The Marblehead high girls cross-country team finished seventh after accumulating 204 points in the Division 2 All-State (5K) Meet of Champions at the Devens Willard Athletic Complex in Ayer on Nov. 15.
“The division was incredibly competitive this year, but we still rose to the occasion and ran a great race collectively,” said coach Will Herlihy. “Boston Latin Academy won the title, and looked even more dominant, then they did the previous week in the divisional (class) meet.”
Most of these runners have been training since mid-June, and so, according to Herlihy, it’s very hard to keep it going throughout the season. But the Marblehead girls still turned in an excellent race, with senior captain Marri O’Connell (19:12.58) finishing first among her teammates, ninth overall. Close on her heels was junior breakout star Sarah Munroe (19:22.19), who ended up 13th.
Marblehead’s dynamic sophomore duo of Norah Walsh (20:58.49) and Ruby Assa (21:24.65) came in 54th and 75th, respectively. Junior Evelina Beletsky (22:08.96) was the 108th runner to cross the finish line, followed by freshman Sophia Letwin (22:17.31), checking in at 113. “Sophia ran a personal best 5K in this race, really solidifying her role as a varsity runner for the next three years,” said Herlihy.
Junior Jesslyn Roemer (23:34.39) was the final Marblehead varsity runner to finish, 157th overall.
“Ultimately, it was a great final to an incredible season,” said Herlihy. “There were high expectations coming in, but that was (dampened) with a group that didn’t have a ton of experience. But these girls still ran through the NEC with a perfect 7-0 record. They then went on to win the NEC Championship Meet, before delivering a master-class of situational racing at the State Divisional (Class) Meet to finish second. I couldn’t have ever imagined a better season. I’m so proud of this group for everything they’ve accomplished.”
Boys finish eighth in the state
The Marblehead High boys team capped off its season with an eighth-place finish in the Division 2 All-State (5K) Meet of Champions at the Devens Willard Athletic Complex on Nov. 15.
“While the season did not start off the way that we wanted it to, the boys certainly rebounded nicely to put together a terrific second half,” said coach Brian Heenan. “We were able to finish it off with our best team races these last two weeks.”
The Magicians were once again led by senior captains Henrik Adams (31st, 16:58) and Will Cruikshank (35th, 17:05). Junior Filip Grubor (65th, 17:26), senior Colin Hart (104th, 17:55), senior captain Zach Pike (109th, 18:00), freshman Isaac Durand (134th, 18:39) and senior Thomas Svencer (162nd, 19:26) had some of their best performances of the season to help the team secure a Top 10 finish.
“I have been fortunate to witness some terrific team performances at this meet throughout my coaching tenure here in Marblehead, but this one will definitely stand out,” said Heenan. “The boys surprised many of the other Division 2 teams (throughout the state) with their eighth-place finish. Despite the early season results (4-3 regular season record), the boys recognized that it’s a long season, and you want to run your best in November. They certainly did just that.”
