Lowell’s James Kelly returns this season after finishing 17th at the Meet of Champions in 2024. He’s the number four overall returning runner, with a time of 16:22.
While his Cross-Country times may not be as flashy as some of the other competitor so far, when it came time to compete last season, Kelly was always near the front. He won the Varsity 1 Race at the Ocean State Invitational in his PR of 16:11. He followed that up with a third place showing at the Catholic Memorial Invitational at Franklin Park in 16:17.
Looking at his career thus far, it’s clear Kelly runs well on tough courses like Willard Field and Northfield Mountain. However, any doubts about his speed were silenced with his performance on the track last year. His leg speed was on full display at the Meet of Champions in June as a member of Lowell’s winning 4x800m relay. There he split a PR of 1:57 to help them run 7:46. A few weeks prior, Kelly won the Two Mile at the MVC Championship in 9:28, making him one of ten returning runners that have run under 9:30. With that kind of range, Kelly will look to lower his 5K PR considerable this fall.
With the Meet of Champions returning to Fort Deven’s this season, Kelly’s experience there will pay off. It took a time in the mid 15:40s to finish top five last season. With his resume, Kelly is capable of that.
