2. Natick
The fact that Natick isn’t in our number one spot goes to show how tough it will be to be at the top this season. Most years their top four runners would be unbeatable. Up front they have top contender John Bianchi, who was 8th at the Meet of Champions and boasts a 4:11 mile PR. Bianchi will have his sights set on both the individual title as well as the team.
Callum Doyle, Declan Hava, and Freddie Van der Velder, all come in with PRs between 15:55-16:05. Van der Velder had a strong outdoor season running 9:33 and should look to run closer to the mid 15 range depending on the course. Hava ran 9:49 for the Two Mile and Doyle ran 4:29 for the Mile as just sophomores. The biggest testament to their strength? All four (including Bianchi) ran under 17 on the treacherous course at Northfield Mountain.
The only thing potentially holding them back and keeping them out of the top spot for now, is the need for a strong fifth runner. Benjamin Gidelson and Johnathan Pereira have run 17:32 and 17:39 respectively. While great times in their own right, to hold off the other teams on here, they’ll have to run closer, if not under 17 minutes.
Natick drew defending champs and our number five team Brookline on September 4th. It will be interesting to see how both teams handle this meet. Meet of Champs Preview? Conference Champs preview? We’ll have to wait and see, so keep an eye out for those results.
Projected Top 7
12. John Bianchi 15:22
11. Callum Doyle 15:55
11. Declan Hava 16:05
12. Fred Van der Velden 16:02
11. Benjamin Gidelson 17:32
11. Johnathan Periera 17:39
12. Nick Downery 17:42
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