Quick Glance Of Division 2 Championships


Five days of divisional championships comes to a close with Division 2 hitting the oval. Team-wise, it looks like Woburn, Wellesley, North Andover, Reading Memorial and Marshfield are your top boys' squads. For girls, Wellesley, Natick and Woburn should be battling it out. A few races in the boys' competition it's difficult to predict the outcome. In the mile, top seed Steve Flanagan of Needham (4:21.94) could be fighting to the end with Marshfield's Derek Holmes (4:22.98).  The 600-meter run matches 1-2 seeds, Mike Shannon of Marshfield (1:22.66) and Ryan Prenosil of Westfield (1:22.79).  It could also be a down-to-the-wire affair in the 300m where Brighton's Ricky Francois (35.09) and Somerville's Phillips Magre (35.62) are the best in the field. Marshfield will also be looking to improve on its nation No. 9 of 7:57.74 in the 4x800m. The Rams' stiffest challenge should come from Natick, which boast an impressive 8:06.67 clocking. Marshfield's Holmes is also the No. 1 seed in the 1,000m with a quality time of 2:33.13. In the girls' competition, keep an eye on the mile where we have two sub five-minute sophomores - Natick's Grace Connolly  and Wellesley's Margaret Donahue. Connolly has a best this season of 4:56.10, which she did in the Junior Mile of the New Balance Grand Prx.  Donahue ran her best of 4:59 at a league meet in mid January. Connolly is favored in the two mile where she has a best of 10:58.16. The 600m should be hotly contested with No. 1 seed Grace Pettengill of Minnechaug (1:36.2) matched against some tough rivals from Woburn - Avery Leydon (1:36.85) and Kelsey Long (1:38.88). Natick's Rachel Parker is the favorite in the 55m dash where she owns a best of 7.33.