#6 Needham
At #6 we have another team from the Bay State Conference and another team that always seems to be near the top every year. Despite graduating all-time great Greta Hammer, Needham returns a formidable squad for 2026.
Madison Roach may be more known for her speed on the track, but the Needham speedster has run 18:46 on the trails as well. To prove that was no fluke, she also ran 18:50 at the Division 1A race to finish seventh. It will be exciting to see how her speed translates this fall. Teammate Claire Cianciolo had her best race of the season there, running 18:57 for 11th overall. She also has incredible range on the track running 2:15, 4:59, and 11:32 this past spring.
Incoming Junior Eva Scharf gives Needham three runners under 20 minutes entering the 2026 season. She did miss the end of the season but came back strong running 5:25 and 11:31 last spring.
Needham’s greatest strength may be their pack of Ava Conti, Allessia Uyenoyama, and Sidney Gilbreth. All three have run between 20:10-20:13. This group should be able to work together all season. If all three can get under 20 minutes when November rolls around, Needham will be in tough to beat.
Projected Top 5:
Madison Roach 18:46
Claire Cianciolo 18:57
Eva Scharf 19:45
Ava Conti 20:10
Allessia Uyenoyama 20:12
