Dual Meet #3 vs. Waltham, Weston results 10/21/26

The final dual meet of the season took place in cool temperatures with a brisk breeze at Burchard Park in Weston. This meet was a double dual although "triple dual" might be a more accurate term given there were three teams contesting three separate dual meets with the host Weston along with Waltham taking part. The course is relatively flat with mostly smooth footing, and the loop that was run twice included portions on either side of College Pond as well as a segment running through a small orchard.

The girls varsity race was first on a 5k course. Waltham chose not to enter anyone meaning the Wayland-Waltham race was a forfeit. The meet with Weston was a tight affair from the outset, with only a few points separating the two teams at most intermediate points. In fact it was a one point meet much of the time. Weston held the edge though throughout, and in the end squeaked out a 3 point victory despite Wayland taking three of the top five places with Ava Miller, Ivy Robertson and Henrietta Schoeffler. 

Next was the JV race which was run on a shorter course of a bit under 2.5 miles (4k). This was the largest race of the day by fat and the Wayland contingent ran well from front to back, led by Drake LeBaron in third place overall. He was followed closely by the 9th grade trio of Henry Vukson, Dylan Stack, and Rhys Hill, with all of them running the course in under 16 minutes. Their times compare favorably to all the WHS athletes who have run on this course.

Finally the boys varsity race took to the course, and it was hotly contested from the jump. The lead Wayland duo of Brandon Hopps and Ryan Foley did well to wait out the hot early pace and improve their position in the second half of the race. Ryan Young ran very steadily as Wayland's third finisher, followed closely by an ever-improving Elliot Hopper. Archie Baker rounded out the WHS scoring five with senior Reese Migdal and 9th grader Evan Hopps rounding out the top seven for Wayland. The team results were a split, with Wayland falling to an excellent Weston team that's ranked among the top teams in the state, while easily handing the Waltham meet.

According to the Weston coach, this was a historically fast race on a course that's been in use since 2016 (Wayland first visited the following year). The overall winner from Weston set the course record; six of the top 14 times ever happened today, including Brandon Hopps with the 5th fastest time and Ryan Foley the 13th fastest time. Their times compare favorably to recent WHS grads Luke Chisum and Will Jackson who are currently plying their trade at the collegiate level. 

With the regular season in the books, what remains is the post-season kicking off next Friday with the DCL Championship meet which will surely be very competitive. 

meet results (ignore boys team scores, the software scored the meet like it was a tri-meet not a double dual)

splits for WHS athletes and team scores (it was quite hectic at the mile mark of the JV race)

All time list for WHS athletes at Burchard Park, 2017-present

Dual Meet #3 vs. Waltham, Weston 10/21/26

Meet Site: Burchard Park, 269 Concord Road Weston Ma

*NOTE: the meet is NOT held at Weston High School* 

 

Bus Time 2:45 (hopefully)

Order of Races - First race start no earlier than 4:15

Combined JV race - Atchison, Choi, Ciccarelli, Garcia-Rivera, Hill, Jorgensen, LeBaron, Markey, McLaughlin, P. Sondey, Spilman*, Stack, Thomas, Tripp, Versteeg, Vukson, Zhang

 Girls varsity - Brown, Davids, Hage*, Jay*, Miller, Robertson, Schoeffler, Wang

Boys varsity- Baker, Conley, Foley, Hopper, B. Hopps, E. Hopps, Migdal, Ricci, D. Sondey, Spence, Tharpe, Young

*TBD

Course Map: 

• The varsity course is 5k in length and consists of two trips around the loop shown on the map. At the end of the second loop the course bears left around and between baseball fields to the finish line (which also serves as the starting line). 

• The JV course is also two loops with the same finish. The JV course loop cuts off the eastern-most section of the varsity loop--that is, the part that heads east away from College Pond and almost reaches Merriam Road before turning back towards the pond. The overall length of the JV course is 2.43 miles, just under 4 km.

The 5k course covers about 1.2k of grass, 3k of dirt trails/dirt road (with a few sections where there also is some gravel on the dirt), and 800m of asphalt (mostly sidewalk and a bit of the driveway leading to the park from Concord Road). If you're wearing spiked shoes they should be fitted with blanks or 1/8" pyramids. The course is fairly flat. 

 

Trails are quite wide, should be no issues with passing except for one 40 meter stretch (which is run twice, near the mile mark and then at about 4k).  

