Frank Mooney Invitational Results, 11/7/26

On an overcast drizzly afternoon a select group of 10 Wayland boys competed on the Wrentham Developmental Center course. This is the second of three visits this season for Wayland at this venue, with the first visit being back in September on a much sunnier day at the Frank Kelley Invitational. 

The rain that started yesterday and continued off and on through most of today softened up the course. This was exacerbated by the hundreds of large school runners that raced in the morning. While there were no puddles and only isolated patches of mud, the course overall seemed to be running a bit slower than it does when the ground is dry. Spiked shoes were the order of the day for traction. Medals are given out to the first 40 finishers in each race.

The first race with WHS runners was the 10th grade race. The duo of Thomas Conley and Jack Ricci worked together early on before Conley pulled away a bit in the last mile. Both of them won medals finishing in 25th and 39th place. Next was the 9th grade race, with two Wayland runners in the top 15 in Evan Hopps and Henry Tharpe. Behind them Dylan Stack and Rhys Hill, way back in the field early on, made a determined charge in the late stages to secure the last two medals on offer. Rounding out the WHS group was Brendan Tripp. While there was no official team scoring, the online results platform does team scoring automatically and the Wayland contingent was fourth of nine hypothetical scoring teams. Finally, the largest race of the day was the combined 11th/12th grade race that had 274 finishers. Among them was Grady Spence who moved well through the field in the second and third mile to run a big PR time, which is particularly impressive given the spongy ground underfoot. 

With the changes last year to Franklin Park, the 3k and 5k courses at Wrentham are the longest-standing layouts where Wayland Cross country competes, having been in use since 2010. 

Overall results

Splits for WHS athletes 

Wayland performance lists for Wrentham Developmental Center, 2010-present 

Frank Mooney Invitational, 11/7/26

live results

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 11 AM

Race Schedule and Entries

12:59 10th grade boys 5k - Conley, Jorgensen, Ricci, Versteeg

1:44 9th grade boys 3k - Hill, E. Hopps, Stack, Tharpe, Tripp

2:28 11th/12th grade boys 5k - Spence  

note there will be girls races happening in between the races listed above 

Meet Information:

• Weather forecast: mostly cloudy, temperature in the high 50s, NNW wind 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. You can complete your warmup at the starting line.
• 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.
• No one is to 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 40 finishers in each race.

• There's a canned food drive in conjunction with the meet, donations can be given to me to hand in when we arrive at the meet site. 

• MSTCA meet information sheet 

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

• Blanket or sleeping bag - important as we won't be bringing the tent, while we won't be out in the open for that long you might want to have something to help stay warm when not warming up, racing, or cooling down

• 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.
• 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 around 12 noon.