For the first time this season, Grace Connolly got the opportunity to race against some of the top runners she'll be facing in next month's All State Finals.
How did she do?
Let's just say she dominated!
The junior from Natick High took the pace out hard from the start, built a sizable lead by the first mile and cruised to the individual title in the Division 1 race at the Bob McIntyre Twilight Invitational in Falmouth with a winning time of 17 minutes, 13.93 seconds. Connolly finished about 150 meters ahead of second-place finisher Bridget Mitchell of Milton, who was timed in 17:47.3.
Brookline's Lucas Aramburu was a convincing victor in the boys' Division 1 race. Aramburu broke the tape in 15:32.0. He was followed across the line by Plymouth North's Nick McNamee (second, 15:37.50) and St. John's Patrick Craemer (third, 15:42).
Littleton's Sarah Roffman broke the 18-minute barrier to claim the Division 2 girls' title. Roffman held off Nauset Regional's Madaket Nobili with a time of 17:57.40 to Nobili's 18:00.80 clocking. Littleton's Kaitlyn Roffman was third at 18:28.70.
In the final race of the night, Ayer-Shirley's Ethan Matthews claimed the Division 2 race with a time of 15:30.50. Norwell's Steven O'Driscoll was second (15:42.10) and Hopedale's Brandon Hall finished third (15:54.40).
MileSplit MA will have more on the Twilight Invitational soon, including photos, athlete interviews and race footage.
OVERALL RESULTS
TOP 5K PERFORMANCES
BOYS