 

• Burchard Park has been used as Weston's home course since 2017, here is the performance list for WHS athletes who have raced on the course in the past. 

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: partly cloudy, temperature in the high 50s with NNE winds 10-15 mph. Bring clothes to wear at the meet besides your uniform.
• You'll need to wear your assigned bib number. This is the last meet where it will be used; if you want to keep it as a memento feel free, otherwise return it to the ziploc bag for use next year. 
• There will be a course tour soon after we arrive.
 
What to Bring:

• uniform
• everyday training shoes  

• racing shoes if you have them  
• warmup clothes
• water bottle - including a larger (24-32 oz.) bottle if you have one  
• snacks for post-race (chocolate milk will be provided using proceeds from the Wayland XC Festival)

For parents:

• As a reminder, the meet is NOT held at Weston High School.

• Spectators at the field can see the first 300 meters, a 300 meter section in the middle of the race, and the last 400 meters or so without having to leave the ball field area. 
• There is parking next to the baseball fields where the course begins and ends.

Week 9 Training Plan, 10/19-10/25

This week we're in between the middle portion of the season, which is ending, and the final stages of the 2025 fall campaign. The last of three dual meets is on Wednesday.  The following was pointed out in last week's plan, but is worth repeating here: we've reached the time of year where there will be days when we meet inside the field house due to cooler temperatures. There's no firm dividing line but in general if the temperature outside is much below 55 degrees we'll likely meet indoors to start. If you don't see anyone outside under the tree that's why.

Monday 10/19 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including BURPEES followed by the final cyclic long run and final long run of the season.   

Group A: 48 minutes (4 minute segments)
Group B: 60 minutes (5 minute segments)
Group C: 72 minutes (6 minute segments)

the route for today's run is TBD. 

Tuesday 10/20 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including CURTSIES and strides on the track followed by a short length recovery run at an easy to moderate intensity with hill drills. We'll be doing the hill drills near Cedar Crest Road on the Hultman aqueduct. The length of the run today is as follows:

Group A: 26-30 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 42-46 minutes

Wednesday 10/21 - Dual Meet #3, vs. Waltham and Weston at Burchard Park in Weston More information is coming soon in a forthcoming post. Remember this should be a medium length day including warmup and cool down. 

Group A: 36-40 minutes
Group B: 46-50 minutes
Group C: 56-60 minutes

Thursday 10/22 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including strides and BURPEES followed by a short length run at an easy to moderate effort level. Upon your return to the school we'll be doing high stepping run throughs (high knees) and bounding over cones on the softball field. 

Group A: 26-30 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 42-46 minutes

Friday 10/23 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup followed by either a medium length run (Group A: 36-40 minutes, Group B 46-50 minutes, Group C 56-60 minutes) for those attending tomorrow's practice at Lincoln Station or the following workout:

Group A: 6 minute jog warmup, then a cutdown consisting of 6 minutes @60-65% effort, 4 minutes @70-75% effort, 2 minutes @80-85% effort, 1 minute @90% effort, 1 minute @90% effort. 2 minutes recovery after each repeat. 6 minute jog cooldown. 

Group B: 8 minute jog warmup, then a cutdown consisting of 8 minutes @60-65% effort, 6 minutes @70-75% effort, 4 minutes @80-85% effort, 2 minutes @80-85% effort, 1 minute @90% effort. 2 minutes recovery after each repeat. 8 minute jog cooldown. 

Group C: 8 minute jog warmup, then a cutdown consisting of 8 minutes @60-65% effort, 6 minutes @70-75% effort, 4 minutes @70-75% effort, 4 minutes @80-85% effort, 2 minutes @80-85% effort, 2 minutes @80-85% effort, 1 minute @90% effort, 1 minute @90% effort. 2 minutes recovery after each repeat. 8 minute jog cooldown. 

Saturday 10/24 - Either a short length run (Group A: 26-30 minutes, Group B 32-36 minutes, Group C 42-46 minutes) for those not attending today's optional practice or the following workout meeting at Lincoln Station at 9 AM:

Group A: 6 minute jog warmup, then a cutdown consisting of 6 minutes @60-65% effort, 4 minutes @70-75% effort, 2 minutes @80-85% effort, 1 minute @90% effort, 1 minute @90% effort. 2 minutes recovery after each repeat. 6 minute jog cooldown. 

Group B: 8 minute jog warmup, then a cutdown consisting of 8 minutes @60-65% effort, 6 minutes @70-75% effort, 4 minutes @80-85% effort, 2 minutes @80-85% effort, 1 minute @90% effort. 2 minutes recovery after each repeat. 8 minute jog cooldown. 

