It will be a busy day of championship racing this weekend as teams from across the state compete in the MIAA Divisional Championships. Who are the top teams and individual runners to watch in Saturday’s competition?
Here, we break down the girls’ Division 3 races at Northfield Mountain with previews of Divisions 3A, 3B and 3C.
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GIRLS
DIVISION 3A
Day/Time: Saturday, 11 a.m.
Teams: Norwell, Greater Lowell Tech, Seekonk, Stoneham, Triton Regional, Abington, Old Rochester Regional, Sandwich, Bellingham, Dennis-Yarmouth Regional, Quabbin Regional, Hudson, East Bridgewater Jr/Sr, Norfolk County Agricultural, Southeastern Reg. Voc/Tech
Runners To Watch: Katherine Murray, Norwell; Lillian Zurkus, Greater Lowell Tech; Audrey Birtwell, Norwell; Hannah Leves, Greater Lowell Tech
Top Teams: Greater Lowell Tech, Norwell, Old Rochester
Outlook: Leading the entries in this race is two-time defending champion Katherine Murray of Norwell. The Clippers junior comes in with a season-best 18:28.6, recorded in her victory at the South Shore League Championships. Look for Murray to take control early, as she has a good opportunity to make it three straight this weekend.
Her top challengers appear to be Greater Lowell Tech’s Lillian Zurkis, who clocked an 18:49.2 at the Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational, Norwell teammate Audrey Birtwell (19:12.8) and Greater Lowell Tech’s Hannah Leves (19:20.2).
In the team competition, defending champion Greater Lowell Tech will look to repeat, but 2025 runner-up Norwell and Old Rochester should also be in the mix for the title.
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DIVISION 3B
Day/Time: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
Teams: Sturgis Charter East, Pittsfield, Nantucket, Ipswich, Rockland, Bristol County Agr, Advanced Math, Wahconah, Monument, Sturgis West, Hamilton-Wenham, Millbury, Westfield Tech Aca, Amesbury, Litteton, Lunenburg, Mashpee, Hampshire, Gardner, Cohasset, Clinton, Leicester, Tyngsborough, Uxbridge, Cape Cod Regional, Southwick, West Bridgewater, Excel Academy, Monomoy
Runners To Watch: Grace Rich, Hamilton Wenham; Asa Labell, Hamilton Wenham, Kathleen Barry, Hampshire Regional; Tallulah Clifford, Sturgis Charter East
Top Teams: Hampshire Regional, Hamilton Wenham, Littleton
Outlook: This race could mirror the 1-2 finish from last month’s Small School race at the Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational, with Hamilton-Wenham teammates Grace Rich and Asa Labell both in the field. Rich captured the victory in a PR of 18:25.3, finishing just 1.2 seconds ahead of Labell.
Hampshire Regional’s Kathleen Barry is the only other runner in the field to have broken 19 minutes this season. She finished fifth at Twilight with a season-best 18:43.5.
Hampshire Regional and Hamilton-Wenham, which finished 1-2 in last year’s team standings, appear poised for another battle this weekend. Hampshire Regional appears to have the edge, thanks to a much tighter gap among its five scoring runners.
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DIVISION 3C
Day/Time: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Teams: Easthampton, Carver, Frontier, Ayer Shirley, Douglas, Greenfield, Georgetown, Millis, Mount Greylock, Bromfield, David Prouty, Mystic Valley, Maynard, Hopedale, Mahar, Narragansett, Tahanto, Rising Tide, Oxford, Lenox, Parker Charter, Lee, Palmer, Granby, Duggan, Turners Falls, PVCICS, Mohawk, Sizer, Mount Everett, Monson, Pioneer Valley Regional, Gateway, Sutton
Runners To Watch: Brenna Lopez, Mount Greylock; Cameron Davis, Oxford; Hazel Butterworth, Carver; Evelyn McKenna, Parker Charter
Top Teams: Mount Greylock, Parker Charter, Pioneer Valley
Outlook: We’re expecting a sizable lead pack to remain in contention late in this race, with the top five runners in the field separated by just 18.8 seconds, all owning season-best times between 18:40 and 19:00.
Mount Greylock’s Brenna Lopez holds the No. 1 spot with her best of 18:40.2 from Twilight. Oxford’s Cameron Davis (18:43.0), Carver eighth-grader Hazel Butterworth (18:48.2), Parker Charter’s Evelyn McKenna (18:51.1) and Millis’ Emma Genovese (18:58.1) are all legitimate contenders.
With the ability to get all five scorers across the line before its nearest competitor’s third runner, defending champion Mount Greylock should be in excellent position to capture its second straight title. Parker Charter and Pioneer Valley appear poised to battle for the next two spots.
