Unlike many of those who made the trip to Cape Cod last Sunday for the Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational, Leon Ibanez-Fraile wasn’t disappointed when he learned that the varsity races had been canceled because of a driving rainstorm.
“That day, I wasn’t in the right mental state,” he said. “I was kind of happy they canceled it.”
It was a different story for the Cambridge Rindge & Latin senior at Saturday’s Catholic Memorial Invitational. Ibanez-Fraile was all in from the start of the five-kilometer race. Taking a patient approach and avoiding early-race mistakes, he trusted his training and powered his way to victory in the Red Race in 15:38, the fastest time of the day.
Ibanez-Fraile finished just 10 meters ahead of Newton North’s Ryan Costello, who was timed in 15:41.
“I don’t know what happened. Everything just clicked mentally,” said the Cambridge standout. “I know the fitness is there. It’s up to me to unlock it in my mind. I am really glad it worked out today. All the pieces clicked. I am really thankful I got the win today.”
Ibanez-Fraile’s victory was part of a dominant team performance by Cambridge Rindge & Latin. The Falcons placed all five scorers in the top 25 to comfortably defeat Pinkerton (N.H.) Academy, 61-95. Coe-Brown (N.H.) Academy finished third with 107 points, followed by Concord-Carlisle with 120.
Also scoring for Cambridge were Thomas Dewitt (fifth, 15:44), Liam Eldredge (10th, 15:44), Gael Berzin (22nd, 16:08) and Henry Parker (23rd, 16:10).
Ibanez-Fraile stayed with the lead pack throughout the race before making his move with about a mile remaining. Costello had done much of the pace-setting between the first and second miles, but Ibanez-Fraile eventually broke away.
“He made a move at the mile and held on until about two miles. I was able to break him there,” Ibanez-Fraile said. “I made a surge and broke him for the rest of the race. And from there, I just made it home. I don’t have a kick, I’ll be honest. My kick is taking it from 1K to go at the top of the wilderness. Thankfully, it worked out and I was able to make it to the finish line.”
In the closest race of the meet, Newburyport’s Nordeen Fadil and Triton Regional’s Cassidy Bee engaged in a back-and-forth battle down the final stretch of the Silver Race. Fadil edged his rival at the line, with both runners timed in 16:04. Swampscott’s Anthony Colella finished third in 16:11.
“Going into the race, I was super pumped,” Fadil said. “I knew I wanted to get the win. It was a super great feeling. All those kids raced really well. I came into it and stuck around fifth or so. As I came down to the end, me, Bee and Colella were really battling it out.”
“It was definitely a huge boost,” he added. “I know I can always rely on my kick. I know I can hang with the best people out there. So definitely a huge boost there.”
Framingham defeated host Catholic Memorial, 107-112, to capture the team title. James Feaster led the Flyers, placing eighth overall in 16:39. Teammates Nathan Marden (14th, 16:46) and Bennett Dalton (19th, 16:56) also broke 17 minutes.
Top-seeded Alexis Paterna of Exeter (N.H.) cruised to a dominant victory in the Varsity B girls’ race, winning by nearly 50 seconds in 17:09.
Runner-up Isabelle “Izzy” Monaghan also reached two milestones. She clocked a personal-best 17:58, shaving just over a minute off her previous best. The performance also marked the first time she had broken both the 19- and 18-minute barriers in the 5K.
“This summer, I was really trying to put in the training because I wanted to do a lot better this year,” said Monaghan, whose previous best was 19:01 at last year’s Bay State Invitational. “I came into the race thinking maybe 18:30s. In the race, I was going to stick with (Newton North’s) Maggie Abely (17th, 19:10), but I felt really confident and just decided to go.”
The Newton South senior has gained newfound confidence this season, and her latest performance offers further encouragement heading into the championship season. In 2025, she finished 15th at the Division 1A Championship and 29th at the Meet of Champions.
“I think today really validates me because I’ve always felt like I could do that,” she said. “I just think now it’s like I have an actual fact that I can. It really helps me moving forward.”
Fueled by Paterna and her sister Brianna (third, 18:08), Exeter captured the team title with 65 points. Needham finished second with 133, followed by Newton North with 141 and Weymouth with 150.
Canton’s Lauren Raffetto captured the Varsity A girls’ race, breaking away from a tightly packed lead group in the closing stages to secure the victory in 18:10. Chelmsford’s Mia McCusker finished second in 18:17, followed by Boston Latin Academy’s Sara Blanco in 18:23.
“I think it was a really good race,” Raffetto said. “I wasn’t planning on leading the whole race. I was kind of just sitting on the pack. I just let the girls stick with me, and right at the end, they got in front of me a little bit. I trusted my kick. I knew I could get by them.”
Led by Sophie Shaw’s 12th-place finish, Bishop Feehan captured the team title in a dramatic tiebreaker. The Shamrocks finished tied with Boston Latin Academy at 88 points but claimed the championship based on the sixth-runner tiebreaker.
In the Freshmen 3K race, Newburyport’s Greg Higgin (10:16) and Tyngsborough eighth-grader Lucy Balcius (11:39) captured the respective boys’ and girls’ titles. In the Junior Varsity 3K, Winnacunnet (N.H.) ninth-grader Rowan Condon (11:57) and Exeter’s Frankie Zagami (10:32) earned the boys’ and girls’ crowns, respectively.
