MIAA Division 2 Championship Results, 11/19/22

The 2022 campaign finished up today in fine style for the WHS athletes who qualified for the MIAA Division 2 Championship at Willard Park in Devens. This meet, broken down into three separate divisions by student body enrollment size, is the highest rung of the ladder for interscholastic competition in Massachusetts. The conditions were favorable with relatively mild temperatures and little wind. The course was the source of some controversy ahead of the meet. It had been altered within the last month from the originally planned course, and proved to be a slower running layout for most athletes than originally thought. While there was a lot of flat ground on the loop that athletes covered three times, there was also a steady gradual climb on a somewhat tilted uneven camber. Combined with the very deep nature of the race fields it made for some compelling racing. 

The girls raced first, with multiple WHS athletes racing for the first time in over 25 years. Arya Samaratunga and senior captain Bella Thoen picked up where they left off in last week's Division 2B qualifying race. The first mile went a bit slower than last weekend for both of them, but as the race progressed it was clear they were both moving steadily through the field. In the end, both Wayland runners had finished well within the top half of the field with Samaratunga inside the top 40 in 36th place, and Thoen in 76th. On a day when athletes from all divisions were surprised their final times weren't as fast as expected, Samaratunga improved on her time from the 2B race at Stanley Park on Sunday. Thoen was passing people right up to the finish line. It was fun to watch.

The boys were next up, and the field was crowded early on. As the race wore on the field as a whole sagged somewhat, with the pace slowing from the leaders to the back of the pack. Owen Williams led the way for Wayland with Luke Chisum close behind, the two of them steadily moving their way past runners who had overextended themselves. Further back Will Jackson kept a relatively steady rhythm while Daniel Narvaez and Thomas Creavin raced close to one another in the middle stages as the 4th and 5th. Senior captain Will Morris ran a strong third mile behind those two and Michael Wightman worked his way up in the latter stages as well. 

In the end, Williams and Chisum finished in 16th and 17th, just outside of the top 15 who earned medals but ahead of some athletes who had run faster times last weekend at Stanley Park in the qualifying races for waves 2A, 2B and 2C. Of the 23 teams that toed the line Wayland finished 9th which is a more than credible result. Going into today's race, it was clear which teams would take the top six places, and also clear that after that the next nine teams seemed evenly matched. This can be seen on the "Qualifiers" tab of this spreadsheet. Wayland finished ahead of most of this cohort to crack the top 10. The vanquished foes included Holliston, a team that finished ahead of Wayland last weekend and known for wearing distinctive flannel patterned jerseys (perhaps they're fans of paper towels). From a team perspective it was a satisfying way to end the season. 

With the season drawing to a close, this website will go into a dormant state although there may be the occasional posting here and there. The next team function of note will be a preseason interest meeting, to be held sometime in June before the end of classes. Stay tuned for details about that. To all who took part this fall, thanks for a great season. 

splits and times for WHS athletes

overall girls results

overall boys results

WHS top individual and team championship meet results since 1997

pictures from the boys race (need to log in from Amazon)

MIAA Division 2 Championship, 11/19/22

 Meet Site:

Willard Park, Sherman Ave., Devens

Bus time 9 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:

Girls race 11:00 AM

Boys race 11:45 AM

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: Partly sunny, temperature around 40 with ENE winds 5-10 mph. It will be chilly but not terribly windy if the forecast holds. 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 about as basic as it gets. Starting from the NE corner of a large area of ball fields, the course is three counterclockwise trips around a loop that's about .8 miles long. On the third lap athletes turn off to the finish area. Whatever changes in elevation would be in the SE corner heading towards where the loop passes by the team area, but it won't be much.

• 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. 

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 1:30 and 2 PM.
• 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, 11/14-11/19

Last one...

Monday 11/14 - off

Tuesday 11/15 - Practice at 3:30 PM. Warmup including BURPEES followed by a CMR of 36 minutes  followed by 4x100 meters on the track with 100 meter jog recoveries at the end of the CMR.

Wednesday 11/16 - Practice at 3:30 PM. Warmup 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. Finally, a 10-12 minute cooldown jog

Thursday 11/17 - off

Friday 11/18 - 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 11/19 - MIAA Division 2 Championship at Devens. More details in a forthcoming post.

MIAA Division 2B Championship Results, 11/13/22

WHS cross country had its best day as a program in over 20 years at the MIAA Division 2B Championship held earlier today at Stanley Park in Westfield. This meet is the first round of the tournament for high school cross country; for most teams and individuals it's also the last. 

The over 200 schools competing in the state are broken down into nine "waves" based solely on school size. Division 1 (waves 1A-1B-1C) are the largest schools (most of the rest of the DCL schools are in Division 1). Wayland competes in 2B which sits in the middle of the size breakdown and also includes DCL opponent Bedford, which has almost exactly the same student population as WHS. The smallest schools compete in Division 3 (waves 3A-3B-3C), a group that includes DCL foe Weston. Each of the nine waves has between 20 and 30 teams. The top 7 teams in each wave and top 10 individuals not on those top 7 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 State Championship.

