Bromfield’s young girls and boys cross-country teams were among the top-10 finishers at the Mass-achusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Division 3 state finals, held under clear skies on a chilly, mid-30 degree Nov. 19, at Willard Field, Devens.
Two members of the girls team medalled. Sophomore Evelyn Wool was fourth with a time of 19 minutes, 26.82 seconds, while freshman Rosie Bradley placed ninth with a time of 20:11.29. The field included teams from the 23 schools that had qualified the previous weekend as well as runners who had qualified to compete as individuals, for a total of 183 athletes.
From left: Evelyn Wool (134), Rosie Bradley, Molly Squire (131), and Isabel Jackson (129).(Photo by Adam Wool)
The girls team earned its fourth-place finish with a score of 197 points, assisted by sophomore Isabel Jackson (64), senior Molly Squire (70), and seventh-grader Vivienne Cogan (112). Weston’s Alessandra Gavris won the race with a time of 18:47.41, helping her team win the championship with 59 points.
Saturday’s event was the final cross-country race for senior captain Molly Squire, who has been with the team for six years. “She has had a remarkable high school career, and I know she was happy to end it on a high note with her team,” said Coach Matt Lynde. “This was her fourth all-state championship, and this year was her team’s strongest finish. She has been an amazing leader as the sole team captain the last two years.” Squire says she plans to join the indoor track team this winter.
Lynde also had praise for Wool and Bradley, Bromfield’s two medalists. “[Wool] has really proven to be a ‘big race’ runner, unflappable and focused,” he wrote the Press. Wool stayed within reach of the top five runners throughout the race, sprinting the final yards to overtake fifth-place finisher Alice Culver of Lenox Memorial and beating her by less than a second. Ninth-place finisher Rosie Bradley also had a good day; “She is starting to make a habit of these medal performances,” said Lynde. “Saturday might have been her best performance of the season.”
Boys finish sixth, overcoming illness to place in top 10
The boys squad finished in sixth place, in spite of the colds and flu that have plagued its runners in the postseason. The team’s top two finishers were Ben McWaters, who placed 31st with a time of 17:25.43, and junior captain Jack Stahl, who placed 39th with a time of 17:45.73. The two ran side by side during the final two laps of the race, but McWaters sprinted past Stahl at the finish, pulling ahead eight places to improve Bromfield’s total. McWaters was the first eighth-grader to cross the line, with only two ninth-graders ahead of him.
Bromfield boys Cross-country Coach Marisa Steele checks the results on her phone at the end of the boys MIAA Division 3 state championships. From left: Junior Jack Stahl, eighth-grader Ben McWaters, and freshman Harrison Binnick after the finish. (Photo by Kate Wool)
The team score was 246, assisted by the finishes of freshmen Harrison Binnick (56) and Chris Johannesen (67) and by senior Shaan Patel (127). Lenox Memorial won the meet with 82 points. Uxbridge senior Aidan Ross was the district champion, with a blazing first-place finish of 15:06.45.
“It wasn’t our best day,” said Stahl. He said four of the team’s top five runners were sick. One ran with a fever, one was just getting over the flu, and two were benched. “It wasn’t ideal for our team, but we still placed sixth,” Stahl said.
Cross-country is not like soccer “where you can sub out a player and give them a rest mid-game,” said boys coach Marisa Steele. “You need the kids who line up to be able to complete the course. We basically had to decide 15 minutes before race time who was healthy enough to finish. Kudos to both Liam Kemeza and Diesel Whitten, who showed real grit tackling the course despite their maladies.
“I always remind my team that every runner counts, even if you have been the ninth or 10th finisher for our team all season … you may need to step into a scoring role for the team. Little did I know that these words would ring so true this season.”
A gutsy run
Steele had special praise for senior Shaan Patel, the team’s ninth runner for most of the fall. “He definitely took my words to heart,” said Steele. “He ran the best race of his season when it counted the most. His gutsy run was one of the major reasons we were able to score as high as we did as a team.”
Saturday’s race was held for the first time in MIAA history at Willard Field at Devens. The annual state final brought together 69 schools and nearly 550 runners, with parents, coaches, and fans gathered at the start and finish lines, or waiting among the red, black, blue, and green pop-up shelters pitched midfield. The 5K course consisted of three laps around the field, with a climb up and then down the hill that lies behind Vicksburg Square. After each set of boys and girls division races, athletes and parents gathered in the awards area near the finish line for trophies, medals, and photos.
Girls results
- Team: Fourth place with 197 points
- 4. Evelyn Wool, sophomore, 19:26.82
- 9. Rosie Bradley, freshman, 20:11.39
- 64. Isabel Jackson, sophomore, 22:01.42
- 70. Molly Squire, senior, 22:04.37
- 112. Vivienne Cogan, seventh-grader, 22:58.29
- 114. Abby Wool, seventh-grader, 22:58.81
- 143. Arpi Mirzabegian, junior, 24:08.98
Boys results
- Team: Sixth place with 246 points
- 31. Ben McWaters, eighth-grader, 17:25.43
- 39. Jack Stahl, junior, 17:45.73
- 56. Harrison Binnick, freshman, 18:03.63
- 67. Chris Johannesen, freshman, 18:13.53
- 127. Shaan Patel, senior, 19:30.79
- 145. Liam Kemeza, freshman, 20:00.76
- 162. Diesel Whitten, junior, 21:00.79
