Like Christmas in September.
We’re getting closer to one of the East Coast’s biggest cross-country extravaganzas.
In just a week, teams from throughout the Northeast region, and even beyond, will make Goddard State Park in Warwick, R.I., their destination of choice for the 18th annual Ocean State XC Invitational (Sept. 25-26).
The two-day meet, sponsored by New Balance and Marathon Sports, will include six middle school races on Friday, followed by 14 high school races on Saturday.
Record numbers are expected, and the competition is deep, real deep. In the featured Championship races, co-race director Siobhan Breagy has indicated that several of the top schools from nearby Massachusetts have committed to compete.
Last year’s competition was a Bay State sweep in the Championship events. Perhaps a preview of the Meet of Champions, eventual winners Abby Hennessy of Westford Academy and Lexington were the respective individual and team victors in the girls’ competition, while Monument Mountain’s Everett Pacheco and St. John’s Prep took the hardware in the boys’ race.
Hennessy and Pacheco, who edged fellow state rival Falmouth’s Silas Gartner for the title, have since graduated. But both Lexington and St. John’s Prep will be coming back to Goddard to defend their crowns. In the recent New Balance Power Rankings on Bay State Running, Lexington is ranked No. 1 in the state. St. John’s Prep holds the No. 5 spot for boys.
Who else will be at the starting line next weekend in the signature races of the day? Well, take a look at this list in the boys’ field. Besides St. John’s Prep, which ranks No. 5 in Massachusetts, six more teams among the top 10 have committed, including the No. 1-2-3-4 squads — Brookline, Cambridge Rindge & Latin, Lexington and Concord-Carlisle. The host state will have some strength, too. Barrington and North Kingstown, who rank No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in Rhode Island, will be there.
On the girls’ side, Billerica and Winchester, who hold the No. 2 and No. 3 positions in the power rankings, will battle the Minutemen up front. North Kingstown and Barrington, who are No. 2 and No. 5 in the Ocean, will also be making the short trek to Goddard Park next weekend.
Of course, the Championship races aren’t the only show in town. There will be plenty more competitive races. The middle school races, which start at 4:15 p.m., will have separate sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade races. Beginning at 8:45 a.m., the high school events will include Freshmen, Junior Varsity and Varsity races, along with the Championship events.
Next week, Bay State Running will preview some of the top schools and individuals that will be competing at one of the premier cross-country meets on the East Coast.
There’s still time to register for this year’s meet, but the deadline is coming up soon. The deadline to register is 9 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 21.
Click on the links below to register.
SCHEDULE
Middle School Races
FRIDAY, Sept. 25
4:15 p.m. – Seventh Grade Girls
4:35 – Seventh Grade Boys
4:55 – Sixth Grade Girls
5:15 – Sixth Grade Boys
5:35 – Eighth Grade Girls
5:55 – Eighth Grade Boys
High School Races
SATURDAY, Sept. 26
8:45 a.m. – Race 1: Freshmen 1- Boys
9:10 – Race 2: Freshmen 1 – Girls
9:35 – Race 3: Junior Varsity 1 – Boys
10:05 – Race 3A: Junior Varsity 1 Overflow – Boys
10:35 – Race 4: Junior Varsity 1 – Girls
11:10 – Race 5: Varsity 1 – Boys
11:35 – Race 6: Varsity 1 – Girls
12:05 p.m. – Opening Ceremony
12:15 – Race 7: Championship – Boys
12:45 – Race 8: Championship – Girls
1:05 – Awards Ceremony, Races, #1-8
1:25 – Race 9: Varsity 2 – Boys
1:50 – Race 10: Varsity 2 – Girls
2:20 – Race 11: Junior Varsity 2 – Boys
2:50 – Race 12: Junior Varsity 2 – Girls
3:25 – Race 13: Freshmen 2 – Boys
3:50 – Race 14: Freshmen 2 – Girls
4:00 – Awards Ceremony, Races #9-14