Group C: 8 minute jog warmup, then a cutdown consisting of 8 minutes @60-65% effort, 6 minutes @70-75% effort, 4 minutes @70-75% effort, 4 minutes @80-85% effort, 2 minutes @80-85% effort, 2 minutes @80-85% effort, 1 minute @90% effort, 1 minute @90% effort. 2 minutes recovery after each repeat. 8 minute jog cooldown. 

Sunday 10/25 - off

Week 8 Training Plan, 10/12-10/18

This week has no meet on the docket, meanwhile there is a federal holiday on Monday. Note that there will be a long run, done on either Monday or Tuesday. The day on which the long run will be done is up to the athlete. For those that would like to do the long run on Monday we'll meet in the afternoon after the rain has  moved out, at a novel location. Otherwise it will happen on Tuesday. See below for details.

We've reached the time of year where there will be days when we meet inside the field house due to cooler temperatures. There's no firm dividing line but in general if the temperature outside is much below 55 degrees we'll likely meet indoors to start. If you don't see anyone outside under the tree that's why. If it's a steady rain, as is likely for Friday, we'll meet in the field house.

Monday 10/12 - Either a short length run on our own OR

Practice at 3:00. Meet at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge, via the Hudson Road entrance. Address is 680 Hudson Road, Sudbury. If the gate at the entrance is open (which it should be) we'll meet at the visitor center building which is about half a mile down Winterberry Way. If the gate is closed we'll meet in the parking area at the entrance itself. 

brief warmup followed by a PLR which breaks down like this:

Group A: 48 minutes (16 minutes easy - 12 minutes fresh - 12 minutes good - 8 minutes easy)
Group B: 60 minutes (20 minutes easy - 15 minutes fresh - 15 minutes good - 10 minutes easy)
Group C: 72 minutes (24 minutes easy - 18 minutes fresh - 18 minutes good - 12 minutes easy)

This run will utilize the trails of the refuge many of which are abandoned railroad beds left over from the World War 2 era. At that time the area was used for storing military supplies in a series of large bunkers which are still there today.

Tuesday 10/13 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including BURPEES followed by a PLR which breaks down like this:

Group A: 48 minutes (16 minutes easy - 12 minutes fresh - 12 minutes good - 8 minutes easy)
Group B: 60 minutes (20 minutes easy - 15 minutes fresh - 15 minutes good - 10 minutes easy)
Group C: 72 minutes (24 minutes easy - 18 minutes fresh - 18 minutes good - 12 minutes easy)

those who did the PLR yesterday will do a short length run at an easy to moderate intensity:

Group A: 26-30 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 42-46 minutes 

Wednesday 10/14 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including strides and CURTSIES followed by a short length recovery run at an easy to moderate intensity with hill drills. We'll be doing the hill drills near Cedar Crest Road on the Hultman aqueduct. The length of the run today is as follows:

Group A: 26-30 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 42-46 minutes

Thursday 10/15 - Warmup including BURPEES and strides on the track followed by a short length run at an easy to moderate effort level. Upon your return to the school we'll be doing high stepping run throughs (high knees) and bounding over cones on the softball field. 

Group A: 26-30 minutes
Group B: 32-36 minutes
Group C: 42-46 minutes

Friday 10/16 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup followed by either a medium length run (Group A: 36-40 minutes, Group B 46-50 minutes, Group C 56-60 minutes) for those attending tomorrow's practice at Lincoln Station or the following workout:

Group A: 6 minute jog warmup, 9 minute progression run with first 3 minutes at 60% effort, next 3 minutes 70% effort, last 3 minutes at 80% effort. 5 minute break then 3 sets of 3x300 meters with 200 meter recovery jogs. First two sets at race pace, last set faster than that. 3 minutes between sets. 6 minute jog cooldown. 

Group B: 8 minute jog warmup, 12 minute progression run with first 4 minutes at 60% effort, next 4 minutes 70% effort, last 4 minutes at 80% effort. 5 minute break then 3 sets of 3x300 meters with 200 meter recovery jogs. First two sets at race pace, last set faster than that. 3 minutes between sets. 8 minute jog cooldown. 

