Separated by more than 85 miles, including a body of water, the first two statewide competitions of the cross-country season will take place on Saturday with the MSTCA X-C Relays and the Vineyard X-C Invitational.
Nearly 30 schools have entered the Vineyard Invite, hosted by Martha’s Vineyard. Among the teams are defending boys’ and girls’ varsity champions, Barrington (RI) and Whitinsville Christian. Among the squads also scheduled to compete are Brockton, Amherst Pelham, Bacon Academy (CT), Catholic Memorial, Cohasset, Old Saybrook (CT), Foxboro, Hingham, New Bedford, North Attleboro, Norwell, Notre Dame Academy – Hingham, Martha’s Vineyard, Plymouth North, Plymouth South, Rising Tide, Bridgewater-Raynham, Carver, Wayland, St. Raphael Academy (RI), Montville (CT), Oxford, Sutton, Narragansett, Lunenburg and Shepard Hill.
On the boys’ side, Barrington’s Myles Napolitano and Plymouth South’s Noah Brilliant are the top returnees from 2023 after finishing fourth and sixth respectively. Whitinsville Christian’s Emily Flagg, a winner in the Freshmen race last year, is the favorite in the girls’ race, coming off a season where she won the Division 2C Championships and was third at the Meet of Champions. Plymouth North’s Macey Shriner (fourth), Whitinsville Christian’s Emma Wierenga (fifth), and North Attleboro’s Katie Galgoczy (sixth) are among other top returnees.
The meet is slated to start at 11 a.m., with a Freshmen Co-Ed Race. Below is the complete schedule of races.
VINEYARD X-C INVITATIONAL
11 a.m. – 3K Freshmen Co-Ed
11:30 – 5K JV Girls
12:15 – 5K JV Boys
12:45 – 5K Varsity Girls
1:15 – 5K Varsity Boys
***
Highland Park in Attleboro is once again the venue for the third annual MSTCA Relays Course records were established in three races last year. Holliston won the Junior-Senior girls’ race with a time of 27:17 for the 4.6-mile distance. Boston College High took the Junior-Senior boys’ race (23:28.9) and Bedford was victorious in the Co-Ed – 2 Boys, 1 Girl race (25:31.7).
The meet, held on the Mark Coogan X-C Course, starts at 9 a.m. with the first of two Co-Ed races. Below is the complete schedule as well as meet records and the course map.
MSTCA X-C RELAYS
at Highland Park
9 a.m. – Co-ed Relay #1 (2 boys & 1 girl)
9:37 a.m. – Co-ed Relay #2 (2 girls & 1 boy)
10:15 a.m. – Freshmen/Sophomore Girls’ Relay
10:55 a.m. – Freshmen-Sophomore Boys’ Relay
11:32 a.m. – Junior/Senior Girls’ Relay
12:11 p.m. – Junior/Senior Boys’ Relay
*All races are 4.6 miles