The Stanley Park course got a lot of rain Friday night into Saturday, necessitating the postponement of the meet to Sunday morning. While there was very little standing water on the course there were some patches of slippery mud in the woods. The course itself features a net elevation drop over the first mile, followed by a mostly flat second mile. The course loops back on itself such that the third mile covers much of the same ground as the first, but in reverse. This means the elevation lost early on must be regained and it's possible to get drawn out too quickly early on. 

The girls raced first and after the initial mad dash across the open field at the starting line, the WHS runners settled into a sustainable rhythm. The Wayland team was led by Arya Samaratunga who cracked the top 25 with a strong middle mile and then holding her position in the latter stages. She was followed by senior captain Bella Thoen who moved up well in the second half of the race passing people who had bitten off more than they could chew. The girls scoring five was rounded out by Sofia Ciciarelli, senior captain Grace Marto, and Michelle Yee. who ran together early on. Sofia and Grace had particularly good pacing throughout. Junior captain Selena Liu rounded out the Wayland team, which finished 13th overall. This is the highest team finish for a WHS girls team in this level of the tournament since 2011. With many of the top places occupied by athletes from teams that were among the top 7 overall, both Samaratunga and Thoen qualified among the top 10 individuals not on one of those teams. They're the first Wayland female cross country runners to qualify for the State Meet since Sarah Tully in 2016. 

The boys raced next, in a race that went out exceedingly fast. A year ago the dynamic duo of Luke Chisum and Owen Williams qualified individually as 9th graders but the team missed out, finishing 8th. With all of last year's scorers back a year wiser and fitter and 10th grader Will Jackson in the fold as well, the hope was to qualify as a team this time around. Over the second half of the race WHS runners moved up well with Chisum and Narvaez finishing 5th and 6th overall. Jackson followed finishing inside the top 30, and Daniel Narvaez was the fourth Wayland runner in the top 50. Senior captain Thomas Creavin rounded out the scoring five with a well executed race throughout. Senior captain Will Morris and junior Michael Wightman completed the WHS varsity contingent. 

When the results were tallied, Wayland had finished third as a team. While the specific setup of the MIAA cross country tournament has changed multiple times over the years, what hasn't changed is that the first round involves 20+ teams from schools of about the same size racing each other. No Wayland team has finished as high as this year's nor has any Wayland team qualified as a team for the final round of the tournament since 1997. For perspective, the athletes from that '97 team are now pushing 40. 

Samaratunga, Thoen and the boys team will be racing next at the Division 2 State Championship on Saturday. This meet will be held on the grounds of the former Fort Devens near Ayer. 

Splits and times for WHS athletes

Championship results (DCL, MIAA) since 1997

girls overall results

boys overall results

In case those links don't work I took pictures of the printed results:

Girls on the starting line being photobombed by the meet official

Whatever was said in this huddle was effective

Pablo, who was miffed he didn't get to come

Awards Night and Varsity Lists

This coming Wednesday November 16th 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 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 which can be found under the "Useful Links" sidebar on the right of this page.

Girls:

Sofia Ciciarelli

Sasha Libenzon

Selena Liu

Grace Marto

Julia Mente

Anna Munford

Arya Samaratunga

Bella Thoen 

Michelle Yee

Boys:

Luke Chisum

Thomas Creavin

Matthew Frank

Zach Grossman

Will Jackson

William Morris

Jonathan Mui

Daniel Narvaez

Kyle Reece

Michael Wightman

Owen Williams

MIAA Division 2B Championship, 11/13/22

Meet Site:

Stanley Park, Westfield

Bus time 7:15 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:

Girls race 10:00 AM

Boys race 10:45 AM

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: Partly sunny, temperatures in the mid 40s with WNW winds 10-15 mph. An up to date forecast for Westfield can be seen here. A large amount of rain is forecast to fall in the overnight hours of Friday into Saturday. As a result, the ground will be soft underfoot. 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 begins and ends on a large open field. The middle portion of the course, which includes both the 1 and 2 mile marks, is an out and back stretch in the woods with variable footing--some areas smoother than others. The field portions of the course at the start and end are at a higher elevation than the out and back portion in the woods. The elevation difference isn't huge, but it's enough to make the final stretch around the upper field a real chore for those who start out too quickly. It's important to preview the course ahead of your race.

• 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.  

• Qualification for next week's Divisional State Meet at Devens is covered on page 4 of this document. The other teams in Division 2B are listed on page 2 of this document.

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 1:30 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.

