Spotlight On Talent: Emily Flagg, Whitinsville Christian
We know runners are all about the stats. Consider this one for the Crusaders’ senior. Aside from last year’s New Balance RunningLane National Championships, where she finished an impressive tenth overall, Flagg has never finished worse than fourth in a state or regional competition. Even more impressive, she has won 21 of the 25 meets she’s competed in since her freshman year.
Could it be more of the same from the remarkably consistent Flagg? The Whitinsville Christian standout, who captured her third straight Division 2C title last fall and also defended her Div. 2 crown at the Meet of Champions, has certainly made a compelling case. Her résumé over the past three seasons suggests there’s little reason to expect anything different this fall. Her dominance extended beyond the championship meets, too, including a three-peat at the Twilight Invitational in a personal-best 17:17.3 and a 17:28.2 clocking at RunningLane on Dec. 6.
But there’s no doubt it won’t be easy, particularly at the Meet of Champions, where nine of the top 10 finishers are expected to return. That includes Flagg’s twin sister and runner-up Abby Flagg, as well as third-place finisher Lucy Downin of Holliston, the Div. 2B champion and one of the nation’s top freshman milers last year. Downin capped her freshman season by running 4:51.18 at the New Balance Nationals last June.
Flagg will be looking to carry over the momentum from an All-American performance at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, where she placed sixth at Oregon’s Hayward Field with a personal-best 16:40.12. While the competition will be strong at the state level, we’re predicting another outstanding season for Flagg in her final year of high school cross country.
Whether that translates into more championship-meet success, however, remains to be seen. Time will tell.
