The weather forecast appears to be perfect for Saturday’s Catholic Memorial Invitational. With the runners that have signed up for the 63rd annual event, which is sponsored by Marathon Sports and HOKA, the competition could be, too.
All three varsity events, the girls’ race and the boys’ Red and Silver races, are chock full of quality competition will multiple harriers worthy of contender status on the five-kilometer course at Franklin Park.
Beginning with the girls, six in the field have broken 19 minutes, including 1-2 seeds and sub-18 performers, Emily Flagg of Whitinsville Christian and Keaney Bayha of Pilgrim (RI). Flagg, a sophomore, has been unbeaten this fall and is coming off a PR effort from the Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational where she defended her crown in the Small School race with a time of 17:46.8. The Crusaders’ standout will not be alone in her pursuit of another triumph this season. Bayha, who has a best of 17:58 from a league meet earlier, knows how to run in meets of this magnitude. She was at historic Van Cortlandt Park last weekend where she was second in the Letter C race with a PR of 15:34.0 for the 2.5-mile distance. On Oct. 5, she was 21st overall in the featured Race of Champions competition at the Great American XC Festival in North Carolina. The meet record of 17:49.0 by Emily Jones of Bromfield in 2008, could be in jeopardy. Other top runners scheduled to compete are Plymouth North senior Macey Shriner (18:25.72 seed), Whitinsville Christian senior Emma Wierenga (18:40.65), Arlington senior Evie Lauzon (18:47) and Nauset Regional senior Madeline Mahoney (18:51.49), to name a few.
For the boys, the Red Race will feature a half dozen that have gone under 16 minutes this season with four of them from neighboring New Hampshire. The top seed is Marshfield senior Graham Heinrich, who was third at the Battle of the Borders two weeks ago at Alvirine High with an all-time best of 15:36.0. The Concord State’s Pinkerton Academy, ranked No. 3 in the state, has a trio of runners capable of creating havoc up front with sophomore Oscar D’Amelio (15:45.52), junior Trainor Mailoux (15:54.08) and junior Sean Hayes (15:56.11). Keene (NH) junior Sullivan Sturtz (15:53.9) is also slated to answer the gun. There is a slim chance the meet record will be broken on Saturday. Boston English alum Abrizak Mahamud holds the current mark of 15:24, set way back in 1997.
Look for a close one in the Silver race with Peabody senior Declan Smith holding the top seed of 16:05.95. Right behind is Boston Latin senior Bilal Elhaji (16:09.23) and the host school’s Michael Upton, a junior, who captured the season-opening Vineyard XC Invitational with a best of 16:11.0.
ENTRIES & LIVE RESULTS
SCHEDULE
9:15 a.m. – Freshmen Girls’ 3K
9:35 a.m. – Freshmen Boys’ 3K
10:05 a.m. – JV Girls’ 3K
10:35 a.m. – JV Boys’ 3K
11:00 a.m. – Varsity Girls’ 5K
11:30 p.m. – Vincent Catano Varsity Boys’ Red Race 5K
12:00 p.m. – Brother Barry Varsity Boys’ Silver Race 5K
