DCL dual meet 2 at Reggie Lewis

The 3rd dual meet was held today with some fast results.
Click here for full results
Click here for photos by Dave Fineman
Click here for photos by Sue Chari
Click here for videos of DCL meet

It looks like this is the year for Acton-Boxborough. They beat NS last week and LS this week.
Reggie Lewis Ctr-Boston
Dual Meet Scores - Through Event 26

Women
Acton-Boxborough 55.00 Lincoln-Sudbury 40.00
Wayland 86.00 Arlington 0.00
Newton South 64.00 Boston Latin School 22.00
Concord-Carlisle 48.00 Notre Dame Academy 47.00
Waltham 45.00 Westford Academy 36.00

Men
Acton-Boxborough 58.00 Lincoln-Sudbury 37.00
Wayland 78.00 Arlington 0.00
Concord-Carlisle 78.00 Bedford 12.00
Newton South 90.00 Boston Latin School 4.00
Westford Academy 62.00 Waltham 32.00

DCL dual meet at Reggie Lewis track 2 pm 29 Dec. 2009

The DCL dual meet tomorrow is at 2 p.m. and not 4:30 p.m.
The bus leaves at 12:15.
Newton South v Boston Latin.
Wayland v Arlington
Concord-Carlisle v Bedford
Lincoln-Sudbury v Acton-Boxborough
Westford Academy v Waltham
Weston v ?
Notre Dame Academy (girls) v ??

DCL dual meet at BU track 22 Dec. 2009

Click here for full results
Click here for photos by Dave Fineman
Click here for photos by George

Dual County Meet #1 - 12/22/2009; Boston University
Dual Meet Scores - Through Event 30

Women
Newton South 55.00 40.00 Acton-Boxborough
Arlington 58.00 32.00 Weston
Westford Academy 59.00 22.00 Boston Latin School
Lincoln-Sudbury 78.00 16.00 Waltham
Notre Dame Academy 59.00 36.00 Wayland

Men
Acton-Boxborough 57.00 38.00 Newton South
Weston 50.00 41.00 Arlington
Wayland 59.00 31.00 Bedford
Westford Academy 72.00 22.00 Boston Latin School
Lincoln-Sudbury 62.00 33.00 Waltham

DCL dual meet Tuesday 22 Dec. NS vs AB

Rumors are that many alum will be at this meet.
It is NOT at Reggie Lewis. It is at the Boston University track.
I'll be there with camera.
Newton South v Acton-Boxborough
Weston v Arlington
Lincoln-Sudbury v Waltham
Westford v Boston Latin
Wayland v Bedford
Concord-Carlisle v ?
Notre Dame of Hingham v Wayland?

Globe All scholastics were named today

Click here for XC boys all scholastics
Click here for XC girls all scholastics
Congratulations to Kathy O'Keefe for making the Globe team.
DCL allstars:
Melanie Fineman, Anna Laurence, Kathy O'Keefe, Kayla Burton, Madeleine Reed
David Melly, Xhulio Uruci, Yuji Wakimoto
(The Globe messed up the DCL listings confusing who was on which teams).

1st DCL meet

Click here for full results
Click here for photos by Jennifer Reed
Team results:
Women
Acton-Boxborough 73.00 Boston Latin School 21.00
Notre Dame Academy 60.00 Arlington 35.00
Concord-Carlisle 65.00 Weston 25.00
Lincoln-Sudbury 61.00 Westford Academy 34.00
Newton South 75.00 Waltham 20.00

Men
Acton-Boxborough 91.00 Boston Latin School 1.00
Arlington 71.00 Bedford 23.00
Concord-Carlisle 67.00 Weston 26.00
Lincoln-Sudbury 58.00 Westford Academy 37.00
Newton South 83.00 Waltham 12.00

INDOOR TRACK 09 - 10

The 1st DCL meet is this Thursday 10 Dec. at Reggie Lewis.
Here's what I've found so far:

Lincoln-Sudbury v Westford Academy
Arlington v Bedford
Newton South v Waltham
Boston Latin v Acton-Boxborough
Weston v Concord-Carlisle

Does this mean that it is Wayland v Tyngsborough?

