New Balance Race Report

#2 Natick tops #5 Brookline 27-28

Week 1’s matchup of titans proved better than expected. Natick prevailed in a nail biter, topping Brookline 27 to 28.

Biggest takeaways:

• Natick is as good as expected. Brookline may be better than expected.

Based off our preseason projections, Natick should have won this. While Brookline had a lot of depth, we were unsure of their strength from 3-5. Shoshant Shahbazi, breaking up Natick’s pack of Declan Hava, Callum Doyle, and Freddie Van der Velden is huge. Milton’s Robert Beato was also in there as well, finishing in sixth.

• Statement win for John Bianchi.

Bianchi set a course record that dates back to 2001 (George McArdle-Brookline 15:08) running 15:04. Putting 18 seconds on Liam Hartmann is no easy feat, regardless of the time of year.

• Harry Flint sighting

During our preseason rankings there was speculation where the middle-distance star would be this fall. We now have an answer. Starting the season as their #5 runner in his first XC season is a great sign for the Warriors.

• Benjamin Gidelson earns Natick’s five spot. If Natick is going to win it all, it will be on their strength up front. Gidelson ran 16:26 on the 2.9 Mile Course at Houghton’s Pond. He was 14 seconds back of Hava, which is a great sign for the Redhawks.

Junior Megan Joyce won the girls race for Natick in 20:11 and helped them win with a score of 20.

#5 Needham tops #14 Weymouth & Braintree

Needham Girls topped Weymouth with a score of 23 to 35. Both ranked teams looked good, but it was Needham’s depth that held the Wildcats at bay. Braintree fell to Needham, 22-38, and Weymouth, 25-34.

Biggest takeaways:

• Greta Hammer is really good. Opening the season with a 17:34 on any course is spectacular.

• Strong start for Weymouth.

As we mentioned in our preseason rankings, Weymouth graduated most of their top runners last year. While the loss may be disappointing, the results point in the right direction for a team that could surprise come November.

• Braintree on the rise.

The Wamp’s were a team that just missed making our preseason rankings. They looked strong in their first race despite the losses. They have a strong top three, led by Chloe Dinh. Keep an eye on them over the next month.

In the boy’s race, Patrick Geagan and Seamus Egan finished 1-2 for Weymouth, in 16:32. Geagan was 32^nd at the Meet of Champions last year as a sophomore.

Needham and Braintree will be in action this weekend at the MSTCA Relays.  

Weymouth will be at the Vineyard Invitational.

Newton North at Wellesley

#12 Wellesley Boys top #14 Newton North

Razor sharp decision as Wellesley takes it, 27-28 on the 5K Course at Morse Pond.

Biggest takeaways:

• Strong debut for Sami Juma and Alexander Bonnette

Juma won the race in 16:39 and was followed by Bonnette in 16:53. His PR last season was 16:48.

• Lucas Allen finished first for Newton North in 16:55. We didn’t even have him in our preview for Newton North. His 5K PR last season was 18:05 last season. Adding him into their top five is huge.

• More Suprises

Solomon Jin of Wellesley was another runner we did not cover in our preview. He came into the season with an 18:14 PR. Yesterday he was fifth overall in 17:12. This is the beauty of summer running.

Mathew Gallo finished eighth for Newton North in 17:34 in his debut for the tigers.

#6 Newton North Girls top #12 Wellesley 27-31

Close decision decided by Newton North’s depth as they went 3-5 and 7-9.

Biggest takeaways:

• Solid start for Emma and Madeline Tuxbury as they went 1-2 in 19:13 and 19:16.

• Large gaps for Newton North.

The tigers prevailed with their depth as Maggie Abely, Esty Dudkin, and Lily Grace went 3-5. They’ll need to get there top three closer together as they finished 1:22 apart.

• Newton has a lot of depth. A lot.

They had three runners under 22 minutes that didn’t score for them. They’ll be a team to watch when they run their first Invitational.