Wool and Bradley race state’s elite distance runners at annual MIAA Meet of Champions

Corrected and updated March 3, 2025

Two Bromfield athletes, junior Rosie Bradley and senior Evelyn Wool, joined elite runners from across the state to compete in this year’s girls indoor track and field Meet of Champions, held last Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston. The annual competition hosted by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association brings together the state’s top athletes, regardless of division, for a day of competition.

Bradley and Wool have been contenders in the 2-mile event throughout the season and were the only two Bromfield athletes to qualify for this year’s meet. Bradley placed 11th with a time of 11 minutes, 14.43 seconds. She had already qualified in a previous race to compete in next month’s New Balance Nationals in Boston.

Bradley was followed closely by Wool who finished in 13th place with a time of 11:18.86, just four seconds behind. Needham junior Greta Hammer won the race with a time of 10:21.48, just two seconds shy of the meet record of 10:19.00 set in 1981.

“Solid performances by both [Bradley and Wool] in a very competitive race; I’m proud of both of them,” said Coach Marisa Steele in an email, noting that this year’s top two 2-mile finishers are ranked among the top 15 in the nation.

“Evelyn always impresses me with how level-headed she is in race situations,” Steele said. “She is confident in her ability to run her own race and stay focused throughout.”

Wool barely missed qualifying for the 2-mile in the upcoming nationals by three-tenths of a second but may have one last chance to qualify at a nonschool event in March, according to Steele.

Steele said that Bradley, in her run Saturday, had gambled by joining the lead pack at the start and keeping pace for much of the race. “Sometimes you have to take the risk and see if you can hang on in races like this—that’s when a big breakthrough can occur,” Steele said. “I think she will take this race experience and use it to motivate herself for nationals.”

Neither Bradley nor Wool will race in the upcoming New England regionals, but both will be back to race with the outdoor track and field team this spring.

Editor’s note: This article has been corrected and updated. In the original article, Rosie Bradley’s and Evelyn Wool’s times in the Meet of Champions were misstated.