Forty-One.
Rachel Trachsel considers it her lucky number. Back in 2016 on her 41st birthday, the Lexington girls’ cross-country coach had 41 runners on a team that won its first state title. Since that victory, it’s a number she says has always brought her luck.
Well, the number 41 showed up again for the Minutemen at Saturday’s MIAA State Championships. It’s the amount of points that her squad scored in the final event of the afternoon, the Div. 1A race. You can call it lucky, but you also have to call it pretty impressive as that number was 30 points more than runner-up Westford Academy, Lexington back where it belongs — on top, with another state crown.
Westford Academy’s Abby Hennessy ran away with the individual title, turning what was expected to be a duel with Needham’s Greta Hammer into a solo showcase. On a perfect day for racing at the Wrentham Development Center with sunny skies and slightly cool conditions, Hennessy already held a sizable gap on Hammer by the time she reached the first mile and never looked back, coasting to a winning time of 17 minutes, 6.30 seconds. Hammer took second at 17:40.
From there, Lexington went to work. Sophomore Jane Conrad solidified third with a time of 18:14.70. The Minutemen would have three more among the top nine with sophomore Ella Tyson (fifth, 18:38.80), junior Alycia Charest (eighth, 18:50.90), junior Erinn Ehmann (ninth, 18:55.10) securig those spots. Rounding out the scoring was junior Callie Glenn, who was 17th in 19:19.20.
Trachsel wasn’t neccessarily surprised on her team’s win. It was more on the margin over a good Westford Academy squad.
“They are a very strong team,” she said. “We were absolutely ready to put up a fight with them. We came here knowing they would be really tough to beat. They were a big target for us.”
With the Meet of Champions next Saturday at Fort Devens’ Willard Park, Trachsel likes what she’s seeing for her top-ranked squad.
“This was a big confidence-booster for us,” she said. “We bascially have been really focused on getting to this point in the season and sort of turning on the gears, and getting a little stronger in the postseason together as a team. They all are focused on working together. I think today they focused on what they are capable of. It’s what they needed, for sure.”
As for Hennessy, the gifted senior continued her torrid pace this season with another outstanding performance — one that bodes well not only for the Meet of Champions next weekend, but also for the Brooks Northeast Regionals two weeks later at Franklin Park.
Her time on Saturday was the second-fastest ever recorded on Wrentham’s moderately challenging 5K layout. It marked her first divisional state title in cross-country, a redemption of sorts after a season-ending injury early in the 2024 campaign eliminated any chance of competing as a junior.
“I’m just so grateful to race here because I didn’t get to race here last year,” she said. “I’ve never been a divisional champion before, so it’s really special to do it my senior year.”
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An expect close battle between Winchester and Concord-Carlisle didn’t disappoint in Div. 1B. Determing its fate quickly, Winchester bunched its first four runners before the Patriots third in an eventual 46-49 decision.
Concord-Carlilse Maria Chopas earned individual honors. After trailing Wellesley’s Emma Tuxbury the first half of the race, Chopas took over the lead just before the 3K mark and powered her way to a convicning win with a time of 18:37.40. Tuxbury grabbed the silver in 18:56.40.
Winchester would take the next two positions with freshman Millie McDonald (19:00.60) and junior Julia Ramsay (fourth, 19:03.70) earning those spots. Freshman Chloe Chan (seventh, 19:24.30) and sophomore Caroline Lanz (ninth, 19:31.40) also cracked the top 10. The all-important fifth position belonged to senior Michelle Su, who was 24th in 20:25.60.
“Obviously, Concord Carlilse always comes to play,” Healey said. “They are amazing athletes on that team. I am really proud of our girls. We had some really serious setbacks. We lost our number one and our number two or three at the beginning of the season so it was quite something for the rest of the girls to rally and put it all together.”
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Billerica was simply dominant in Div. 1C. The Indians had a gap of just 47 seconds between their one and five runners to breeze to a 26-73 decision over second-place Notre Dame Academy – Hingham.
Individually, Central Catholic’s Kyla Breslin essentially took the lead from the start and was never challenged the remainder of the way, crossing the finish in a triumphant 18:19.70. Billerica claimed the championship banner with a 2-4-5-7-8 finish and gap of just 47.40 seconds. The scorers inncluded sophomore Kylie Donahue (second, 18:28.10), eighth-grader Maya Nile (fourth, 18:50.30), junior Hartlie Siegel (fifth, 19:00.20), freshman Evelyn Wesling (seventh, 19:13.10) and sophomore Caitlyn Donahue (eighth, 19:15.40).
