Teams and individual athletes will have one final opportunity to fine-tune their performances this weekend as they prepare for the upcoming Divisional State Championships and Meet of Champions.
More than 2,500 runners from throughout the state are expected to descend on the Wrentham Developmental Center on Saturday for the annual Frank Mooney Invitational.
The meet is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and will feature 15 Large and Small School races, with competitors grouped by grade level.
Don’t expect many of the area’s top athletes to sit this one out. There will be no shortage of talent as several of the state’s best runners make the trek to Wrentham for the six-hour competition.
The Junior/Senior Large School girls’ race features twin sisters Emily and Abby Flagg of Whitinsville Christian Academy.
Emily enters with the state’s fastest time and top seed of 16 minutes, 59.7 seconds, recorded in her victory at the Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational. In her most recent outing, she won the CMAC Small School XC Championships with a solid 17:58.2 at Willard Park.
With just three races under her belt this season, Emily should be well-rested and ready to deliver another fast performance as the championship season approaches.
Abby holds the No. 2 seed with her 17:54.3 performance at Twilight. She finished runner-up at the CMAC championships in 18:16.1.
The next two finishers from that meet will also be competing. Oxford’s Cameron Davis and Whitinsville Christian’s Inez Smith enter with seed times of 18:43.0 and 18:48.2, respectively.
The state’s top runner, Hopedale’s Quinn Cook, will toe the line in the Junior/Senior boys’ race. Cook, a sophomore, clocked a personal-best 15:15.8 to capture the Small School race at the Twilight Invitational. He also claimed the CMAC Small School XC Championship.
In what should develop into a competitive race, Cook will face Maynard’s Konrad Schluter (15:29.6) and Whitinsville Christian’s Benjamin Barron (15:34.1).
The Sophomore girls’ race features several ninth-graders, including the top four seeds. Parker Charter’s Evelyn McKenna leads the field with a seed time of 18:51.1.
In the Sophomore boys’ race, Parker Charter’s Jett Johnson owns the fastest seed time at 15:38.6.
Burlington’s Jake Boossarangsi (10:33.2) and Tyngsborough’s Lucy Balcius (11:38.5) lead the way in their respective freshmen 3K races.
In the Large School division, St. John’s Prep dominates the Senior boys’ race, occupying four of the top five seeds. The Eagles’ Leo Seltenrich (15:42.8), Mateo DeOrio (15:50.9), Henry McDonnell (15:56.4) and Liam Callahan (15:59.5) are among the top contenders, while Reading Memorial’s Finn Johnson-Houlihan (15:54.0) is sandwiched between them.
Newton South’s Isabelle Monaghan, one of just 12 runners statewide to break 18 minutes this season, is the favorite in the Senior girls’ race. She enters with a best of 17:58, recorded in a runner-up finish at the Catholic Memorial Invitational. Her top challenger figures to be sophomore Kathryn Ford of Notre Dame Academy-Hingham, who owns a seed time of 18:17.5.
The Junior boys’ race features a pair of runners with sub-16-minute performances: Saint John’s Holden Hallee (15:50.0) and North Andover’s William Thomas (15:52.3).
On the girls’ side, four runners have broken 18 minutes this season. Beverly’s Grace Colbert leads the field with a seed time of 18:27.5, followed by Central Catholic’s Kyle Breslin at 18:32.3.
Arlington’s Nico Do McCracken (19:51.0) and Concord-Carlisle’s Nick Baughman (16:32.0) own the top seeds in the Sophomore girls’ and boys’ races, respectively.
In the Freshman 3K, Central Catholic’s Alana King (11:51.1) and Boston College High’s Cooper Wilson (9:14.0) lead the girls’ and boys’ fields, respectively.
LIVE RESULTS – SMALL/MEDIUM SCHOOL
SCHEDULE
Large School Races
9 a.m. – Sophomore Girls 5K
9:29 – Sophomore Boys 5K
9:55 -Freshmen Girls 3K
10:14 – Freshmen Boys 3K
10:31 – Junior Girls 5K
10:58 – Junior Boys 5K
11:20 – Senior Girls 5K
11:47 – Senior Boys 5K
Small/Medium School Races
12:30 p.m. – Sophomore Girls 5K
12:59 – Sophomore Boys 5K
1:25 – Freshmen Girls 3K
1:44 – Freshmen Boys 3K
2:01 – Junior/Senior Girls 5K
2:28 – Junior/Senior Boys 5K