Group C: 8 minute jog warmup, 15 minute progression run with first 5 minutes at 60% effort, next 5 minutes 70% effort, last 5 minutes at 80% effort. 5 minute break then 3 sets of 3x300 meters with 200 meter recovery jogs. First two sets at race pace, last set faster than that. 3 minutes between sets. 8 minute jog cooldown. 

Saturday 10/17 - Either a short length run (Group A: 26-30 minutes, Group B 32-36 minutes, Group C 42-46 minutes) for those not attending today's optional practice or the following workout meeting at Lincoln Station at time TBD:

Group A: 6 minute jog warmup, 9 minute progression run with first 3 minutes at 60% effort, next 3 minutes 70% effort, last 3 minutes at 80% effort. 5 minute break then 3 sets of 3x300 meters with 200 meter recovery jogs. First two sets at race pace, last set faster than that. 3 minutes between sets. 6 minute jog cooldown. 

Group B: 8 minute jog warmup, 12 minute progression run with first 4 minutes at 60% effort, next 4 minutes 70% effort, last 4 minutes at 80% effort. 5 minute break then 3 sets of 3x300 meters with 200 meter recovery jogs. First two sets at race pace, last set faster than that. 3 minutes between sets. 8 minute jog cooldown. 

Group C: 8 minute jog warmup, 15 minute progression run with first 5 minutes at 60% effort, next 5 minutes 70% effort, last 5 minutes at 80% effort. 5 minute break then 3 sets of 3x300 meters with 200 meter recovery jogs. First two sets at race pace, last set faster than that. 3 minutes between sets. 8 minute jog cooldown.

Sunday 10/18 - off

MSTCA Twilight Invitational results, 10/10/26

No time for an elaborate writeup, in the interest of getting the results out expeditiously they're linked below. In summary, the teams performed very well in nearly ideal conditions for fast racing. The pattern that emerged over and over was a quick first mile, typical of a large invitational race environment where it's imperative to establish position without going too far over the physiological edge, followed by a consistent rhythm the rest of the way. Wayland athletes steered their way through the wreckage of competitors who overdid it early on, passing rather than being passed as the race progressed. The medal haul of two, both going to the Hopps household, is the lowest for Wayland in some years but this is a reflection of how competitive the meet was across the board as the top runners on this year's team compare favorably to past editions at all levels. 

overall results

splits and times for WHS athletes

 

MSTCA Twilight Invitational, 10/10/26

live results

Meet Site: Cape Cod Fairgrounds, 1220 Nathan Ellis Hwy (rt. 151), East Falmouth, MA 02536

Bus Time: 2:30 PM. Arrive at the school a bit before this time so that we can be on the road promptly, it's a long ride!

Meet Schedule and lineups:

5:15 pm Novice Coed – none

5:45 pm Freshman Girls – none

6:05 pm Freshman Boys – 2.1 miles (17) Atchison, E. Hopps, P. Sondey, Stack, Thomas, Vukson

6:25 pm Sophomore Girls – 5K (28) Brown, Hage  

6:55 pm Sophomore Boys – 5K (25) Ciccarelli*, Conley, Jorgensen, LeBaron, McLaughlin, Ricci, Versteeg

7:20 pm Junior Varsity Girls – 5K (28) Davids, Jay, Wang

7:50 pm Junior Varsity Boys – 5K (25) Spence

8:15 pm Varsity Small School Girls – none

8:45 pm Varsity Small School Boys – none

9:10 pm Varsity Medium School Girls – 5K (26) Miller, Robertson

9:40 pm Varsity Medium School Boys –5K (22) Baker, Foley, Hopper, B. Hopps, Migdal, D. Sondey, Young

Note: the top seven times on the 5k course will receive credit towards a varsity letter

* TBA

The time in parentheses after each race is the cutoff for that race. Athletes who don't make the cutoff won't be recorded in the official results. The coaching staff will get finishing times for all WHS athletes reagardess of whether or not the cutoff time is reached.

Course Map:

• The main loop of the course is indicated by the blue line on the map. The novice and 9th grade races run this loop twice, the 5k races cover the loop three times. The red line on the map is where the course passes by the start area after the first loop of the race; the yellow line is the final run to the finish.

• Part of the loop is paved, which may influence your spike element length choice. Check the course loop beforehand.

• The loop passes through multiple barns and stables. 

• The starting line is a mix of grass and sand, and can best be described as "crowded." The most people from one team that will be allowed to stand side by side on the starting line is two, others will have to line up behind them when there are more than two people from Wayland entered in a given race.

