Clipper Relays, Vineyard Invitational This Saturday

The cross-country season, at least the meet portion of the fall campaign, kicks into gear this weekend with two meets on the slate.

On the island of Martha's Vineyard we have the ninth annual Vineyard Invitational. Nearby to the New Hampshire border, there's the 18th annual Clippers Relays in Newburyport.

More than 700 runners participated in the Vineyard Invite last year, a meet that includes freshmen, junior varsity and varsity races. Plymouth North's Nick McNamee posted the fastest time of the day, winning the boys' varsity event with a time of 16 minutes, 22.9 seconds. The Eagles also claimed the girls' individual title with Sam Curtin traversing the five-kilometer course in 19:06.10.

The Clipper Relays is a popular event that has been around for nearly two decades. It involves three-person relays with each individual running two miles. The course records for the six-mile races are 29.31 by the Wellesley boys last year and 34:35 by the Beverly girls in 2015. Tewksbury won the girls' crown in 2016-17. According to Newburyport head coach Don Hennigar, this weekend's race has more than 1,500 participants and 31 schools (see below).