Finishing off a sure-to-be competitive weekend of track & field is Day 3 of the MSTCA Northeast Invitational. Here’s some of the top events to watch in the finale.
BOYS’ 2 MILE
Right now, the fastest two-mile time in the state belongs to Cambridge Rindge & Latin’s Leon Ibanez-Fraile, who ran 9:29.53 at a league meet on Thursday. Could there be a new state leader just two days later? It’s certainly possible.
The top seed entering the weekend is Hopkinton’s Sean Finnegan, who owns a personal best of 9:20.71 from his runner-up finish at last spring’s Division 2 Championship. Finnegan has raced the two mile just twice so far this indoor season, posting a season best of 10:04.50 — a performance that clearly wasn’t an all-out effort.
The Hillers’ senior is coming off an outstanding cross-country campaign, highlighted by a Division 1C title and a third-place finish at the Meet of Champions. If healthy, Finnegan is more than capable of dipping under the 9:30 barrier this weekend.
Could he even threaten the 2025 meet record of 9:21.05, set by Boston College High’s John Bianchi? We should have a good sense of that by the mile mark. A split in the low 4:40 range — or faster — would put that mark firmly within reach.
Parker Charter’s Nathaniel Henshaw is the No. 2 at 9:38.00. The next four all have seeds under 9:50. If Finnegan takes control of things early on Sunday, the more intriguing race my be for second place. Don’t be surprised to see Henshaw have a breakout race. We saw what he can do during cross country where he was the individual title at the Division 3 Championship and Meet of Champions.
BOYS’ 800m
This race could be a tight one, with several runners still very much in contention as they come off the final curve and into the homestretch. Portsmouth’s Will Hart of Portsmouth (NH) enters as the top seed at 1:55.73, a time he ran while finishing second at last spring’s NHIAA Meet of Champions.
Hart has already shown solid early-season form this winter, posting a season-best 1:58.12 two weeks ago at the Marathon Sports Winter Classic — another runner-up performance. This field is deep, with 12 seeded athletes having already broken two minutes and several hovering right around Hart’s range.
Among them is Xaverian Brothers’ Jack Weintraub, who owns a personal best of 1:56.06 from his sophomore campaign last spring. Weintraub also brings impressive range, highlighted by a 1:23.87 personal best in the 600 meters, set in 2025. He’s been sharp so far this winter, running a 4:33 mile best and clocking a season-best 1:25.44 in the 600m at Catholic Conference meets, making him a legitimate contender for the win on Saturday.
Another runner to watch is Amherst-Pelham’s Nicolas Lisle, who owns the fastest time this season among the entries — a 1:57.51 run at a BU Mini Meet in mid-December. Lisle also ranks No. 6 in the state for the 1,000m with a 2:35.15 effort, a mark he set just last Friday at a PVIAC meet, underscoring his strong fitness coming into the weekend.
GIRLS 400m
The meet record in this event stands at 57.10, set by former Cambridge Rindge & Latin standout Kylee Bernard in 2022. There’s a strong chance that four-year-old mark could fall this weekend.
The athlete most likely to do it is the overwhelming favorite and top seed, Natick senior Chloe Elder. Elder owns an all-time best of 53.73, clocked during her runner-up finish at last spring’s Meet of Champions. So far, Elder has opened the winter season in impressive fashion. She’s unbeaten in the 300m, highlighted by a state-leading 39.95 from her victory at the MSTCA Speed Classic a few weeks ago.
Elder finished second in this race a year ago with an indoor best of 59.02, but she appears far more prepared to make a significant jump this time around. She closed last spring’s outdoor season with three performances under 55 seconds, a stretch that clearly boosted her confidence heading into this winter.
While Elder headlines the field, three others have also dipped under the one-minute barrier, including Amherst-Pelham’s Ololara Baptiste (58.27), Westwood’s Maeve Gavin (59.68), and Newton North’s Penny Blumenthal (59.91). Blumenthal is the most recent of the trio to break the barrier, earning her seed time with a third-place finish at last month’s Boston Holiday Challenge.
GIRLS’ 55m, 200m
We don’t expect the 55m dash to be particularly close. What could be close, however, are the meet record and a sub-seven-second performance by our favorite. Holding that distinction is defending champion Lauren Quarm of Methuen. At last year’s meet, the speedy senior tied the meet record of 7.15, shared with former Pembroke standout Sarah Claflin.
So far this season, Quarm has been knocking on the door of that mark, dipping under 7.20 three times, including a season best of 7.16 at a league meet on Tuesday. The 2025 Division 1 individual champion owns an all-time best of 6.95, set while winning the Meet of Champions as a sophomore two years ago. Last winter, she also clocked a season best of 6.97 to earn a silver medal at the New England Championships.
Archbishop Williams’ Kaitlyn Burke enters the race as the No. 2 seed. Behind her are 10 more runners seeded under 7.60, setting up a competitive battle behind the favorite. With a record-setting performance by Quarm a legit possibility, the real race may be for second place.
The final race of the meet could certainly deliver some drama. The 200 meters sets up a possible duel between Elder and Quarm, and based on past performances, Elder appears to have the edge. She enters as the top seed with a best of 24.45, while Quarm is the No. 3 seed at 25.95. What could make this race more evenly matched, however, is that Elder will be returning to the line after competing in the 400 meters in the previous event. We can’t overlook the No. 2 seed, Kerri Clark of Dennis Yarmouth. She has a best of 25.34 from the outdoor season.
BOYS’ 200m, 400m
The favorite in both of these races is Lincoln Sudbury’s Nicholas Begic. The 200m titlist at the Meet of Champions last spring has the No. 1 seed on both events with times of 21.56 for the 200m and 48.59 for the 400m. At his best, Begic has a chance to break both meet records, which are 22.06 and 49.83, respectively. The Warrior standout will certainly be pushed in both races. In the 400m, the next five in the field have seeds under 51 seconds, including Archbishop Williams’ Patrick Cadogen, the two seed at 50.22. The 200m features two more speedsters with sub-22s on their resume, St. John’s Prep’s Ahmir Hykel (21.94) and Milton’s Miles Ferges (21.96).