Meet Information:

• meet information sheet from MSTCA

• Weather forecast: 6 PM: partly cloudy, high 50s, 7 PM mid 50s, 9 PM low 50s. Winds light and variable.

• The top 25 finishers in each race win medals. Medals will be given out in the finish chute.

• All warmup and cool down runs must be done on the fairgrounds, athletes aren't permitted to run on the roads near the fairgrounds. 

• MSTCA will be using chip timing. Athletes who are not competing and are by the finish line should not be wearing their bib with tag because it can be picked up by the transmitter. This will cause issues in recording places. 

• Be sure to leave enough time before your race (ideally 10-12 minutes) to get to the starting line. Meet management has requested that athletes go around the back of the finish chute to access the starting line area, rather than cutting across the course in front of the finish line. Refer to the course map to see what I'm talking about.  

• There will be two tents staffed by athletic trainers, one near the finish line and the other near the barns on the upper reaches of the course loop.

What to bring (IMPORTANT):

• uniform
• everyday training shoes
• racing shoes if you have them
• full set of warmup clothes including: long sleeved shirt, pants, windbreaker, gloves, hat. You might want to bring a dry set of clothes to wear for the trip home.
• water bottle
• snacks for post-race (chocolate milk will be provided using proceeds from the Wayland XC Festival)
• folding chair
• blanket to lie on inside or next to the team tent
• flashlight/headlamp
• DINNER for before or after your race. We won't be leaving the meet until rather late. There is food for sale at the meet if that's your type of thing; otherwise I'd recommend preparing something in advance and bringing it with you in a small cooler or lunch bag. 

Information for Parents:

• Admissions fees at the gate are $10 for adults and $5 for students/seniors.  There is a $30 cap per family of spectators.  The MSTCA accepts cash, credit/debit cards (including ApplePay and Google Wallet), and Venmo at the gate. Purchase online for a discount at https://gofan.co/event/6951340?schoolId=MA101416

 • Dogs and grills are prohibited. As are drones, so leave those at home.

• The team tent (suitable for both cross country meets and ice fishing) will be set up in the team area which is just east of the starting line on the map above.

• Given the sinuous nature of the course loop there are various spots where you can stand in one place and see the race pass by your position multiple times.

Dual Meet #2 vs. Bedford results, 10/7/26

The second of two home dual meets was a compelling day of racing for the Wayland Cross country teams as they faced Bedford under sunny skies. The status of this event was up in the air until the day before the meet after there were unforeseen changes last week to an area of the course behind the stadium scoreboard. Thankfully the Wayland DPW was able to mitigate damage to the ground on which athletes had to race in time to allow for the same course layout to be used as the first home meet three weeks ago.

In the boys JV race Jack Ricci left no doubt, pulling away from the rest of the field early and never looking back. Behind him Rhys Hill was the next WHS runners in second overall. Behind them many of the Wayland runners who had raced previously on the 2.2 mile long course (a bit longer than the previously advertised 2.1 mile distance) last month were able to improve on their times. 

In the girls varsity race, it seemed like the two teams would be evenly matched based on prior results this season. Wayland's top duo of Ava Miller and Ivy Robertson steadily pulled away from the rest of the field to take first and second overall. Behind them a fascinating duel unfolded between Bedford's top runner and Henrietta Schoeffler. This went right down to the wire with the Bedford athlete only moving ahead in the final meters of the race. Wayland's top five was filled out by Lily-Rose Hage and Cordia Wang who raced well together, with Anya Brown and Emily Davids rounding out the seven person varsity contingent. In the end Bedford had enough depth to take the meet despite conceding the top two places to Wayland. The 29-30 doesn't get much closer (the only closer result would be a tie going to the sixth runner tiebreaker). 29 points is the highest number of points that can be scored in a dual meet and still win. 

The boys varsity was the final race of the day. Looking ahead to this weekend's (late) race at the Twilight Invitational, the top boys were hoping to make it a controlled effort to the degree that was possible. It was still competitive and the times were impressive compared to the first home meet three weeks ago. The pair of Brandon Hopps and Ryan Foley once again led the charge taking the top two places. Bedford got the next two spots, but the trio of Ryan Young, Elliot Hopper went 5th-6th-7th place which cemented the win. Rounding out the top 7 for Wayland were Daniel Sondey and Thomas Conley, both of whom have shown steady improvement as the season has progressed. In the final tally the Wayland boys won the meet by a comfortable 21-34 margin. 

score sheet

splits and times for WHS athletes