GRITTY GIRLS GO BACK-TO-BACK AS D1 EAST CHAMPS; BOYS QUALIFY FOR ALL-STATES

Meet Information
MIAA Division 1 Eastern Massachusetts Championships
November 9, 2019
Wrentham Developmental Park - Wrentham, MA
RESULTS
WRENTHAM, MA - Even though it was a little chilly on this fine Saturday morning, it did not stop the Lexington girls top 7 from bringing the heat to Wrentham for the Division I championships. The Minutemen were as firey as any team and that fire was enough to burn Boston Latin for a second straight year to claim back-to-back Divisional Championships; their fourth title in six years. The boys turned in a number of strong performances, and managed a fourth place finish that earned them a ticket to All-States next week as well.
"Runner on the Course" by Izzy Jakimczyk
After being declined access to the trunk of the pacer golf cart, yours truly had to reconvene and figure out a different plan of attack to make sure I reached optimum viewing potential. After loosening the joints in hot yoga this morning, I was able to sprint from spot to spot at a pace much faster than I had run all season. Thank goodness I was able to turn on the jets because I witnessed some amazing performances by the Lex girls.
Spot #1: The gun went off and so did the Lexington girls as they all went out at a very brisk pace for such a brisk morning. Danna (the hips don’t lie) Ofek secured a spot in the top pack, followed by the dynamic duo "Saltine" Steines and Mirra Payson who practically held hands for half the race. Next, Nelson came cruising by looking cool as a cucumber and then the rest of the Lex girls, Zoe, Maude, and Julia, not too far behind.
Spot #2: Following the lead of Evan Eberle in the yellow morphsuit (which looked a lot like the unitard the guy next to me was wearing at hot yoga this morning) we were able to wedge ourselves into a nice viewing area for the next wave of the race. Danna had made some power moves and was closer to the front of the second pack (which was everyone in the race except for Newton South's All-American Lucy Jenks, who won the race by nearly a minute). Saltine and Mirra still seemed to be conjoined at the hip and were pretty up there. Nelson came in hot running pretty speedy in one of the front packs. And not too far behind came "the trinity" aka Zoe, Maude and Julia.
Spot #3: This part of the course was deemed the muddy meander as three girls out of the lead pack gave some love to the ground due to the slippery terrain. Danna had asserted herself into third place at this point and was able to gracefully navigate this treacherous part of the course. Next came Saltine who also successfully managed to stay on two feet. Then, coming around the bend, Mirra showed the mud who was boss by not falling in it either. It was a proud moment for Lexington spectators when not a single Lexington girl took a tumble!
Spot #4: It was kick season baby! And in the last 400 meters Danna shifted into a gear no one's ever seen before and finished third in the Division with a time of 19:13.28. Not only did Danna celebrate kick season, it seemed to be a universal holiday among all the Lexington runners. Saltine (19:36.73) gave it her all in her final strides on the MIAA Divisional course, which she has raced on all four of her high school cross country seasons, and placed inside the top 10 - eighth overall. Freshman Mirra Payson (20:02.43) showed up today and ran a race that juniors and seniors in this sport aspire to have. The rest of the Lexington girls all finished strong and managed to all dip under the 21 minute mark, which is very impressive if you ask me! Anna Nelson pulled out a solid 20:17.62 for her best race of the season. Zoe Gu “I Need a Tissue” who had been surging through the field since the 2-mile mark came dashing down the homestretch and with a PR of over 20 seconds. With a time of 20:31.44 she snatched 34th place from a pack of competitors. In doing so, she sealed the victory for The Minutemen by a mere three points. Next came Julia Lennon-Newell who finished in a 20:56.43, and last but certainly not least came Maude Hajjaj who has had herself a heck of a season. She finished in a 20:59.50, managing to keep all the Lexington girls in the top 55 in the Division - not too shabby!
A little shout out to the Lex girls who are alternates and still made it to Wrentham and toughed out the cold to be there for your teammates. Your hard work during championship season is valued even if you do not get to show it during these next races. And think about if you were not there, who would take such great action photos at a high aperture (Isabel)? Can’t wait to see what you guys do at the state meet this year!
