D2 INDIVIDUAL
Ben Matejka SR Wellesley HS
After playing right-hand man to the state's top runner last year, Matejka will now be Wellesley's #1 runner and eager to lead the Raiders to top team finishes throughout the fall. In the 2015 Championship season, Ben strung together a 5th-place finish in the Eastern MA D2 race and a respectable 21st overall at All-States. On the track, Matejka saw strong growth in the 2 mile and wrapped up junior year with a PR of 9:28.2 to take 2nd at the Eastern MA D2 Champs. Serving as extra motivation this fall for Matejka will also be his squad and their pursuit of being a top team in the state. In the preseason MSTCA poll, Coach Tim Broe's Wellesley squad is sitting pretty at #1 in the state. Though as we all know, preseason rankings hold little value and Wellesley will not be able to overlook the squads from Lowell and St. John's.
Steve Flanagan SR Needham HS
It will be his final HS cross country season and we're sure Flanagan is looking to make it the most memorable one to date. Last fall, Steve put up a great race at the Bay State Invitational running 15:54 and finishing 4th in the Paul Whitlock Race. At Eastern MA Champs he took 4th place running 16:13 and just beat out Matejka at the line. Capping off his 2015 cross country season, Flanngan finished 27th at All-States running 16:03. On the track, Flannagan saw big improvements from the previous year and will enter Fall 2016 with PRs of 4:30 and 9:36.5 under his belt. As the top returner in the Eastern MA D2 field, Steve Flanagan has some big shoes to fill and will have to hold off stiff competition in order to make that dream a reality.
Kevin Quinn SR Needham HS
Hoping to make it a strong 1-2 Needham punch at the front end of races this fall, Kevin Quinn will do his best to stay right in Steve Flanagan's back pocket all season long. He was able to execute that task pretty well last season, as Quinn was 8th at Eastern MA Champs and 33rd overall at All-States. Dabbling mainly in the mile and 2 mile during track, Kevin saw his mile dip down to 4:23.4 and chalked up a personal best in the 2 mile of 9:45.2. That healthy balance of speed and strength should certainly benefit Quinn on those flat, fast courses in the post-season.
Kyle Faddis SR Masconomet HS
Hoping to rub elbows with some of the best runners in Eastern MA and the state, Kyle Faddis looks poised to take his running to the next level this fall. The 2015 cross country was a respectable one for Faddis, as he took 13th at Eastern MA Champs and then ran 16:09 to take 32nd at All-States. Those performances alone make Faddis a contender in the eastern region this fall and a top-20 finisher at All-States. Adding value to his stock, Kyle had great success running the mile this spring and brought his personal best down to 4:21.2. Faddis will represent the Cape Ann League well this fall and should have a strong run in the post-season.
Andrew Lamb SR Marshfield HS
Lamb enters the 2016 season with hopes of improving upon his 9th place at the Eastern MA Champs and 39th-place finish at All-States in 2015. The pieces are in play for the Marshfield senior, as closed at his spring with a 2-mile PR performance of 9:47.7 and had run a PR of 4:34.4 the week prior. If Lamb can once again crack the top 10 at Eastern MA Champs and finish within the top 20 at All-States, we would say that's not a bad way to end your final cross country season.
Pre-Season Eastern MA (D2) Rankings (FULL LIST)
| Place | Athlete | Yr | Team | Time | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benjami Matejka | 11 | Wellesley High School | 16:16.36 | 1 | |
| 2 | Steve Flanagan | 11 | Needham High School | 16:20.55 | 2 | |
| 3 | Kevin Quinn | 11 | Needham High School | 16:29.14 | 3 | |
| 4 | Trey Sheridan | 11 | Bridgewater Raynham Regional High School | 16:29.45 | 4 | |
| 5 | Andrew Lamb | 11 | Marshfield High School | 16:33.87 | 5 | |
| 6 | Kyle Faddis | 11 | Masconomet Regional High School | 16:40.91 | 6 | |
| 7 | Evan Fagan | 10 | Central Catholic High School | 16:43.78 | 7 | |
| 8 | Jamieso Mazzola | 11 | Wellesley High School | 16:45.79 | 8 | |
| 9 | Jimmy Cannon | 11 | North Quincy High School | 16:54.45 | 9 | |
| 10 | Patrick Kitchen | 11 | North Andover High School | 16:56.11 | 10 |