MIAA Division 2 Meet of Champions Results - 11/18/23

The 2023 campaign came to a close on Saturday afternoon in blustery conditions at Willard Park in Devens. This was the site of the final meet of the season last year as well, but on a different course layout. The most notable change was the inclusion in the last mile of a trip up and down a hill in the woods that made up in steepness what it lacked in length. 

The boys preceded the girls in Division 2, which were the last 2 races of the day. The boys were led throughout by the 11th grade pair of Luke Chisum and Will Jackson, who despite starting out at a quick pace found themselves looking up at over 30 competitors early on. By staying focused on a consistent effort throughout they were able to pick off runners until they wound up in 26th and 27th overall. Senior captain Daniel Narvaez was the third runner for Wayland, improving his place from last year's Division 2 race at this site. The Wayland scoring five was rounded out by Daniel's brother Adrian who came back strong after some struggles last week at the Division 2B qualifier and 10th grader Jayden Newland who finished off an impressive late season string of racing. The Wayland team also included senior captain Ben Caddoo in his final cross country race for WHS. 

A week ago at the wave 2B qualifying race,  Wayland squeaked through as the second wildcard team. At today's meet the team was also missing two athletes from last week's top five who were unable to compete. As a consequence, expectations for the Wayland team result were understandably restrained to say the least. However, on the strength of a consistent team effort the team was 20th of 23, beating out three teams who competed last week in wave 2C. With only one senior in the scoring five today and a handful of talented 8th grade runners who might actually come out for the high school team, the future of the boys team looks bright. 

The girls race was the final event of the day, with the overcast conditions giving way to clearing skies and continued wind. Junior captain Arya Samaratunga executed yet another patient and complete effort, waiting out the early fast pace and moving up through the field noticeably in the second mile. At the end of the day this yielded a 35th place finish, an improvement over last year's result and a testament to her racing savvy. Today's race is the capstone of a remarkably consistent campaign that saw Samaratunga achieve DCL All Star status and lead the team in every race. 

splits for WHS runners

boys results

girls results

With the final meet of the season in the books, this website will go into hibernation until next spring when the preseason interest meeting rolls around. Coach Lee and I enjoyed seeing the progress made by the athletes on this year's team and we hope you found it edifying as well. I consider this to be at its core a life affirming activity, and I greatly appreciated that fact this season in particular. Thank you for taking part.

- Coach Mayall

MIAA Division 2 Meet of Champions, 11/18/23

Meet Site:

Willard Park, Sherman Ave., Devens

Bus time 11:45 AM

Please arrive a few minutes early so we can get on the road in good time. If necessary, use the bathroom before we leave.

Race Schedule, note change in start times:

Boys race 2 PM

Girls race 2:45 PM

Awards Ceremony 3:45

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: Cloudy, temperature in the high 40s with NW winds 10-15 mph. There will likely be rain earlier in the day; combined with the four races contested prior to the Division 2 races, the course could be chewed up in places. Dress appropriately including layers to wear when you're either waiting for your race or after having completed your cool down.
• Report to the starting line 10 minutes before your race is scheduled to start; keep your sweats on until the meet officials at the starting line tell you to remove them. Warmup clothes will be placed in the laundry basket which will then be brought to the tent. 
• Numbers will be assigned to you specifically for this meet; these numbers have an RFID chip attached to the back which interacts with a conductive mat at the finish line to record your time. The meet director has asked that athletes who aren't racing NOT wear their bib number if standing near the finish line; doing so can cause a false reading by the finish line mat. Also, don't crumple or fold your bib number. Finally, don't press the stop button on your wristwatch as you cross the finish line, since doing so might interfere with the RFID chip and your hand and wrist will obscure your bib number from view by the backup camera.

• Live results 

Course Map (click to enlarge):

• Starting from the NE corner of a large area of ball fields, the course is three trips around the fields. The first of these loops is the shortest, while the third loop is the longest and includes a trip into the woods with a short steep climb and descent. Soon after completing the third lap athletes turn off to the finish area.

• Due to the forecast rain in the morning hours and the foot traffic of the other races happening earlier in the day, spikes should be worn (1/4" or 3/8").

• Medals will be awarded to the top 15 finishers. 

Uniform Return:

All athletes will return the uniform after their race. You can put the uniform in the laundry basket. bring a change of clothes for after you're done racing.

