Don’t believe everything you read.
While this past weekend’s divisional state championships gave us a good glimpse of what to expect on Saturday at the MIAA Meet of Champions, don’t be fooled. It’s not uncommon for teams to hold back, for coaches to have their athletes run just enough to win or place high enough to qualify for this weekend’s competition at Fort Devens. If you’re doing some kind of virtual meet based on results from the division states, you also still have to factor in where they ran, did they compete on the moderately-challenging terrain of the Wrentham Developmental Center or the treacherous and hilly 5K at Northfield Mountain? Only the Division 2 meet gives us somewhat of a clue on the potential that can unload at the MOC, considering that Fort Devens was their home last Saturday.
Either way, regardless of the stats, regardless of what happened previously, one thing is always clear about the season-ending meet, at least for those not competing at the upcoming northeast regionals of Nike or Footlocker, we’re going to have some exciting competition, probably the best we’ve seen this fall. Why? It’s kind of the way this meet always seems to turn out. It’s evitable.
So, what should we expect on Saturday? Here we conclude with our take on what will happen in the Division 3 girls’ meet.
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DIVISION 3 – GIRLS
Time: 2:45 p.m.
Qualifying Teams: Advanced Math & Science Academy, Bromfield, Dennis Yarmouth, Frontier Regional, Greater Lowell Tech, Hamilton-Wenham, Hampshire Regional, Hopedale, Lenox Memorial, Mohawk Trail, Monument Regional, Mount Greylock, Norfolk County, Norwell, Parker Charter, Pioneer Valley, Seekonk, Sturgis Charter East, Sutton, Triton Regional, Tyngsborough. Other Teams Represented: Abington, Amesbury, Ayer Shirley, Bellingham, Cohasset, East Bridgewater, Easthampton, Grandby, Innovation Academy, Ipswich, Lunenburg, Millis, Murdock, Narragansett Regional, Nipmuc Regional, North Reading, Oxford, Pittsfield, Sandwich, Swampscott, Uxbridge, West Bridgewater, Westfield Tech
Runners To Watch: Cameron Davis, Oxford, Emma Genovese, Millis, Evelyn Wool, Bromfield; Krista Bettez, Gardner; Grace Rich, Hamilton Wenham; Amelia Desilets, Monument Regional; Katherine Murray, Norwell
Teams To Watch: Hamilton Wenham, Norwell, Bromfield
Outlook: As a ninth-grader last year, Davis finished third overall at the Meet of Champions. A year later, we’re expecting that bronze to turn to gold on Saturday. The Pirates’ gifted sophomore was a convincing victor in the Div. 3C race this past weekend, taking the title by 30 seconds with a time of 17:53.58, her third straight sub-18 of the season. Expect the favored Davis to run this race much like she did at Wrentham, take it out strong and try and build a significant gap by the time she reaches the midway point. Can she get beat this weekend? It will be difficult, but as we often say, anything can happen. There’s plenty of talented runners in this field, a total of nine that have dipped under 19 minutes this fall. Genovese (18:24.36) and Wool (18:27.21) both went under 18:30 at the divisional states with their respective 2-3 finish in 3C. There’s also Bettez, a surprise winner in 3B with a minute PR of 18:29.56. No doubt she gained a bucket load of confidence from that race. Can she catch lightning in a bottle again this weekend? Another question mark is Murray, the Clippers’ gifted frosh. Murray was the 3A victor, holding off Swampscott’s Annabelle Averett at the finish with her time of 18:50.59. She has a best this season of 18:26.6 from the Twilight Invitational. This race could get very interesting. On the team side, Hamilton Wenham, the Div. 3B champions, gets the favorite nod, with Norwell a strong contender. At Saturday’s meet, Hamilton averaged 19:35.39 by its varsity crew. The Clippers, who captured the 3A crown, their first in three decades, averaged 20:06.0. The fifth runner will make the difference. That’s where the Colonials hold the edge.
