It only seems fitting that Fort Devens serves as the site for Saturday’s MIAA Meet of Champions. Established in 1917, the former military base played a vital role through several conflicts, including World War I and World War II.
When our teams and athletes converge there this weekend, they’ll engage in a battle of a different kind — a friendlier, yet no less intense, contest at Willard Park. Who will emerge victorious? Who will contend for those top spots in their respective divisions?
Here’s our preview of the Division 1 girls’ and boys’ meets.
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DIVISION 1 – GIRLS
Day/Time: Saturday at 2:45 p.m.
Qualifying Teams: Westford Academy, Cambridge Rindge & Latin, Hopkinton, Arlington, Newton North, Algonquiin, Newton North, Weymouth, Notre Dame Academy, Newton South, Winchester, Needham, Concord-Carlisle, Bishop Feehan, Central Catholic, North Quincy, Wachusett Regional, Milton, Lexington, Billerica, North Andover, Oliver Ames, Wellesley
Runners To Watch: Abby Hennessy, Westford Academy; Greta Hammer, Needham; Jane Conrad, Lexington; Kyle Breslin, Central Catholic; Emily Wedlake, Westford Academy; Kylie Donahue, Billerica
Top Teams: Lexington, Billerica, Westford Academy
Outlook: Since opening the season with a victory in the Championship race at the Ocean State Invitational in late September, Hennessy has been dominant this fall. We don’t expect anything to change for the gifted senior. After posting a pair of sub-17-minute performances at the Twilight Invitational and the Dual County League Championships, Hennessy cruised to a convincing win at the Division 1 Championships this past weekend in Wrentham, finishing in 17:06.30.
With her final meet before the Brooks Northeast XC Championships on Nov. 29 approaching, Hennessy is expected to be ready for another strong showing. The course record, set by Hammer at last year’s MOC, stands at 18:02.5. With plenty of time to recover before Brooks, look for the Westford Academy star to not only shatter that one-year-old mark but also approach breaking 17 minutes for the third time this fall.
Hammer, who has finished runner-up to Hennessy in both their previous races—the Twilight Invitational and Division 1A Championships— should secure that No. 2 spot again this weekend. She trailed Hennessy by more than 30 seconds at the most recent meet, but the gap could narrow on Saturday.
The Needham senior is consistently strong in races of this caliber and, like Hennessy, will be motivated to perform well with postseason ambitions in mind—most notably, a return trip to the Nike Cross Nationals.
The pack behind Hennessy and Hammer could get intense. In fact, it’s likely we could have four or more runners within seconds of each other as they approach the final stretch. Conrad, Breslin, Wedlake and Donahue, to name a few, have proven they’re capable of filling those top positions. Conrad, a third-place finisher in Div. 1A, and Donahue, a runner-up in Div. 1C, will have extra motivation on their side. The talented duo are the low sticks on their respective squads, whom we expect will be battling for the team title.
In the team competition at last week’s divisional states, Lexington and Billerica both left Wrentham with convincing victories. Lexington was a 41-71 victor over Westford Academy, while Billerica coasted to a 26-76 decision over Notre Dame Academy-Hingham. Both demonstrated strong pack mentality in their respective wins.
The Minutewomen averaged 18:47 for their five scoring runners, with just 1:04 separating them, while Billerica’s quintet averaged 18:56 with only 47 seconds of separation. These two squads are expected to be the top contenders for the title, but don’t count out Westford Academy. The Ghosts boast a strong 1–2 punch in Hennessy and Wedlake but lack the overall depth of their rivals. They’ll need strong contributions from the back end of the pack to contend up front.
DIVISION 1 BOYS
Day/Time: Saturday at 2 p.m.
Qualifying Teams: Lexington, Newton North, Mansfield, Xaverian, St. John’s Prep, Wellesley, Newton South, Reading, Lowell, Concord-Carlisle, Cambride Rindge & Latin, Natick, Hopkington, Catholic Memorial, North Andover, Boston College High, Plymouth South, Brookline, Oliver Ames, Belmont, Billerica, Arlington
Runners To Watch: Greg McGrath, Boston College High; John Bianchi, Natick; Theodore Butty, Brookline; Sean Finnegan, Hopkinton; Patriick Noonan, Lexington; Landon Zoss, Andover; Liam Hartmann, Brookline; Landon Sarney, Oliver Ames
Top Teams: Brookline, Concord-Carlisle, Natick, Lexington
Outlook: At the 2022 Meet of Champions, former Westford Academy great Paul Bergeron nearly broke 15 minutes at Fort Devens to win his first of two individual titles with the current meet record of 15:02.58. If Mother Nature cooperates this weekend, that mark will be challenged on Saturday with the possibility of a sub-15 performance.
The runner we expect to do it is McGrath, currently one of the top harriers in the Northeast. The Dartmouth commit was lights out at the Div. 1A Championships this past weekend, clocking 15:23.10 in a gun-to-wire victory. Despite limited training the week prior due to a minor injury, the BC High senior looked strong and fluid. A fully healthy McGrath will be tough to beat.
He also recorded an all-time best of 14:43.50 at the Catholic Conference Championships on Oct. 21 at Wrentham and was a decisive winner at the Deven Pre-Championship Classic a little over a month ago at Willard Park, posting 15:21.47 over the 3.1-mile course.
In our eyes, the top threat to McGrath is Bianchi. Don’t be fooled by his 15:51.60 winning time in the Div. 1B race; it was more of a tactical affair. The Bay State Conference (BSC) champion is capable of much faster in a race where he’ll need to be. Both McGrath, who was fifth in this race in 2024, and Bianchi, who was eighth, are our top two returnees.
Don’t overlook Hartmann, who finished second to Bianchi at the BSC meet. He bested his rival to win the Large School race at the Twilight Invitational, posting a personal best of 15:04.8 to Bianchi’s 15:10.90. Hartmann was fifth this past weekend in the Division 1A race with a time of 15:57.8. He was no doubt looking to place higher and run faster. Expect the Brookline junior to bounce back and help his team contend for a possible team title on Saturday.
Butty is another key Warrior who will be fueled by his school’s championship ambitions at Fort Devens. Finnegan appears to be peaking at just the right time, taking the Division 1C title a few weeks ago after posting a PR and winning time of 15:11.2 at the Tri Valley League Championships.
If you go by last weekend’s meets, Brookline and Concord-Carlisle may seem like the favorites for the team titles. We know better than that. While the Warriors and Patriots could very well be battling it out this weekend, we can’t forget teams like Natick and Lexington.
Brookline looked impressive in its 56–90 win over second-place Lexington, with Hartmann and Butty leading the way and a strong supporting cast behind them. Concord-Carlisle also had a strong showing at Wrentham, winning Division 1B with a 44–70 decision over Natick. Both squads have the ability to bunch their scoring five close together: Brookline’s gap was 42.60 seconds, while Concord-Carlisle’s was just 34.10.