What to Bring:

• Uniform, including both jersey and shorts
• spare change of clothes
• Everyday training shoes
• Racing shoes
• Multiple layers of clothing including clothes to wear while warming up and cooling down, in addition to dry warm clothes for after your race

• lunch for after your race

• a bag to put wet clothes in
• Water bottle (filled)
• Snacks for post-race (chocolate milk will be provided using proceeds from the Wayland XC Festival)
• Folding chair
• Blanket (optional)

For Parents:

• A parking fee will no doubt be collected, I don't know what it is.
• We hope to return to WHS between 4:30 and 5:00.
• Dogs aren't allowed on or near the course.
• Snacks are welcome, but due to allergy concerns the Athletic Director has asked that any snacks be individually wrapped and ideally have the ingredients written on the label.

 

Week 13 Training Plan, 11/13-11/18

Last one...

Monday 11/13 - Practice at 3:30 PM. Warmup including BURPEES followed by a CMR of 36 minutes  followed by 6x100 meters on the track with 100 meter jog recoveries at the end of the CMR. These will be done "hourglass style" on the turf field if available. Before leaving be sure to borrow a reflective vest for tomorrow's practice. 

Tuesday 11/14 - On your own, 28-32 minutes starting at an easy pace and getting a bit faster over the last 10 minutes. You can meet together at the school if you like or go home and do the run in your neighborhood, but be careful about any traffic on the roads. 

Wednesday 11/15 - Practice time TBA, hopefully traveling to Willard Park Devens assuming we have use of the booster bus. If not practice will happen at the school. Warmup including BURPEES followed by 10-12 minute jog, 5x800 in the following progression: 1st rep - 15-20 seconds/mile slower than race pace; 2nd rep - 5-10 seconds/mile slower than race pace; 3rd rep - race pace; 4th rep - 5-10 seconds/mile faster than race pace; 5th rep - 15-20 seconds/mile faster than race pace. The recovery interval after each repeat should be 2.5-3 minutes. Finally, a 10-12 minute cooldown jog.

Thursday 11/16 - off

Friday 11/17 - Practice at 3:30 PM. Warmup followed by a 10 minute jog, two sets of short intervals on top of the aqueduct, 10 minute cooldown.

Saturday 11/18 - MIAA Division 2 Meet of Champions at Devens. More details in a forthcoming post.

MIAA Division 2B Championship Results, 11/11/23

Wayland athletes visited the Wrentham Developmental Center course for the third and final time this season with the stakes at their highest for the MIAA Division 2B Championship. This is the first of two rounds in the state tournament; unlike with other sports there are no power rankings and brackets. Every school with a team can enter up to seven runners with the top five comprising a scoring team. Qualifying for next week's Meet of Champions is another matter entirely, as only the top teams and individuals not on those top teams make it to the final stage. 

The over 200 schools competing in the state are broken down into three divisions, and each division subdivided into three "waves" based solely on school size. Division 2 (waves 2A-2B-2C) are the "medium sized" schools (most of the rest of the DCL schools are in with the large schools of Division 1). Wayland competes in 2B which sits squarely in the middle of the size breakdown, with 2A schools being a little larger and 2C schools a little smaller. 2B also includes DCL opponent Bedford, which has almost exactly the same student population as WHS. Each of the waves has between twenty and thirty teams. The top seven teams in each wave and top ten individuals not on those top seven teams qualify to next weekend's second and final round, where all the qualifiers from 2A, 2B, and 2C face each other in the Division 2 Meet of Champions. There are also two wildcard teams qualifying from division 2. These are the two teams from 2A, 2B and 2C with the fastest cumulative times for their top five finishers that didn't finish among the top seven.

Under sunny skies and with a persistent wind blowing from the northwest, the boys raced first. The course was running quite fast with the rain from earlier in the week having long since been absorbed into the ground. The early pace was quite fast overall. Luke Chisum and Will Jackson ran together hanging back somewhat early on and then making their move together in the second half of the race. They were followed by senior captain Daniel Narvaez who hit an even pace, much like Kyle Reece did behind him. Rounding out the scoring five was Matthew Tan, continuing his season long progress. The Wayland team was rounded out by Adrian Narvaez and Jayden Newland in their first high school cross country race at this level. With a timing mat at the finish line that the runners also pass over at the three kilometer mark, it's possible to see how runners fared relative to the rest of the field over the race's final stages. No one from Wayland dropped more than a couple of spots and the majority moved up through the field, led by Chisum who passed twelve people over the final two kilometers of the course. 

