Not surprisingly, with the divisional states and the Meet of Champions just around the corner, the league championships that are underway right now are showcasing some serious heat on the trails so far.
As mentioned earlier on Bay State Running, Boston College High’s Greg McGrath delivered a historic performance at Tuesday’s Catholic Conference Championships, blazing to victory in an eye-popping 14:43.5. His sub-15 effort on the familiar grounds of the Wrentham Developmental Center vaults him to No. 2 all-time on the course, sandwiched between former MA greats Sam Burgess of Framingham and Paul Bergeron of Westford Academy. Burgess and Bergeron finished 1-2 at the 2022 Division 1A Championships with times of 14:38.8 and 14:43.74, respectively.
This past Saturday, Holliston’s outstanding freshman Lucy Downin came just shy of breaking 18 minutes, clocking 18:01.5 at the Tri Valley League Championships. She’s closing in on joining an impressive list of eight girls that have dipped under 18 minutes this season, most of which were set at the lightning-fast 5K of the Twilight Invitational.
Looking ahead, the nest few days will be packed with key competitions, including the Dual Valley League Championships at Franklin Park on Friday and the always competitive Bay State League Championships at Wrentham on Saturday. The boys’ race at DCL features top-ranked Concord Carlisle. On the girls’ side, No. 2 ranked Westford Academy and star runner Abby Hennessy will toe the line. Hennessy will be running her first race since her insane 5K of 16:43 at Twilight. Needham’s Greta Hammer, who was second to Hennessy at the meet with a best of 17:00.4, will be the top girls’ entry at Bay State. She won last year’s race in a previous best of 17:32, less than two weeks after a triumphant 17:40.1 at Twilight. Could we see a sub-17 this weekend?
Below, is schedule of most of the league championships remaining with links to entries/live results.
LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
THURSDAY, Oct. 23
South Shore League Championships, Wrentham
CMAC East Division Championships, Ghiloni Park
FRIDAY, Oct. 24
Dual County League Championships, Franklin Park
SATURDAY, Oct. 25
Bay State Conference Championships, Wrentham
MIdland Wachusett League Championships, Ghiloni Park
Hockomock League Championships, Wrentham
Cape & Island League Championships, Dennis-Yarmouth High
Patriot League Championships, Silver Lake Regional
SUNDAY, Oct. 26
WMass XC CHampionships, Stanley Park
MONDAY, Oct. 27
ML-12 Championships, Woburn Country Club
TUESDAY, Oct. 28
MVADA XC Championships, Wrentham
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We always enjoy heading to Franklin Park during the season to cover the annual Catholic Memorial Invitational, sponsored by Marathon Sports and New Balance. This past Saturday’s competition marked the 64th year that this meet has been held. According to CM coach John Finn, it’s the longest running, single-sponsored invitational in New England.
Think about it? During its seven-decade tenure, the meet has spanned 12 different presidents and a whole lot of rich history, including Franklin Park hosting the 1992 World Cross-Country Championships.
Finn credits one thing in particular for the meet’s success.
“I think it’s consistency,” he said. “We give out great medals, have some great races. The course itself, Franklin Park, is legit and inviting. The people really enjoy it.”
Finn was right about the awards that were given to the top individuals and teams. We witnessed firsthand the top-notch medals and trophies that were literally handed out to the top finishers as they crossed the finish line. How’s that for a greeting after a hard-earned run?
This year the popular meet attracted more than 1,000 participants with Lower Merion of Pennsylvania traveling the furthest and also producing the two fastest times of the day with twin brothers Nicolas and Alexander Mazzeo finishing 1-2 in the Vincent Catano Red Race with times of 15:10.3 and 15:17.4, respectively.
Kudos to Finn and Catholic Memorial for continuing this excellent tradition.
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Speaking of Franklin Park, this Sunday it will also be the site of the Boston Mayors Cup.
The 35th annual event, which was founded by Greater Boston Track Club (GBTC) coaching legend Bill Squires, features open and championship races as well as several youth races. Only nine competed in the inaugural meet back in 1990. It’s grown significantly since then with some years seeing more than a 1,000 participants. The Championship races often feature several professional and semi-professional runners.
In the open races last year, Falmouth Academy’s Nathan Gartner was a convincing winner in the Franklin Park All-Comers 5K, finishing nearly 50 seconds ahead of his closest pursuer in 16:25. Boston Latin Academy’s Sara Blanco was first in the female race with a time of 19:58.
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The final statewide competition for Massachusetts high school athletes before the divisionals and MOC is next Saturday, Nov. 1 with the Frank Mooney Coaches Invitational. This meet includes Large and Small School races that are class specific (e.g. Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior, Senior). In the Small School races, Junior and Senior runners will compete together. Throughout the week, BSR will preview the top harriers that will be lacing up their racing shoes.
2 Responses
Steve, much appreciate all the coverage you are giving our bay state runners.As a parent of Boston Latin recently graduated runner, I always love watching and also running @ Franklin park.
Regards Kieran Fitzgibbon
Note, Merrimack Valley Conference Championship is Saturday morning 10/25