Final Girls Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Lexington - 89
2. Boston Latin - 92
3. Lowell - 132
4. Newton North - 171
5. Newton South - 174
6. Brookline - 205
7. Needham - 217
8. Haverhill - 257
9. Brockton - 278
10. Weymouth - 290
From the gun of the boys race, senior captains Micah Benson and Adam Bernstein ran right in the top pack pushing pace through the first mile. As the race progressed the pack began to string out as Benson and Franklin senior Tyler Brogan broke away from the field. Over the final 800m Brogan was able to move away and would go on to take the individual title in a time of 15:54.91. While Benson was caught by a few hard charging competitors he maintain his composure and was able to turn in a huge personal best time of 16:03.22, which was good enough to place fourth overall. Despite drifting back from the lead in the middle of the race, Bernstein continued his habit of running a furious final mile to place sixth overall with a personal best time of 16:08.76. Not to be outdone when it comes to strong finishes, senior captain Selvin Backert used his patented kick to breeze past a number of runners in the final stretch. His time of 16:29.68 was another big PR for LHS and placed him 22nd overall. Fellow classmate and captain Matt "Big Mac" McAlarney came in right behind Backert - 24th overall - with a personal best time of his own (16:32.18). Junior captain Max DiCerbo was LHS's fifth man finishing in 55th place with a time of 17:02.24. Along with the top five junior Maxim Slobodchikov (17:06.36) and senior Seth Cutler (17:24.62) finished 61st and 85th respectively.
Final Boys Team Scores (Top 10)
1. St. John's Prep - 61
2. Acton-Boxborough - 89
3. Newton South - 104
4. Lexington - 111
5. Lowell - 153
6. Brookine - 170
7. Needham - 221
8. B.C. High - 253
9. Franklin - 278
10. Westford Academy - 308
Up Next
The Minutemen will head next to the Municipal Golf Course at Gardner for the All-State Championships. The last time the meet was held there the girls team shocked the state and took home the title. With both the boys and girls teams having the talent and drive to make some noise next weekend, it will be fascinating to see what happens Saturday when the girls race at 11:40am, and the boys gun is fired at 1:00pm.
MIAA Division 1 Eastern Massachusetts Championships
November 9, 2019
Wrentham Developmental Park - Wrentham, MA
RESULTS
WRENTHAM, MA - Even though it was a little chilly on this fine Saturday morning, it did not stop the Lexington girls top 7 from bringing the heat to Wrentham for the Division I championships. The Minutemen were as firey as any team and that fire was enough to burn Boston Latin for a second straight year to claim back-to-back Divisional Championships; their fourth title in six years. The boys turned in a number of strong performances, and managed a fourth place finish that earned them a ticket to All-States next week as well.
"Runner on the Course" by Izzy Jakimczyk
After being declined access to the trunk of the pacer golf cart, yours truly had to reconvene and figure out a different plan of attack to make sure I reached optimum viewing potential. After loosening the joints in hot yoga this morning, I was able to sprint from spot to spot at a pace much faster than I had run all season. Thank goodness I was able to turn on the jets because I witnessed some amazing performances by the Lex girls.
Spot #1: The gun went off and so did the Lexington girls as they all went out at a very brisk pace for such a brisk morning. Danna (the hips don’t lie) Ofek secured a spot in the top pack, followed by the dynamic duo "Saltine" Steines and Mirra Payson who practically held hands for half the race. Next, Nelson came cruising by looking cool as a cucumber and then the rest of the Lex girls, Zoe, Maude, and Julia, not too far behind.
Spot #2: Following the lead of Evan Eberle in the yellow morphsuit (which looked a lot like the unitard the guy next to me was wearing at hot yoga this morning) we were able to wedge ourselves into a nice viewing area for the next wave of the race. Danna had made some power moves and was closer to the front of the second pack (which was everyone in the race except for Newton South's All-American Lucy Jenks, who won the race by nearly a minute). Saltine and Mirra still seemed to be conjoined at the hip and were pretty up there. Nelson came in hot running pretty speedy in one of the front packs. And not too far behind came "the trinity" aka Zoe, Maude and Julia.
