We’re not going to lie.
With nine races and thus nine individual winners at the MIAA Division State Championships this past weekend, it was not an easy task picking the HOKA Athletes of the Week. But after several minutes going back-and-forth on our decision, we’re choosing Littleton’s Timothy Rank and Marblehead’s Marri O’Connell as the respective male and female recipients of this week’s honor.
In the Div. 3B race at Northfield Mountain, Rank earned an impressive victory over pre-race favorite Marcus Reilly of Northbridge to win his first state crown. The Tiger senior posted a solid time on the challenging five-kilometer terrain, crossing the line in a triumphant 15:57.86. He was nearly 30 seconds ahead of Reilly. This should set up what should prove to be an exciting matchup between the Michigan commit and a host of others at this Saturday’s Meet of Champions (MOC).
As for O’Connell, she proved victorious in the Div. 2A race at the Wrentham Developmental Center. The Marblehead senior breezed to a more than 40-plus second victory over Walpole’s Ila Zollo in a race that solidifies her status as one of the contenders for the Div. 2 crown at the MOC.
