Emily and Abby Flagg of Whitinsville Christian concluded their cross-country seasons this weekend in Alabama.
Just as they started — and continued throughout the fall — they finished on a high note.
The twin siblings were among the elite competitors in the featured Gold Race at Saturday’s New Balance RunningLane XC Championships. Racing on the razor-quick 5K layout at John Hunt XC Running Park, both earned All-American honors. Emily secured a spot on the first team with her 10th-place finish in 17:28.12, while Abby made the second team, placing 13th overall with a PR of 17:36.61.
Both were in the lead pack through the opening mile, with Abby passing the checkpoint in 5:23.8 and Emily just behind at 5:24.1. At two miles, Emily remained only five seconds off the pace of eventual winner Katy Zang of Teays Valley (OH), who claimed the title in 17:04.8.
The top-level race has 100 runners in the field. All but 11 of them averaged under six-minute mile pace for the 3.1-mile distance.
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A few of our former high school stars were in Beantown on Saturday for a meet that annually attracts some of the best talent in the country — the Boston University Sharon Colyear Season Opener.
Former Nashoba Regional standout Freddy Collins, now a senior at Boston University, broke eight minutes for the first time in the collegiate 3,000 meters. Collins placed 22nd overall in 7:58.95. Ryan Leslie, a Billerica alum and Northeastern freshman, finished 98th with a personal best of 8:28.04.
In the collegiate 5K, Nathan Lopez, a Michigan junior who starred at St. John’s Prep, ran 13:57.84 to place 74th overall. Northeastern junior Ryan Sarney, formerly of Oliver Ames, crossed in 14:25.13, good for 151st.
On the women’s side, former Tewksbury great Makayla Paige, a senior at North Carolina and the reigning NCAA indoor 800m champion, took sixth in the Invitational Mile with a time of 4:41.56. Finishing third in the same race was Northbridge native and UNC senior Sydney Masciarelli, who ran 4:33.20.
In the collegiate weight throw, Lexington senior Ainsley Cuthbertson unleashed a nearly seven-foot personal best of 48-8 to earn runner-up honors.