Spot #3: This part of the course was deemed the muddy meander as three girls out of the lead pack gave some love to the ground due to the slippery terrain. Danna had asserted herself into third place at this point and was able to gracefully navigate this treacherous part of the course. Next came Saltine who also successfully managed to stay on two feet. Then, coming around the bend, Mirra showed the mud who was boss by not falling in it either. It was a proud moment for Lexington spectators when not a single Lexington girl took a tumble!
Spot #4: It was kick season baby! And in the last 400 meters Danna shifted into a gear no one's ever seen before and finished third in the Division with a time of 19:13.28. Not only did Danna celebrate kick season, it seemed to be a universal holiday among all the Lexington runners. Saltine (19:36.73) gave it her all in her final strides on the MIAA Divisional course, which she has raced on all four of her high school cross country seasons, and placed inside the top 10 - eighth overall. Freshman Mirra Payson (20:02.43) showed up today and ran a race that juniors and seniors in this sport aspire to have. The rest of the Lexington girls all finished strong and managed to all dip under the 21 minute mark, which is very impressive if you ask me! Anna Nelson pulled out a solid 20:17.62 for her best race of the season. Zoe Gu “I Need a Tissue” who had been surging through the field since the 2-mile mark came dashing down the homestretch and with a PR of over 20 seconds. With a time of 20:31.44 she snatched 34th place from a pack of competitors. In doing so, she sealed the victory for The Minutemen by a mere three points. Next came Julia Lennon-Newell who finished in a 20:56.43, and last but certainly not least came Maude Hajjaj who has had herself a heck of a season. She finished in a 20:59.50, managing to keep all the Lexington girls in the top 55 in the Division - not too shabby!
A little shout out to the Lex girls who are alternates and still made it to Wrentham and toughed out the cold to be there for your teammates. Your hard work during championship season is valued even if you do not get to show it during these next races. And think about if you were not there, who would take such great action photos at a high aperture (Isabel)? Can’t wait to see what you guys do at the state meet this year!
Final Girls Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Lexington - 89
2. Boston Latin - 92
3. Lowell - 132
4. Newton North - 171
5. Newton South - 174
6. Brookline - 205
7. Needham - 217
8. Haverhill - 257
9. Brockton - 278
10. Weymouth - 290
From the gun of the boys race, senior captains Micah Benson and Adam Bernstein ran right in the top pack pushing pace through the first mile. As the race progressed the pack began to string out as Benson and Franklin senior Tyler Brogan broke away from the field. Over the final 800m Brogan was able to move away and would go on to take the individual title in a time of 15:54.91. While Benson was caught by a few hard charging competitors he maintain his composure and was able to turn in a huge personal best time of 16:03.22, which was good enough to place fourth overall. Despite drifting back from the lead in the middle of the race, Bernstein continued his habit of running a furious final mile to place sixth overall with a personal best time of 16:08.76. Not to be outdone when it comes to strong finishes, senior captain Selvin Backert used his patented kick to breeze past a number of runners in the final stretch. His time of 16:29.68 was another big PR for LHS and placed him 22nd overall. Fellow classmate and captain Matt "Big Mac" McAlarney came in right behind Backert - 24th overall - with a personal best time of his own (16:32.18). Junior captain Max DiCerbo was LHS's fifth man finishing in 55th place with a time of 17:02.24. Along with the top five junior Maxim Slobodchikov (17:06.36) and senior Seth Cutler (17:24.62) finished 61st and 85th respectively.
Final Boys Team Scores (Top 10)
1. St. John's Prep - 61
2. Acton-Boxborough - 89
3. Newton South - 104
4. Lexington - 111
5. Lowell - 153
6. Brookine - 170
7. Needham - 221
8. B.C. High - 253
9. Franklin - 278
10. Westford Academy - 308
Up Next
The Minutemen will head next to the Municipal Golf Course at Gardner for the All-State Championships. The last time the meet was held there the girls team shocked the state and took home the title. With both the boys and girls teams having the talent and drive to make some noise next weekend, it will be fascinating to see what happens Saturday when the girls race at 11:40am, and the boys gun is fired at 1:00pm.
Along with their performances on the course, the boys team was given the MIAA Division 1 Sportsmanship Award. Congratulations to Coach Babcock and the entire LHS boys team for this achievement.