When the results were tabulated the drama ratcheted up significantly. Wayland had been in 10th place as a team at the 3k mark, but moved up to 9th in the final tally a scant three points behind Newburyport. The difference between 9th and 10th place team is quite meaningful, as finishing 9th instead of 10th opens up the possibility of qualifying as one of two wildcard teams while 10th place means no chance. With the realignment of schools coming into this year's MIAA tournament, five of the top eight teams from last year's 2A race moved into 2B. In other words, the boys Division 2B race became a lot stronger, deeper and more competitive. Unsurprisingly then, the two wildcard teams in Division 2 that finished outside of the automatically qualifying top seven both came from 2B--Newburyport and Wayland. In the end, Wayland's 1-5 cumulative time was 42 seconds faster than Tantasqua, the 8th place team in 2A, and about 2 1/2 minutes faster than Archbishop Williams, the 8th place team in 2C. For the second year in a row, the Wayland boys have qualified for the final stage of the tournament. 

The girls raced next, having finished 13th a year ago. Two of the top five runners from last year's team having graduated, and with strong teams moving down from 2A after realignment, the Wayland team's prospects were uncertain at best. Leading the way for Wayland as she has all season was junior captain Arya Samaratunga, who patiently worked her way up after the first few hectic minutes and established a spot among the top 20. With the majority of the athletes ahead of her on teams that were obviously going to qualify as teams, her status as an individual wildcard qualifier for the second year in a row was secure. Behind her 10th grader Sofia Ciciarelli ran a well-paced effort and 9th grader Ainsley Jay extended herself early on, and was able to hold it together sufficiently to achieve a new level of performance when the race was done. The top five was rounded out by junior Naomi Rice and senior AJ Bell who raced together and executed a well-paced effort. Rounding out the Wayland team was senior Michelle Yee in her final high school race. It's worth noting that while four of the six Wayland runners have run the shorter 3k course at Wrentham, only Samaratunga had raced the 5k layout prior to today. Despite this lack of familiarity with the course, the girls team was able to finish 13th again, matching last year's result. 

splits for WHS athletes

all time performance list for theWrentham Developmental Center course

live results for boys 2B

live results for girls 2B

MIAA Division 2B Championship, 11/11/23

Meet Site:

Wrentham Developmental Center. The address is 131 Emerald Street, however the race course is located a little further down the road, in the large field at the intersection of Emerald Street and Shears St. This is across the street from the William A. Rice Recreation Area.

Bus time 10:30 AM

Please arrive a few minutes early so we can get on the road in good time. If necessary, use the bathroom before we leave.

Race Schedule and Entries:

Boys race 12:30 PM

Girls race 1:15 PM

Awards Ceremony 2:15 PM

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: Mostly cloudy, temperatures in the mid to high 40s with NW winds 5-10 mph. Dress appropriately including layers to wear when you're either waiting for your race or after having completed your cool down.
• Report to the starting line 10 minutes before your race is scheduled to start; keep your sweats on until the meet officials at the starting line tell you to remove them. Warmup clothes will be placed in the laundry basket which will then be brought to the tent.
• Numbers will be assigned to you specifically for this meet; these numbers have an RFID chip attached to the back which interacts with a conductive mat at the finish line to record your time. The meet director has asked that athletes who aren't racing NOT wear their bib number if standing near the finish line; doing so can cause a false reading by the finish line mat. Also, don't crumple or fold your bib number. Finally, don't press the stop button on your wristwatch as you cross the finish line, since doing so might interfere with the RFID chip and your hand and wrist will obscure your bib number from view by the backup camera.

Course Map (click to enlarge):

• The course is fairly flat, with some roll in places. There are no long and/or steep hills. The course is almost entirely on grass. The 5k course is three loops. The 3k course ends after the second loop (yellow on this map). The 5k course repeats this second loop. Both the 3k and 5k share the same first loop, which is the circumference of the large field where the course is situated. The second and third loops have two incursions from the outer edge of the field into the middle. Typically there are large digital clocks at the mile and two mile marks.

• the course is entirely on grass and trails, spikes should be worn (1/4" or 3/8").