Week 12 Training Plan, 11/7-11/13

With Saturday's Division 2B meet, we've reached the final stage of the season. Everything leading up to Saturday in practice is intended to help make that possible. 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. Note that like the last two weeks, there's a scheduled day off during the week, which is Thursday. 

On Tuesday and Wednesday there will be two different workouts, one for the people that are racing Saturday who already did the time trial last week (Group A) and the other for people who are doing a time trial this week (Group B). As of this writing the time trial is scheduled for Wednesday because there are 10-15 mph winds forecast for Tuesday. While Wednesday would be preferable for the time trial with little to no wind in the forecast we may have to move it to Tuesday regardless if there's a tournament game on the turf field. Stay tuned.

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 11/7 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including BURPEES followed by a PMR of 36 minutes. The PMR will then be followed by 6x150m (100m race pace, 50m faster than race pace) with a 150m jog recovery.

Tuesday 11/8 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup followed by either 

Group A: a short length run of no more than 36 minutes with run throughs over cones. 

Group B: 15 minute easy run followed by two sets of short repeats.

Wednesday 11/9 - Practice at 3:30. Warmup including BURPEES followed by either 

Group A:  a 12-15 minute jog, 3x400 at 5-10 seconds faster than race pace, mile at race pace, 3x400 at 5-10 seconds 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. 

Group B: 10 minute warmup, 3x100 at mile race pace, then a mile time trial. 8-10 minute easy jog cooldown.

Thursday 11/10 - off

Friday 11/11 - 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 11/12 - MIAA Division 2B Championship at Stanley Park in Westfield. More details in a forthcoming post. 

 
Sunday 11/13 - off

Frank Mooney Invitational Results, 11/5/22

A select group of WHS athletes competed in unseasonably warm conditions for early November at today's Frank Mooney Invitational, held at Wrentham Developmental Center. It was also windy, quite windy in fact. While these are not conditions conducive to a personal best time, there were many noteworthy races nonetheless by WHS athletes. Sofia Ciciarelli finished in the top 30 in the girls 9th grade 3k, and thus earned a medal for her efforts. Also running for the girls was Sasha Libenzon in the 10th grade girls race. For the boys, Matthew Tan led Edge Wheeler and Jayden Newland across the line in the 9th grade boys 3k, while Ben Caddoo, Zack Goldstein and Matthew Frank (in his final high school cross country race) raced the 11th-12th grade boys 5k. 

overall results (Wayland is in small school division)

splits and times for WHS athletes

all time performance list for WHS athletes at Wrentham Developmental Center

Frank Mooney Invitational, 11/5/22

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

Remember, no eating on the bus.

Race Schedule and Entries (time cutoff in parentheses):
 

12:30 PM Sophomore girls 5k race (28 minutes) - Libenzon

12:59 PM Sophomore boys 5k race (25 minutes) - none

1:25 PM 9th grade girls 5k race (18 minutes) - Ciciarelli

1:44 PM 9th grade boys 3k race (16 minutes) - Newland, Tan, Wheeler

2:01 PM 11th-12th grade girls 5k race (25 minutes) - none

2:28 PM 11th-12th grade boys 5k race (22 minutes) - Caddoo, Frank, Goldstein

 
Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: Partly cloudy, temperatures in the low 70s with SW winds 5-10 mph.
• Numbers will be assigned to you specifically for this meet; these numbers have an RFID chip attached to the back side which interacts with a conductive mat at the finish line to record your time. The meet director has asked athletes who aren't racing NOT to 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. 
• Report to the starting line 10 minutes before the start of your race; the meet staff has been known in the past to start races a few minutes earlier than the posted schedule. 
• If you're wearing a stopwatch while racing, putting your arm up to hit the button on the watch while crossing the finish line can cause the RFID chip to be blocked by your arm, and your finish might not be recorded. In other words, don't press the button on your watch when crossing the finish line.
• The meet staff has asked that no one do their warmup or cool down among the buildings of the Wrentham Developmental Center, where patients are housed. Aside from the course itself, you can warmup and cool down on the ball fields across the street.
• Medals will be given to the top 30 finishers in each race.
• Time cutoff: the timing system will be turned off when the cutoff time for a given race is reached. 

Course Map:

• 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. 

What to Bring:

• Uniform
• Everyday training shoes
• Racing shoes if you have them; this is a course for spikes, 1/4" or 3/8" elements
• Warmup clothes including a shirt
• Water bottles - filled

• Folding chair - important to have something to sit on other than the ground

• Snacks for post-race (chocolate milk will be provided using proceeds from the Wayland XC Festival)

For Parents:

• The parking fee this year is $10 for each car. There's free parking at the soccer field complex across the street as well as at King Philip HS which is about an 8-10 minute walk down Shears Street from the meet site.
• Dogs aren't allowed except for service animals.
• No grilling, cooking, or fires are allowed at the meet site. 
• 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. 
• We hope to return to WHS by 4 PM.