Middlesex League Cross-Country: Week 3 Review
(4-minute read)
Resident Tom Grant, a parent of a student-athlete, wrote this article.
Reading runners working as a pack during their race against Burlington. Pictured (left-to-right): Leah Malone, Kaylani Raimundo, Nastia Brenchko, and Nicole Correia. Photo by Jordi de Llano.
Winchester continued to show that they are one of the best girls’ teams in the state, as their top runner ran the sixth-fastest time in MA this year. Meanwhile, on the boys’ side, Arlington won again despite not starting their two fastest runners, and Lexington finally got its first win. Only two undefeated teams remain for both the girls and the boys: Lexington and Winchester girls and Arlington and Belmont boys. Arlington and Belmont face each other this week in an exciting matchup for the top spot. Here is a brief rundown of races from the past week:
Girls - Week 3
Reading at Belmont. See write-up here
Arlington at Winchester. Winchester won 19-40. For the second week in a row, Winchester showed why they are one of the top teams in the state. Three of Arlington’s top five runners posted personal bests, but even that wasn’t enough to dent Winchester. Winchester took four of the top five spots, led by Julia Ramsey in a scorching 18:38. Ramsey’s time was the sixth fastest in all of MA this year.
Middlesex League (ML) Girls’ Standings (L=Liberty Division, F=Freedom Division)
Lexington at Woburn. Lexington won 15-50. The Lexington girls appear to have enough strong runners to field the best two teams in the state. Lexington took the top twelve spots, led by two seniors, Erin Ehmann and Alycia Charest, who ran 19:08 and 19:11, respectively, in their first meet of the season. This was a three-mile course, but still those times are impressive season debuts.
Melrose at Stoneham. Melrose won 25-34. While Stoneham took the top two spots, with Autumn Shapiro leading the way at 20:30, Melrose put their five scorers in before Stoneham’s third runner, using the pack strategy to perfection.
Wilmington at Burlington. Burlington won 25-30. Wilmington lost a close contest for the second week in a row, as Burlington took three of the top four spots. Three 8th graders led this race. Hope Calandrelli of Burlington led the trio of middle schoolers, winning in 19:59, her first time breaking the 20-minute mark.
Wakefield at Watertown. Wakefield won 16-51. Wakefield’s star senior Quin Wilcox made her season debut, taking the win in 19:47. Wakefield went on to take 8 of the top 9 spots against Watertown.
Reading runners competing against Belmont. Pictured (front-to-back): Noah Geiger (Belmont), Max King, Ishaan Kanagaraj (Belmont), Will Olmsted (Belmont), Declan Grant, Elias Campisano (Belmont), Colin Herlihy, Finn Johnson-Houlihan, Colin Carroll, and Curran Healy. Photo by Tom Grant.
2026 Top Ten Girls’ 5k Times
Jane Conrad, Lexington - 18:33
Julia Ramsey, Winchester - 18:38
Amelia Whorton, Lexington - 18:49
Millie McDonald, Winchester - 19:34
Ella Tyson, Lexington - 19:34
Autumn Shapiro, Stoneham - 19:40
Caroline Lanz, Winchester - 19:41
Eloise Woelk, Winchester - 19:46
Lillian McLean, Wakefield - 19:47
Quin Wilcox, Wakefield - 19:47
Boys
Reading at Belmont. See write-up here
Arlington at Winchester. Arlington won 17-39. For the second week in a row, Arlington went on the road and took down a big rival. Arlington ran without their two fastest runners this season, but freshman sensation Roberto Marrocchelli-Mendez filled the void and brought home the win in 16:34. Winchester boys fought hard, as four of their top five finishers put up a personal best on their home course. However, injuries continue affecting the team’s performance.
Wilmington at Burlington. Burlington won 22-39. Burlington was once again impressive on their home course. Sophomore James Roy took the win in 16:46, his second straight week under 17 minutes. He would have had a fight on his hands, but Wilmington’s top runner, sophomore Cooper Hunt, was directed the wrong way on the course and dropped significant time, ultimately finishing fourth. Those two will surely lock horns many more times over the next three years.
Reading’s Isaac Olivier-Mason (left) and Ben Kaberle (right) break up the group of Belmont runners. Photo by Ray Vaillancourt.
Melrose at Stoneham. Melrose won 15-50. Levi Barnes took his second win in a row, crossing the line first in 18:10. Melrose had the top nine finishers, none of whom are seniors. This looks like a young team building for a big year in 2027.
Wakefield at Watertown. Wakefield won 22-43. In a tight finish, junior Noah Morrisseau (1st place; 17:47) outleaned Watertown’s Simon Abo (2nd place; 17:48) to take the win. Wakefield went on to take six of the next seven places in the race, easily securing the victory.
Lexington at Woburn. Lexington won 18-45. Lexington got their first win of the season in dominant fashion, taking 10 of the top 11 spots. Owen Ross (16:03) took home first place for the Minutemen. David Harrington (3rd place; 16:08) put up a personal best on his home course and deserves some recognition for staying tough as the one Woburn competitor amidst a sea of Lexington runners.
Middlesex League (ML) Boys’ Standings (L=Liberty Division, F=Freedom Division)
2026 Top Ten Boys’ 5k Times
Noah Geiger, Belmont - 16:03
Ishaan Kanagaraj, Belmont - 16:04
Owen Merrill, Arlington - 16:07
Eli Hanover, Arlington - 16:10
Trevor Stevens, Lexington - 16:14
Nathan Wilson, Arlington - 16:23
Alden Hall, Lexington - 16:25
Roberto Marrocchelli-Mendez, Arlington - 16:34
James Roy, Burlington - 16:35
Zachary Weinberg, Arlington - 16:40
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