This weekend of competition is the biggest of the season, and possibly until states in November. Both the Ocean State Invitational and the Bay State Invitational will feature many of the top teams and runners in the state. Notably, we’ll also get out first look at some of the top ranked team’s varsity squads.
The MSTCA Bay State Invitational takes place this Saturday at Wrentham, which will also host the Division 1 races this season. The action kicks off at 10AM with the boys Junior Varsity Race. There will be three Varsity Races, A, B, and C. There will also be Middle School Races in the afternoon.
Boys Preview
The boy’s race features seven teams from our current Top 20, many of which haven’t raced all out yet. The most anticipated debut will be our current #1 Concord-Carlisle, as we have yet to see their full varsity lineup. As of right now they’re the pre-race favorite. Another team to keep an eye on is #8 Reading. While we’ve seen them race within the Middlesex League, this is their first Invitational, and their first opportunity to show they’re still the class of Division 1C.
Also racing will be #9 North Andover, #12 Catholic Memorial, #16 Wellesley, and #17 Newton North. We’ve seen North Andover race well a few times this season at Invites, but this will be the biggest as far as Massachusetts teams are concerned. Given that Wrentham is a familiar course, it will also be a solid measuring stick in terms of performance.
Catholic Memorial will look to rebound this weekend. They’ve already got one big win under their belt from the Vineyard Invite. Wellesley defeated Newton North in week 1, but that was a dual meet. Saturday will have hundreds of Runners.
At this point we don’t have race assignments, so it’s possible all these teams won’t be facing each other. Still, the neutral and familiar territory will be great to compare results.
For Individual titles, Catholic Memorial’s Michael Upton is one of the pre-race favorites. He already has a win under his belt from the Vineyard Invite and will look to make it two this weekend. He currently has the third fastest time for 5K this season.
There should be plenty of Concord-Carlisle singlets up front, as their strength lies in numbers. Watch out for Brendan Quinn and Charles McDonald to fight for the win as well.
Reading’s Tim Connolly came in to the 2025 season with the fastest 5K PR, having run 15:10 at the Middlesex League Championships. He could make a big statement this weekend with a win. Also watch out for Dawit Kulubya of Woburn, Jospeh Federline JR of Mansfield, and Sami Juma of Wellesley.
Girls Preview
While the girls race features six teams from our top 20, we expect this race to be far tighter when it comes time to tally the scores. Looking over the rosters and performances so far, it’s hard to pinpoint a favorite.
#7 Westwood are the defending Division Two champs, however, they will be without their #1 runner Tea Pagnotti. The Wolverines still field a strong team, led by Maeve Gavin and Susannah Rockers. This will be a great opportunity to show that they’re still the team to beat.
If we had to pick a favorite, we’d probably have to go with either Norwell or Wellesley. Our number 10 and 11 ranked teams have already run well this season. Norwell looked strong this past weekend at Frank Kelly over 3K, while Wellesley has had to endure a grueling schedule within the Bay State Conference.
The wild card may be #12 Cambridge Rindge and Latin. We have yet to see them race at an Invite so this will be a great measuring stick. They may not be as deep as the above two teams, but they have one of the strongest front threes in the state, in Sophia Jaunes Seto, Fiona Litman, and Violet Smith.
Also keep an eye on #16 Amherst-Pelham Regional and #18 Melrose. Melrose has shown how competitive they are by holding their own in the Middlesex League. Invitationals are another story, and they’ll get to see where they stack up against many of the state’s best. We’ve already seen Amherst-Pelham run well this season. With Westwood in the race, this could serve as Division Two Preview, as it could come down to both teams in November.
The Race for the individual title will be phenomenal. Cambridge’s Sophia Jaunes Seto comes in as one of the favorites. She was eighth at the Meet of Champions last year and is one of the top returning runners across the state. She’ll have her work cut out for her though. Naomi Witt of Wachusett wasn’t far behind, coming in 13th last year at the Meet of Champs. This is her first Invite of the season as well.
Wellesley’s duo of Emma and Madeline Tuxbury will have the win on their minds, as they look to lead Wellesley to the team title. Likewise, Katherine Murray and Audrey Birtwell of Norwell will compete for the win along with the team title. In fact, how the four of them finish could help decide the team title. Murray and Birtwell have run well this season, with 19:13 and 19:15 5Ks from the Vineyard Invite.
Also keep an eye on Newton South’s Isabelle Monaghan. She has sub five mile speed and could give the others trouble if it comes down to a kick.
