The Bromfield girls cross-country team toppled a formidable opponent Oct. 6, besting Tyngsborough High School 22-33 on the Tigers’ home course to wrap up a perfect dual-meet season record. The team returned to the line Saturday to race the inaugural Fort Devens Challenge and brought home a second-place finish in the varsity 5-kilometer race.
The Trojans faced a difficult course last Wednesday. Coach Matt Lynde described hills, narrow trails, and several messy patches where recent rainfall had loosened the footing. With the Tyngsborough girls ranked eighth in Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 3 by a recent Massachusetts State Coaches Association poll, Bromfield runners knew they were lined up shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the toughest competition they had faced all season. The team was also missing a top runner, as Molly Squire was out with a minor complication.
Regardless, the team was ready to face the day. Eighth-grader Cate Corbett and freshman Emma Squire led the pack, putting the team on strong footing with their top-two 5-kilometer times of 21 minutes, 5 seconds and 21:43, respectively. Close on Squire’s heels were freshman Isabel Jackson, finishing fourth in 22:53, and eighth-grader Rosie Bradley with a personal record time of 22:55 in fifth. Sophomore Abigail Ames came through the line at 25:54 to round out the girls team score with her 10th-place finish.
“Without Molly, it was really important that … Bradley and … Jackson finish strong, which they did,” said Lynde. He said the win was a well-deserved accomplishment, marking the third straight year the team went undefeated in dual-meet competition.
Several more strong finishes on the Tyngsborough course backed up the scoring squad. Freshman Ally Becker ran 26:17 for 11th, followed by sophomore Arpi Mirzabegian in 12th (26:32). Eighth-grader Christina Kekis (32:53) and sophomore Anika Challa (33:55) rounded out the day in 13th and 14th, respectively.
Three days later, the girls laced up once more for the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association Fort Devens XC Challenge, a meet held for the first time this year. The invitational was scored differently from most meets. Where it typically takes five runners to post a team score, Saturday’s meet counted only the top two athletes from each team in the 3K and 4K races and the top three in the varsity 5K.
Corbett led the 5K crew in 20:43 to take third, followed by Emma Squire (21:43) in eighth. Becker posted a personal best time of 25:14, good enough for 22nd. The trio logged 28 points for third out of six teams, falling to North Quincy High School (21) and Groton-Dunstable Regional High School (12).
In the 3K race, Ames ran 14:19 for 10th, followed closely by Mirzabegian (14:22) in 11th. The duo scored 19 points for fifth in the nine-team field.
Jackson and Bradley finished neck-and-neck in the 4K, each cinching a time of 17:47 for third and fourth.
With a few weeks still left before the Midland-Wachusett League championship on Oct. 30, Lynde said the team is gearing up for the Twilight Invitational at the Cape Cod Fairgrounds in Falmouth, Friday. The evening meet is a team favorite and draws competition from across the state. The spectator-friendly course is also one of the quickest in Massachusetts, promising the opportunity for personal records and top-notch competition.
