The Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational races sponsored by the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association and held annually at the Cape Cod Fairgrounds is always a popular event, and this year was no exception. In spite of a nor’easter making its way up the East Coast, an estimated 4,000 cross-country runners gathered last Saturday, Oct. 11, to compete in one of 18 events categorized by school size and the age and experience of participating athletes.
Normally a two-day event with large schools competing Saturday and small and medium schools on Sunday, the approaching storm forced organizers to compress the scheduled races into a single night that began at 3 p.m. and ended at slightly after 10 p.m. Bromfield brought 30 athletes to the event and competed in eight races.
Sophomore Kai Kemeza won Bromfield’s sole gold medal, finishing first in the small and medium sophomore boys race with a blazing 16 minute, 21.91 second finish, helping his team place fifth in the event. “For Kai, it was his chance to shine,” said boys coach Marisa Steele. “He went into the race prepared to win and took the lead from the start and just crushed the last lap of the course, winning by over 11 seconds.” Kemeza’s time was the fastest that night by a Bromfield runner.
Two Bromfield teams scored among the top three teams in their events and reached the podium. The freshman boys placed second in the 2.1-mile small/medium school event. Remarkably, that team included one freshman only; the rest were seventh- and eighth-graders. The boys varsity team won third place in the 5K small school race.
Medals are awarded to the top 25 runners in an event, and the Bromfield girls and boys returned home with nine, ranging from Kemeza’s gold and Rosie Bradley’s fourth place in the girls varsity 5K to senior Harrison Binnick’s 24th place finish in the boys varsity 5K.
The Cape Cod course is known to be fast, a flat, 1-mile looped trail, lined with lights and cheering spectators. The top five Bromfield sophomore and varsity runners in the boys and girls 5K races set either a personal or season record at Saturday’s event.
With league and state championships approaching, Bromfield’s boys and girls have one more Midland-Wachusett C Division tri-meet event before the season’s end. Both teams were scheduled to race Gardner and Lunenburg at home on Oct. 15. In daylight.
Top 5 results: MSTCA Bob Glennon Twilight Invitationals, Oct. 11
2.1-mile, freshman boys, small/medium schools
Team: Second among 12 schools (90 points)
- Jack Curtis, freshman, 11 minutes, 44.6 seconds, sixth place
- Simon Iverson, grade 8, 12:23.59, 21st
- Ben Stephan, grade 7, 12:24.27, 22nd
- Callan Slavin, grade 8, 13:59.45, 71st
- Sean Kim, grade 8, 14:14.2, 82nd
5K, sophomore boys, small/medium schools
Team: Fifth among 12 schools (132 points)
- Kai Kemeza, sophomore, 16:21.91, first
- Micah Wieb, sophomore, 17:37.9, 15th
- Duncan Charles, sophomore, 19:09.53, 49th
- Mathias Holzmann, sophomore, 19:54.47, 65th
- Will Guthro, sophomore, 20:50.66, 102nd
Sophomore girls, all schools
Team: Sixth among 12 schools (163 points)
- Abby Wool, sophomore, 20:26, eighth
- Kylie Nguyen, sophomore, 22:36, 56th
- Chloe Bradley, sophomore, 22:53.5, 67th
- Marielle Phillips, sophomore, 23:09.3, 82nd
- Callia Sintros, sophomore, 24:03.6, 113th
Varsity boys, small schools
Team: Third among 20 schools (127 points)
- Ben McWaters, junior, 16:35.4, 21st
- Harrison Binnick, senior, 16:38.7, 24th
- Liam Kemeza, senior, 16:49.8, 29th
- Shea Van Cleef, junior, 16:52.3, 30th
- Christian Johannesen, senior, 17:26.4, 48th
Varsity girls, small schools
Team: Sixth among 17 schools (203 points)
- Rosie Bradley, senior, 18:41, fourth
- Jacquie Wilkins, junior, 20:36, 28th
- Christina Kekis, senior, 21:34.2, 58th
- Helen Holzmann, senior, 21:48.9, 66th
- Gabriella Temps, junior, 22:58.1, 94th
