Middlesex League Championship Results
By: Omer Geva, Mark Solomon, and Connor Hausmann
On a perfect fall day at the Woburn Country Club, the Middlesex League demonstrated why it is considered one of the most competitive leagues in the state. The hilly four-kilometer course was a perfect way to end the regular season for many runners. With the temperature in the mid to high 50's and little to no wind, the conditions were perfect for a late season cross country meet.
In the boys varsity race, Zachary Manickas-Hill of Lexington prevailed as the winner in the competitive field. The race was clumped together for the first mile, but after the mile mark, a lead pack of Manickas-Hill, Arlington's Andrew Peterson, Melrose's Kevin Wheelock, and Winchester's Jacob Zuch broke away from the rest of the field. From there it was a close race all the way to the finish. In the end, Manickas-Hill outkicked Wheelock to secure the victory in a time of 12:30. Wheelock finished just over three second later. When asked about the race, Manickas-Hill commented, "It ended up being a sit and kick, so I didn't worry about making a move until the last 100m." Manickas-Hill is a very talented runner, boasting a 5K PR of 15:49, a mile PR of 4:21, and a 1500 meter PR of 3:59. He is looking as a possible contender for an individual title at not only the Divisional meet, but the All-State meet as well.
In the team competition, the Lexington High School Cross Country team showed why they are ranked within the top 5 in the state, and came out on top for the fourth consecutive year. Along with Manickas-Hill's 1st place finish, Thomas Lingard (7th, 12:50) was the other Lexington finisher in the Top 10 overall. The trio of Matt Stevens (11th, 13:09), Connor Hausmann (12th, 13:11), and Christian Herlihy (15th, 13:17) rounded out Lexington's top five, securing an authoritative victory with 45 points. Rounding out the top three teams were Winchester with 84 points, Melrose with 90 points, and Arlington with 114 points. This is Lexington's fourth consecutive league championship and their 11th since 2000, following an undefeated regular season. The Minutemen are looking to be very strong contenders for divisional and state titles this year, and today's race only boasts their case. In addition, the future looks bright for the Lexington boys, as Lingard, Stevens, Hausmann, and Herlihy will be returning next year.
In contrast to the boys race, the girls varsity race had a larger spread between the top runners. Leah Brams, a senior from Belmont, won the race in a time of 14:56, a solid eight seconds ahead of runner-up Elizabeth Hirsch of Melrose (15:04). Brams led the race wire-to-wire and looked just as strong as she has in the previous years. This is Brams's third individual league title in her high school career. She also won her freshman and sophomore years, so it was no surprise when she was the first girl to cross the finish line in today's race.
The Lexington girls did not fail to impress the league, taking the team title in a convincing 37 points. Alex Wolf (5th, 15:37) led the charge with Paige Lawler (6th, 15:41), Grace Leightheiser (7th, 15:44), and Maya Barrett-Tzannes (8th. 15:46) all within 10 seconds of each other. Hayley Gambone (11th, 16:04) rounded off the top five for a very strong Lexington team. This marks the 18th consecutive undefeated season and league championship for the ladies of Lexington. The Minutewomen won the Divisional meet last year and are eyeing a second consecutive victory. Barrett-Tzannes said that "the League Championship meet is the point in the season where our team can come together as one and showcase how hard we've worked as a team and as individuals."
We would like to acknowledge every runner who competed today and congratulate everyone on a job well done. We would also like to thank those who helped run this meet and set it up in such an efficient manner. The League Meet marks a great end to the 2015 regular season. We wish good luck to everyone moving on to compete at the Divisional Class Meet in Wrentham, the All-State Meet at Stanley Park, and Nike Cross Regionals in New York.