 17 points.
The hallmark of LHS's boys this season has been their depth of talent. That was on full display on Monday as The Minutemen took the top seven places in the JV race, and of the top 16 finishers overall, 13 were in blue and gold. The champion of last year's boys' freshman race, now sophomore Alden Hall was masterful in his tactics to win this year's JV race. Fellow classmate Owen Ross went right to the lead and cruised through the mile-mark in 5:06. Meanwhile, Hall was back at 5:15. That gap remained the same as Ross hit the 2-mile in 10:31, while Hall was through in 10:40. However, from there Hall made his move. He covered the final mile-plus in 5:35 and won the race in a new JV race record of 16:15.75. For his efforts, Ross was also under the previous record with a time of 16:17.97. Sophomore Finn O'Donnell had a huge day for himself with a third place finish in a time of 16:32.28. Junior Sam Finch (16:34.07) was next across the line. Then it was the trio of senior James Joseph (16:51.76), junior Liam Singh (16:52.44), and junior Owen Kuder (16:53.16) who rounded out the top-seven places.
Highlights from the Co-Ed Freshmen Race
The freshmen compete in a co-ed race over 3k. The title is given to the school with the lowest combined score of its top-five boys and girls. From the gun, LHS's Ethan Wang decided he was going to win this race or die trying. He opened in sizzling 5:08 for the mile, which put a big lead on teammate Andrew Zhang. While he faded in the latter half of the race, he was still able to win going away in a time of 9:44.62. Zhang earned silver with a time of 9:59.14. Rohan Banerji was third for The Minutemen, sixth overall, in a time of 10:24.90. Zach Danner had a fantastic race to end his season, as he placed 23rd overall in 11:11.73. Nate Williams rounded out the top-five for the boys with a 28th place finish in a time of 11:20.28. The Lex Girls were led by Talia Rech, who earned a second place finish overall with a time of 12:00.67. She was followed by Addie Haiar (12:29.10), Isabella Gorospe (12:31.43), and Daphne Warren (12:31.89) who placed third, fourth, and fifth respectively. Sarojini Nath (12:57.22) placed seventh overall to give The Minutemen their fifth team title on what was simply a perfect day for Lexington Cross Country.
Up Next
With the Middlesex League Season now in the rearview, The Minutemen turn their eyes to the MIAA Division 1A Championships. The meet will be held at the vaunted Northfield Mountain 5k course. The most challenging course in Massachusetts features the first mile being run straight up the mountain, before rolling hills test athletes throughout the latter half of the course. Action will begin at 11:00am on Saturday, November 9th.