Reading Girls’ Cross-Country Season Preview: 2026
This article was written by resident Tom Grant, a parent of a student-athlete.
Reading’s boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams enter this fall season with their sights set on surpassing last season’s results. This is the first of two season previews, today for the girls and tomorrow for the boys. Both teams are led by an experienced group of seniors, and each has a captain making a comeback from injury. If health remains on their side, they have the potential to outdo their impressive Division 1C campaigns from last year, where the boys finished second and the girls eleventh. Come support the teams at their first meet at the Town Forest on Tuesday, September 15th, versus Burlington!
Rockets take the line before a practice meet against North Reading. Photo by Kelly Malone.
Team schedule:
September 15th - Burlington @ Reading
September 22nd - Woburn @ Reading
September 29th - Reading @ Belmont
October 6th - Reading @ Lexington
October 11th - Twilight Meet @ Cape Cod Fairgrounds
October 13th - Arlington @ Reading - Senior Night!
October 20th - Reading @ Winchester
October 26th - Middlesex League Meet @ Woburn Country Club
November 7th - Coaches Invitational @ Wrentham Development Center
November 14th - Divisional State Meet @ Devens
November 21st - All-State Championship @ Devens
Reading Girls Cross Country: A promising blend of experience and youth
The Middlesex League features two of the top five teams in the entire state in Lexington and Winchester, so the Reading girls have a few difficult league meets ahead of them. However, Reading returns six of their top seven runners from last year. With such an experienced team coming into the season, Coach Mike Connelly sees an opportunity to build on their 2-5 record from last year: “We hope to increase our overall depth on the team and stay healthy to improve upon our record this season.” So far, Coach Connelly is encouraged by what he sees. “We have about 23 runners on the team currently and have had a very strong first two weeks of practice. It is evident that many runners put in the miles and work during the off season and are ready to compete.” Led by senior captains Bridget Branson, Stella Harrington, and Maria La Francesca, watch for this team to peak at just the right time when the postseason comes. According to Coach Connelly, “I think if things progress well and click this season, we could earn a team qualification into the All-State meet for the first time since 2010.”
Sophomore Eva Kirkwood powers home in her first cross-country race. Photo by Christina Kirkwood.
Branson was the team’s top runner all season in 2025, and Harrington and senior Allison Juffre were close behind. As La Francesca works her way back from injury, the team should be able to start strong at their first meet versus Burlington on Sept. 15. Seniors Grace Hayes and Delaney Sousa and junior Harper Davis round out the returners from the top seven. There are a number of other experienced runners on the team who create valuable depth in case of injury.
This group of juniors and seniors is complemented by a cohort of promising ninth- and tenth-graders. The sophomores are led by Eva Kirkwood and Ali Silbovitz. Kirkwood is running her first season of cross country after a strong outdoor track season in the spring. Silbovitz, meanwhile, cracked Reading’s top seven on a number of occasions last season and promises to push for a permanent spot on the varsity ledger. As for the ninth graders, there are a number of talented runners about to get their first taste of high school race courses. Any one of them could catch fire this year and help push the Reading girls all the way to the All-State meet.
Reading gets ready to kick off the season. Photo by Lindsey Monahan.
Top returning 5k times from 2025
Bridget Branson - 20:46
Allison Juffre - 21:14
Stella Harrington - 21:19
Grace Hayes - 22:13
Maria La Francesca - 22:23
Harper Davis - 22:38
Delaney Sousa - 23:12