Over the last few weeks, we previewed our top 20 girls’ and boys’ teams this cross-country season. Now it’s on to the individuals.
Just who are our top harriers this fall? Leading up to our first statewide competitions of the fall campaign on Sept. 12, we’re going to feature some of the runners we believe will make an impact on the up-and-down terrain.
Among some of the stars coming back this season are Whitinsville Christian’s Emily Flagg, who will be aiming for her third straight Division 2C title and second consecutive Div. 2 crown at the Meet of Champions.
There’s also Div. 2B winner, freshman Lucy Downin of Holliston. The Panthers’ gifted underclassman followed up her sensational season on the trails with an even better year on the track, one that was highlighted by a 4:51.18 best for the mile at the New Balance Nationals last spring.
On the boys’ side, we’ll see all new faces at the top of the podium in both the divisional states and Meet of Champions. Who will capture individual gold from our latest batch of returnees at the state’s season-ending competitions? It’s anyone’s guess.
A lot of questions will be asked between now and November. By championship time, we’ll have plenty of answers.
For now, were going to feature what we believe are the best of the best.
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Spotlight On Talent: Ryan Costello, Newton North
When previewing our state’s top returning runners, often you can’t go solely on how they performed during the fall season. You have to look deeper into the year and see how they progressed during the track season.
A perfect example of that is Costello. For cross-country, he has the potential to make the biggest jump to the elite level. The Newton North senior was 41st at the MIAA Division 1A Championships and 81st overall at the Meet of Champions, His best 5K is 16:52 from the the Bay State Conference Championships in Wrentham.
So why do we think Costello should be among the runners to watch this season? There are two races in particular that have us thinking this could be a breakout year. Competing at the Weston Twilight Invitational, Costello clocked a 15-second PR of 9:12.31 to place second in the two-mile run. Proving that performance was no fluke, he followed up by taking runner-up honors at the MIAA Division I Championships with a near-identical time of 9:12.34.
A performance like this suggests Costello could be in the 15:30-15:40 range on a moderately challenging cross-country course. That should put him in the hunt with our leaders during the championship season.
