It didn’t come as a surprise that Emily and Abby Flagg finished first and second in the Division 2 race at Saturday’s MIAA Meet of Champions. After all, the talented twin sisters from Whitinsville Christian Academy were the top two seeds.
But a year ago, it was a different story. While Emily was winning her first title at the season-ending meet, Abby was away from the running circuit after suffering a navicular fracture in her foot last fall while training for the New England Half Marathon in Concord, N.H. The injury came after she had already missed her entire freshman campaign of high school competition due to another setback.
Once again, Emily came out on top with a winning time of 18:07.20. Her latest victory capped off a successful in-state season that included convincing wins at the Catholic Memorial Invitational and a defense of her Div. 2A crown.
This race, however, was different. Emily needed every last bit of energy to hold off her sibling, as Abby surged on the final loop to create a nail-biting finish. Abby crossed in 18:08.51 — just over a second behind.
“I could hear her. I could pretty much hear her the whole time,” Emily said. “I knew she was there.”
While she fell just short of the victory, there was no disappointment on Abby’s face — especially considering what she endured during a trying year.
“I came from literally no running for six months to now here,” said the W-C standout, who was a third-place finisher in this race as an eighth-grader in 2022. “I’m just happy. I don’t really care about my time. I’m just happy I made it to the end of the season healthy.”
Abby executed her race plan to perfection, utilizing a patient approach for the for the first two-thirds of the race that allowed her to nearly pull out the win. She trailed her sister by more than 50 meters with about 800 meters left.
“I kind of played this race conservative. I held back a lot of my energy, ” she said. “When I got towards the end, I saw Emily kind of within my reach. I was like, ‘Oh no, I have too much energy. I might as well go.’ So then I just went. I didn’t get her, but I was pretty close. I’m happy.”
This will not be the last time the Flaggs compete in cross country this season. On Dec. 6, the gifted duo will head down to Huntsville, AL, where they’ll compete in the featured Gold race on the blazing-fast 5K trails of the John Hunt Running Park.
“We never really travel much,” Abby said. “This will be a fun little trip.”
Both are looking to run their best on a flat course that’s known for producing a plethora of PRs each and every year.
“Oh yeah, we are very excited for a fast, warm race,” Emily quipped.
BPS Claims Div. 2 Title With Dominant Pack Performance
With a gap of just 1:19 between its five scoring runners, the Boston Public Schools Co-Op team continued its memorable season with a 115–149 victory over second-place Canton. Westwood finished third with 154 points.
The win comes one week after BPS captured the team title at the Div. 2A Championships, and it completed a sweep for the program — arriving just 30 minutes after the boys’ squad secured its own championship banner.
Junior Sara Blanco led the charge, placing 14th overall in 19:23.01. A spread of only 28 seconds separated the next four finishers – junior Anjuli Claire Szydlo (27th, 20:14.35), sophomore Maya Friedmann (29th, 20:19.55), senior Neve Flynn (41st, 20:39.04), and sophomore Maddy Lemay (45th, 20:42.90).
***
Lexington’s Depth Delivers First Div. 1 Title Since 2016
For the first time in nearly a decade, Lexington earned the girls’ Division 1 title. The Minutemen, who captured their last crown in 2016, won this year’s championship in the same fashion they have all season — with a pack mentality.
Lexington placed all five of its scorers among the top 20 to defeat second-place Billerica, 63–89. Among the 18 qualifying squads, the Minutemen posted the smallest spread between their first and fifth runners, a gap of just one minute.
Sophomore Jane Conrad led the way, placing third in 18:06.32. She was followed by sophomore Ella Tyson (10th, 18:43.99), junior Erin Ehmann (17th, 18:57.29), junior Alyicia Charest (18th, 18:57.86), and junior Callier Glenn (22nd, 19:07.04).
“You never want to assume anything, but with what we’ve been working on and training for all season, and the strategy we set in place, I had full confidence in them,” said Lexington coach Rebecca Trachsel. “Obviously, Billerica is a great team and they put it all out there. We were not going to take that for granted. The girls had to work really hard for it, but they knew exactly what they had to do — and they were ready.”
Hennessy Leaves Field Behind With Record-Breaking Performance In Div. 1
There was no question who would be the first individual across the line. Just like she’s done all season, Westford Academy’s Abby Hennessy took all the guesswork out of the outcome by the time she reached the midway point of the race, breaking the tape with a course record of 17:15.13, smashing last year’s mark by nearly 50 seconds. Needham’s Greta Hammer, who held the previous record of 18:02.5, also went sub-18. Hammer secured runner-up honors in 17:56.65.
“I am so grateful to be here, be healthy, be racing and everything,” Hennessy said. “That was definitely going through my mind the whole time. We were talking as a team before and racing for each other. All of my teammates, who are here, we put in so much work together and stayed strong.”
Hennessy will now set her sights on the Brooks Northeast Regionals at Franklin Park on Nov. 29. A top 10 finish there will secure her a trip to San Diego for the Nationals, the former Foot Locker Nationals.
It’s a meet that Hennessy appears to be peaking at just the right time to prosper.
“I am so excited for that race. I love Franklin Park,” she said. “I am not the biggest fan of this course, I much prefer that one. I am excited to get to race against a new group of girls. It will be an interesting surprise to see who shows up there.”
***
Greater Lowell Tech Wins First-Ever Div. 3 Title
Greater Lowell Tech achieved a first for its program by capturing the Div. 3 crown. The Gryphons scored 136 points, edging out runner-up Mount Greylock by 10, while Norwell finished third with 148 points.
The team’s scoring gap was remarkably tight, with just 34 seconds separating the five runners. Freshman Hannah Levesque led the way, placing 17th overall in 20:16.17. She was followed closely by senior Audrey Yann (30th, 20:32.44), freshman Lillian Zurkus (36th, 20:37.85), sophomore Teagan Galvagni (38th, 20:39.62), and junior Olivia Stack (20:50.37).
Bradley Goes All Out, Wins Div. 3 Race In Style
A week after just barely breaking 20 minutes at Willard Park to finish fourth in the Division 3C race, Bromfield’s Rosie Bradley turned in her best performance of the season on Saturday.
The senior stunned the field with a triumphant 18:31.29. Freshman Emma Genoverse (second, 18:49.10) and Norwell sophomore Katherine Murray (third, 18:49.97) also went under 19 minutes.
“I felt pretty good all day, so I was like, ‘I might as well give it my all,’” Bradley said. “It’s my last race. I’m a senior. I kind of gave it all I had.”