• Medals will be awarded to the top 15 finishers.  

• Live results will be updated during the race.

• Qualification for next week's Meet of Champions at Devens is covered on page 4 of this document. 

• Boys teams in Division ("Wave") 2B

• Girls teams in Division ("Wave") 2B

What to Bring:

• Uniform, including both jersey and shorts
• spare change of clothes
• Everyday training shoes
• Racing shoes if you have them
• Multiple layers of clothing including clothes to wear while warming up and cooling down, in addition to dry warm clothes for after your race

• lunch for after your race

• a bag to put wet clothes in
• Water bottle (filled)
• Snacks for post-race (chocolate milk will be provided using proceeds from the Wayland XC Festival)
• Folding chair
• Blanket (optional)

For Parents:

• A parking fee will no doubt be collected, I don't know what it is.
• We hope to return to WHS around 3:15-3:30 PM.
• Dogs aren't allowed on or near the course, best to leave them home.
• Snacks are welcome, but due to allergy concerns the Athletic Director has asked that any snacks be individually wrapped and ideally have the ingredients written on the label.

Awards Night and Varsity Lists

Next Tuesday November 14th there will be an end of season celebration held in the Commons at 6:30. Everyone will receive a certificate of participation. We'll recognize the recipients of team-specific awards including Most Improved, Rookie of the Year, and MVP. There are also Coaches' Awards and Booster Awards that will be given out. Plus there's the always popular prize bag blowout, a highlight of this event. We hope to be done by 7:30.

While on the subject of recognition, the athletes listed below have earned varsity status for this season. An explanation of what it takes to be varsity in what is a no-cut sport can be found on page six of the team policies and FAQ document.

Girls:

AJ Bell

Sofia Ciciarelli

Sierra Dale

Ainsley Jay

Selena Liu

Amy McCormack

Anna Munford 

Naomi Rice

Arya Samaratunga

Michelle Yee

Boys:

Ben Caddoo

Luke Chisum

Ben Dugan

Will Jackson

Leo Ciccarelli

Zack Goldstein

Adrian Narvaez

Daniel Narvaez

Jayden Newland

Kyle Reece

Matthew Tan

Michael Wightman

Owen Williams (manager)

Week 12 Training Plan, 11/6-11/12

Saturday's Division 2B Championship meet is the latest and highest level competition in the final, championship phase of the season. Everything leading up to Saturday in practice is intended to help optimize performance in that race. We're not reinventing the wheel here, so no major changes are afoot other than a further reduction in training volume. The workouts are less about building fitness than confirming it. 

In the days leading up to the meet you can build on the gains in fitness you've made throughout the season by getting to bed at a reasonable hour, drinking water regularly throughout the day (to the tune of around 48 ounces a day), and eating a nutritious balanced diet. Like the last two weeks, there's a scheduled day off during the week, which is Thursday. 

For people that aren't racing on Saturday and either haven't had an opportunity to run a mile time trial or would like to try it again after Friday's windy attempt, we'll be doing a mile time trial on Monday as well. Athletes who are racing on Saturday won't participate in this. 

Finally, it's important to note that with the clocks turned back it will be getting dark quite early. The reflective vests are a must when running off campus.

Monday 11/6 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including BURPEES followed by a PMR of 36 minutes. The PMR will then be followed by 5x150m (100m race pace, 50m faster than race pace) with a 150m jog recovery. 

For those doing a time trial, 10 minute warmup, 3x100 at mile race pace, then a mile time trial. 8-10 minute easy jog cooldown.

Tuesday 11/7 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup followed by a short length run of no more than 36 minutes with run throughs over cones. 

Wednesday 11/8 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including BURPEES followed by a 12-15 minute jog, 3x400 at 5-10 seconds per mile faster than race pace, mile at race pace, 3x400 at 5-10 seconds per mile faster than race pace. Wrapped up with a 10 minute cooldown. The recovery between each 400 is 60-90 seconds, with 4.5 minutes before and after the mile. 

Thursday 11/9 - off

Friday 11/10 - Practice at 10 AM. Warmup followed by a 10 minute jog, two sets of short intervals on top of the aqueduct, 10 minute cooldown.

Saturday 11/11 - MIAA Division 2B Championship at Wrentham Developmental Center. More details in a forthcoming post. 

Sunday 11/12 - off