#1 Lexington
Last week we talked about how number two Billerica could upset our number one ranked team Lexington. So, this week we’ll be doing the opposite.
It’s impossible to ignore both the potential and expectations for Lexington this season. All you need to do is look at last year’s results. The 2025 team had five runners in the top 22, four runners under 19, and six runners that ran under 20 minutes at Fort Devins. They put together one of the best performances the Bay State has ever seen.
That entire team is returning.
Up front they have the top contender for the individual title with Jane Conrad who ran 18:06 for third place last season. Ella Tyson was 10th overall. Erin Ehmann and Alycia Charest were 17th and 18th, and Callie Glenn was 22nd. Their sixth and seventh runners? Thayer Dicerbo was 36th in 19:35. Meghan Caldera was 70th in a 20:16. Perhaps what’s most striking about this team are the runners that were not in their top seven.
The biggest challenge Lexington might face this year is topping last year. What’s a realistic goal? Five runners in the top 15? Top 10? As we mentioned last week it was disappointing to see the lack of coverage outside of Massachusetts for this team. They surely have NXR circled on the calendar. A trip to nationals is the only thing missing right now. Racing at your best three weeks in a row with Divisionals, Meet of Champions, and then NXR is difficult. Especially when you must face a team like Billerica.
However, rumor is that Lexington will be joined by track stars Amelia Whorton and Natalie Bielat this fall. Bielat will bolster an already strong core. She’s run 5:18 for the mile. However, Whorton joining completely changes the landscape. As a 4:45 Miler she immediately enters indivudual title contention. Watching her race teammate Jane Conrad will be worth the price of admission. As far as the team competition goes, if this squad stays healthy, the chances of upsetting them may have just ran off. In fact, they now have added insurance if injuries due pop up.
Between the athletes returning and the ones joining, Lexington is one of the big reasons 2026 stands to be one of the best Cross-Country seasons ever.
Projected Top 5:
Jane Conrad 17:18
Callie Glenn 18:16
Ella Tyson 18:16
Erin Ehmann 18:21
Alycia Charest 18:23
4 Responses
NXR and Meet of Champions unfortunately fall on the same day, so it will be interesting to see where the top 2 teams decide to compete come 11/21.
It’s an unfortunate decision to have to make. I was unaware when I wrote that, but I guess the sentiment still stands. They’ll just have to choose one.
Preliminary schedules look like all states and NXR are on the same date. Kind of a dilemma for Lexington. Is there any talk of a resolution to this?
I can’t imagine the MIAA changing anything at this point. If enough other states conflict with NXR I could see them changing it. I think Brooks wants to make their championship a team race as well, so that might be an option, but at this point NXN is the de facto championship