Looking at the top returners for the Mile and Two Mile from indoors last season doesn’t give a full picture of what to expect this season. Many of this season’s top runners ran significantly faster in Outdoor than they did for Indoors. For the Mile there are eleven runners returning that have cracked 4:20, and in the Two Mile, there are ten runners returning that have run under 9:30.
Mile
For the Mile, three names jump out right away. John Bianchi of Natick, Silas Gartner of Falmouth, and Shane Leslie of Billerica, have all run 4:12 or faster. Bianchi leads the way with a PR of 4:11.88 from the Outdoor season. This year he’ll be on a quest to not only break 4:10, but see how far he can dip under. Given their credentials, Gartner and Leslie will have their eye on sub 4:10 as well. Getting them all in the same race this season may be the biggest challenge.
Mason Niles, Leslie’s teammate at Billerica, may be the most intriguing returner. Niles was one of the fastest freshmen in the country last season running 4:17. However, we didn’t get to see him compete at the end of the XC season as it appears he was injured. Hopefully he’s well rested and ready for indoors. Atley Phinney of Middleboro and Greyson Duane of Groton-Dunstable both return with PRs of 4:17 and 4:19. While they may focus on 1000m, hopefully we’ll see them chase a fast mile indoors as well.
Keep an eye on Theodore Butty of Brookline, Greg McGrath of BC High, and Patrick Noonan of Lexington. While all three may be more synonymous with the longer distance, they’ve all run under 4:20. Noonan ended his outdoor season with an impressive 4:18.
While their schools don’t have indoor programs, it’s worth noting that Everett Pacheco and Even Hedlund ran 4:16 and 4:19 respectively. We’ll most likely see them compete unattached or with their club team at some point.
As we mentioned in the Middle-Distance preview, Harry Flint of Brookline could be in line to run a fast mile. Also watch out for Landon Zoss of Andover and Aarav Mehta of Weston. Expect them to a lower their PRS after strong XC seasons.
What will it take to win this year? Well, the Meet of Champions depends on who runs and the race tactics. But as we mentioned at the start, to claim the fastest mile this season will most likely take a time under 4:10.
Two Mile
With his consistency over the distance last season, Greg McGrath of BC High could be the king of the Two Mile this season. With his PR of 9:06 and stellar times this XC season, sub nine minutes is well within his reach. McGrath was also runner up at the Meet of Champions Indoors and Outdoors. Brookline’s Theodore Butty holds the fastest PR, with his 9:05 from his win at the Division One Championships last spring. Teammate Liam Hartmann ran 9:12 in that race as well.
However, the runner to watch, and the one most will highlight when’s he on the starting list, is our Division One Meet of Champions Winner, Landon Sarney of Oliver Ames. He’s made it clear no lead is safe when he’s in the race. Keep in mind he was the only one to take down Marblehead’s Nate Assa in the Two-Mile last season. While his PR may only be 9:15, he’ll be right there with the above group looking to challenge the nine-minute mark.
Sean Finnegan could pull off the upset in the Two as well. He beat Sarney to take the Division 1C crown this fall and enters this season with a 9:20 PR after finishing runner up at the Division 2 Championships last season and seventh at the Meet of Champions. Lowell’s Jame’s Kelly and Lexington’s Patrick Noonan both enter this season having run under 9:30.
Then there’s the Milers. Natick’s John Bianchi was part of that fast Division 1 race, finishing in 9:16, and Falmouth’s Silas Gartner has run 9:07 dating back to 2024. Both could be X factors if they pursue the distance.
So, what will it take to win this year? Given no MIAA runners cracked nine minutes last season (Tamrat Gavenas ran 8:53), most of this group will have their eye on that barrier. If enough of these runners toe the line together, we could see something historic. Maybe not Franklin Sanchez’s state record of 8:49, but something in the low 8:50’s could be in the cards.
