This weekend marks the start of conference and league championship season for teams statewide. Also on tap are two of the final three invitationals before squads grind it out on the trails for the Divisional State Championships (Nov. 8) and the Meet of Champions (Nov. 15). Yes — it’s creeping up fast.
Nearly 80 schools will converge at Franklin Park on Saturday for the 64th annual Catholic Memorial Invitational, presented by Marathon Sports and New Balance. The popular meet, which has drawn a few teams from New York and New Hampshire, features seven races (freshmen, junior varsity, and freshmen), beginning at 9:15 a.m. with the ninth-graders and wrapping up with a trio of varsity competitions.
Keep an eye on the meet records. The girls’ mark of 17:48.4, set last year by Whitinsville Christian’s Emily Flagg, could be challenged — she’s entered again this weekend. On the boys’ side, the record has stood for nearly 30 years with former English standout Abrizak Mohamud clocking 15:24 back in 1997.
This year’s course will also play host to the Brooks Northeast XC Championships on Nov. 29 — a qualifier for the Nationals in San Diego.
On Sunday, 28 teams have entered for the MSTCA Dick Atkinson Invitational. Stanley Park in Westfield will play host to the meet, which includes a pair of junior varsity races followed by varsity races, begininng at 12 noon.
The top seeds in the field for boys and girls, respectively, are West Springfield’s Kenniell Velez Santiago (16:02.7) and Newton South’s Isabella Monaghan (19:01.0).
Below are the schedules for both meets as well as links to live results.
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CATHOLIC MEMORIAL INVITATIONAL (LIVE RESULTS)
at Franklin Park
9:15 a.m. – Freshmen Girls – 3K
9:35 a.m. – Freshmen Boys – 3K
10:05 a.m. – Junior Varsity Girls – 3K
10:35 a.m. – Junior Varsity Boys – 3K
11:05 a.m. – Varsity Girls – 5K
11:35 a.m. – Vincent Catano Boys’ Varsity Red Race – 5K
12:05 p.m. – Brother Barry Boys’ Varsity Silver Race – 5K
DICK ATKINSON INVITATIONAL (LIVE RESULTS)
at Stanley Park
12 p.m. – Junior Varsity Boys
12:45 p.m. – Junior Varsity Girls
1:30 p.m. – Varsity Boys
2 p.m. – Varsity Girls
