Unless you’re a farmer living through a drought, rain is usually nobody’s friend.
Among others in the Northeast, that was certainly the case earlier this week for the MSTCA, which was forced to postpone its annual Frank Kelley Invitational at Wrentham. The Kelley Invite was to be the first major competition of the cross-country season for our Massachusetts teams.
The good news? Unlike the Ocean State Invitational in neighboring Rhode Island, another meet that featured several of our Bay Staters, the Kelley Invite was postponed, not cancelled.
It’s now part of a doubleheader at Wrentham this coming Saturday, along with the Bay State Invitational, which this year will be run under the lights.
Just as it was originally scheduled, the meet will begin at 9 a.m. with the Small School 3K races, followed by a pair of Open 5K races and finishing with the Large School 3K races. The only change to the schedule is that the Junior and Senior races will now be combined.
Sanctioning for the meet remains active for Massachusetts and all bordering states.
One important note for coaches who had already committed to the Frank Kelley meet: Because of the rescheduling, teams and athletes will need to be re-entered on Athletic.net. Entries will go live by noon Friday.
After about a three-hour break, the Bay State Invitational will be held, beginning at 5 p.m. This meet will feature 11 races, including a combined Boys’ and Girls’ Junior Varsity Novice 3K Race, a pair of Junior Varsity 5K Races and eight Varsity 5K Races. It’s sanctioned for Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. Registration is done on Athletic.net. The entry deadline is Tuesday at 8 p.m. No late entries will be accepted.
During the week, Bay State Running will be previewing both competitions. If you’re a cross-country junkie, the Wrentham Development Center facility is the place to be on Saturday. From morning to night, twenty-five races will be held, spanning 12 hours. It doesn’t get any better than that.
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TIME SCHEDULES
FRANK KELLEY INVITATIONAL at Wrentham
Small School Division (3K)
9:00 a.m. – Freshman Girls Race
9:20 a.m. – Freshman Boys Race
9:40 a.m. – Sophomore Girls Race
10:00 a.m. – Sophomore Boys Race
10:20 a.m. – Junior/Senior Girls Race (Combined)
10:40 a.m. – Junior/Senior Boys Race (Combined)
Open High School Division (5K) (Max 10 runners per team)
11:00 a.m. – Girls Open (Must be under 26:00)
11:30 a.m. – Boys Open (Must be under 24:00)
Large School Division (3K)
12:00 p.m. – Freshman Girls Race
12:20 p.m. – Freshman Boys Race
12:40 p.m. – Sophomore Girls Race
1:00 p.m. – Sophomore Boys Race
1:20 p.m. – Junior/Senior Girls Race
1:40 p.m. – Junior/Senior Boys Race
MSTCA BAY STATE XC INVITATIONAL at Wrentham
5:00 p.m. – Combined Boys & Girls JV Novice Race 3K (Unlimited Entries)
5:30 p.m. – Junior Varsity Girls HS 5K (Unlimited entries)
6:00 p.m. – Junior Varsity Boys HS 5K (Unlimited entries)
6:30 p.m. – Varsity Girls ‘A’ Race (Must be under 24:00)
6:50 p.m. – Varsity Boys ‘A’ Race (Must be under 19:00)
7:05 p.m. – Varsity Girls ‘B’ Race (Must be under 24:00)
7:25 p.m. – Varsity Boys ‘B’ Race (Must be under 19:00)
7:40 p.m. – Varsity Girls ‘C’ Race (Must be under 24:00)
8:00 p.m. – Varsity Boys ‘C’ Race (Must be under 19:00)
8:15 p.m. – Varsity Girls ‘D’ Race (Must be under 24:00)
8:35 p.m. – Varsity Boys ‘D’ Race (Must be under 19:00)
