It will be a busy day of championship racing this weekend as teams from across the state compete in the MIAA Divisional Championships. Who are the top teams and individual runners to watch in Saturday’s competition?
Here, we break down the girls’ Division 2 race at Wrentham with previews of Divisions 2A, 2B and 2C.
GIRLS
DIVISION 2A
Day/Time: Saturday, 11 a.m.
Teams: Canton, Boston Latin Academy, Norwood Senior, Marblehead, Westwood, Walpole, Shepherd Hill Reg, Grafton, Minnechaug Reg, Whittier Regional Voc Tech, Essex North Shore Agricultural & Tech Inst, Masconomet Regional, Melrose, Duxbury, Brockton, Longmeadow, Whitman-Hanson Regional, Northeast Metro Reg Voc, Somerset Berkley Regional, Bristol-Plymouth Reg Voc Tech, Blackstone Valley Reg Voc/Tech, Leominster, Dartmouth, Tantasqua Regional Senior, Greater New Bedford RVT, Revere, Putnam Voc/Tech, Fitchburg
Runners To Watch: Lauren Raffetto Canton; Sara Blanco, Boston Latin Academy; Sarah Monroe, Marblehead; Bridget Flynn, Norwood; Adileh Azar, Canton; Maddy Lemay, Boston Latin Academy
Top Teams: Boston Latin Academy, Marblehead, Canton
Outlook: This race could come down to just two runners: Canton’s Lauren Raffetto and Boston Latin Academy’s Sara Blanco. The talented duo are no strangers to each other this season. They finished second and third, respectively, at last month’s Bay State Invitational, with Raffetto clocking a PR of 17:45.30 and Blanco recording a best of 17:52.30.
The pair also figured among the top finishers at the Catholic Memorial Invitational on Oct. 17, where Raffetto claimed the victory in 18:09.60 and Blanco placed third in 18:22.40. Based on season-best times, the next-closest competitors in the field are nearly 50 seconds behind the two frontrunners, setting the stage for what could be a two-runner battle for the individual title.
So, who are some of the other runners who could be fighting for the remaining top positions? Four additional runners in the field have broken 19 minutes: Marblehead’s Sarah Munroe (18:40.0), Norwood’s Bridget Flynn (18:43.20), Canton’s Adileh Azar (18:50.0), and Maddy Lemay (18:54.7). All four could be part of the chase pack battling for the next few spots.
Teamwise, defending champion Boston Latin Academy (Boston Public Schools) appears poised to make it two straight this weekend. The Wolfpack, ranked No. 9 in the power rankings, have a lineup capable of getting all five scorers across the finish line before some of their rivals’ third runners. Marblehead, the runner-up in 2025, and Canton appear to be the teams battling for the next two spots.
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DIVISION 2B
Day/Time: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
Teams: Holliston, Northampton, Wakefield Memorial, Amherst Pelham Regional, Foxborough, Ashland, Burlington, Danvers, Falmouth, Pembroke, Nauset Regional, Nashoba Reg, Wayland, Newburyport, Tewksbury Memorial, Bedford, Dracut Senior, Scituate, Groton-Dunstable Reg, Hanover, Medfield, Burncoat, Middleboro, Chelsea, Chicopee, Ludlow, North Middlesex Reg, East Longmeadow
Runners To Watch: Lucy Downin, Holliston; Mairead O’Neal, Northampton; Emerson Harrington, Holliston; Quin Wilcox, Wakefield Memorial
Top Teams: Amherst-Pelham, Northampton; Burlington, Holliston
Outlook: The favorite here is Holliston’s Lucy Downin. The Panthers’ standout captured last year’s title as a ninth-grader and hasn’t missed a beat since her breakthrough freshman campaign. She’s competed in just three races so far this season, breaking 18 minutes in all three. Downin clocked a PR of 17:33.20 to capture the Small/Medium School race at last month’s Twilight Invitational, won the Bay State Invitational on Oct. 3 in 17:45.0, and most recently claimed the Tri-Valley Championships title earlier this month in 17:57.0.
Downin’s top threat is Northampton’s Mairead O’Neil, another runner capable of breaking 18 minutes. O’Neil placed fourth at Twilight with a PR of 17:56.80 and captured the individual title at this past weekend’s Western Mass XC Championships, where she was timed in 18:12.80. Other top contenders in the field include Holliston’s Emerson Harrington (18:48.10) and Wakefield’s Quin Wilcox (18:53.0).
Reigning champion Amherst-Pelham, ranked ninth in the power rankings, is the favorite to repeat in the team competition. Northampton, which finished runner-up to the Hurricanes in 2025, should be their top challenger. Both teams feature strong five-runner groups, but Amherst-Pelham holds the advantage in depth and has a tighter spread between its scorers.
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DIVISION 2C
Day/Time: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Teams: Whitinsville Christian, Saint Mary’s, Bishop Fenwick, Manchester Essex Regional, Dighton-Rehoboth Regional, Weston, Saint Paul Diocesan Jr/Sr, Notre Dame Academy-Worcester, Norton, North Reading, Minuteman Regional, Wilmington, Arlington Catholic, Martha’s Vineyard Reg, Oakmont Regional, Swampscott, Medway, Dover-Sherborn, Dedham, Archbishop Williams, Pope Francis Preparatory, Watertown, Fontbonne Academy, Ursuline Academy, Apponequet Regional, Salem, Auburn, Falmouth Academy, Lowell Catholic, Keefe Technical, Cardinal Spellman, Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Runners To Watch: Emily Flagg, Whitinsville Christian; Abby Flagg, Whitinsville Christian; Kelsey Kwiatek, Saint Mary’s; McKenna O’Connell, Saint Mary’s; Adelaide Sweatman, Bishop Fenwick; Inez Smith, Whitinsville Christian
Top Teams: Whitinsville Christian, Arlington, Bishop Fenwick, Saint Mary’s
Outlook: Here’s one thing we can guarantee: No one is touching Whitinsville Christian’s Emily Flagg. The recent University of Richmond commit is enjoying her best season yet in an already stellar career. This past weekend, Flagg showed she’s peaking at just the right time, winning the Frank Mooney Invitational in a course-record 16:42.08 at the Wrentham Developmental Center. It was the second-fastest 5K in state history. She also dipped under 17 minutes at the Twilight Invitational, clocking 16:59.70. Look for Flagg to break 17 again in her return to Wrentham on Saturday, potentially earning a coveted Golden Ticket to next month’s Brooks XC Championships in San Diego.
The battle for second place should come down to Flagg’s twin sister, Abby, and St. Mary’s Kelsey Kwiatek. Abby has broken 18 minutes twice this season, posting a PR of 17:54.30 to finish third at Twilight before placing second at the Frank Mooney Invitational in 17:59.41. Kwiatek finished fifth at Twilight in a season-best 17:58.20 and captured last month’s CCL championship in 18:32.80.
Other contenders in the field include St. Mary’s McKenna O’Connell (18:31.20), Bishop Fenwick’s Adelaide Sweatman (18:44.50) and Whitinsville Christian’s Inez Smith (18:48.20).
Led by the Flagg twins and Smith, sixth-ranked Whitinsville Christian appears poised to defend its team title. Arlington Catholic shapes up as a solid No. 2.