Click here for Reggie Lewis track schedule

Nike XC Team Nationals NXN

Nike has been gradually taking over the role as the HS national championship cross country race from Footlocker. They fly out to Portland, Oregon the 22 best US HS teams for each the boys and girls and a number of the top individuals from each region. Newton South girls ran this race last year but didn't make it this year.
Click here for video of girls race
Click here for video of boys race
Click above for results also.

awards night

NXN Northeast Championships at Bowdoin Park

The NXN Northeast Championships at Bowdoin Park were held today. The top winning teams from each of 4 races around the country are flown to Portland, Oregon for the Nike Championships. Last year Newton South and Lincoln Sudbury girls went to Oregon. This year LS was favored in the Northeast but had a bad day along with NS. LS was 6th with 176 points followed by NS in 7th only 4 points behind. The big surprise was Bishop Feehan from Massachusetts winning the girls race. Congratulations!
Note that the LS total team time was 1.5 seconds faster than NS!
Click here for full results
Click here for photos by Dave Fineman
Click here for photos from John Keklak of LS
Click here for flotrack race videos
Click here for Dyestat Metro story
From the girls championship race:
1. 114 Rocks XC (19:56.4; 99:41.7) (Bishop Feehan)
6, 5 Viviana Hanley JR 19:14.8
26, 17 Anisa Arsenault SR 19:54.1
43, 29 Erin Svensen SO 20:06.6
44, 30 Erin Murphy SR 20:07.4
49, 33 Jen Thomas SR 20:18.8
(63, 44) Katie Powell SO 20:35.6
(99, 71) Abbey MacBeth SO 21:27.1
2. 121 La Salle RC (20:01.9; 100:09.2) in RI
6. 176 Sudbury XC Club (20:20.8; 101:43.9)
8, 7 Andrea Keklak JR 19:17.7
20, 13 Corey Stock SO 19:42.0
41, 27 Claire Arthur SR 20:04.2
67, 46 Megan Broecker FR 20:42.1
112, 83 Holly Clarke SR 21:57.9
(123, 92) Leah Potter SO 22:36.8
(131, 99) Marika Crowe SO 22:57.4
7. 180 Newton Centre Athletics (20:21.1; 101:45.4)
10, 8 Kathy O'Keefe JR 19:21.3
39, 25 Madeleine Reed SR 20:02.9
52, 35 Mel Fineman SR 20:23.0
77, 53 Anna Laurence SO 20:55.9
84, 59 Kayla Burton FR 21:02.3
(125, 93) Katie Sandson SR 22:38.4
(126, 94) Jenny Epstein JR 22:39.9

NSHS alumni XC and T&F reunion

The annual Newton South HS cross country and track and field alumni reunion is this Wednesday evening at the Finch's house. Same as last year.
6 to 9 pm but it'll probably go later.

Steven asks people to "bring some food items". He'll be cooking up a lot to bring.
Don't forget a mealworm for George. Uh.... no... he's gone into hibernation till indoors.

Email me or Steven M. or Cliff for directions

MIAA all state cross country meet at Northfield

Beautiful day for the allstates. I wish I could have been there.
Clcik here for complete results
Click here for photos by Bryan Holtzman of LS
Thanks Bryan.
Click here for photos by Dave Fineman
Click here for photos by Jennifer Reed
Click here for photos by Naomi Frankston
Click here for photos by John Keklak of LS
Click here for Boston Herald story, girls
Click here for Boston Herald story, boys
Hopefully, we'll soon have a story.
Northfield is a much hillier, slower course than Franklin Park
Division 1 girls:
1 #168 Keklak, Andrea JR Lincoln-Sudbury 6:07.1 19:00.5
2 #361 Stocker, Carolyn JR Westfield High 6:08.7 19:05.3
3 #4 Davis, Christine FR Acton-Boxborough 6:11.8 19:14.9
4 #144 Solimine, Julie JR Haverhill 6:15.2 19:25.6
5 #172 Stock, Corey SO Lincoln-Sudbury 6:17.3 19:32.0
6 #248 O'Keefe, Kathy JR Newton South 6:18.2 19:35.0
8 #242 Gillis, Margo JR Newton North 6:20.2 19:41.2
13 #250 Reed, Madeleine SR Newton South 6:22.5 19:48.3
24 #245 Fineman, Melanie SR Newton South 6:28.9 20:08.1
34 #247 Laurence, Anna SO Newton South 6:35.8 20:29.7
79 #243 Burton, Kayla FR Newton South 6:59.3 21:42.6
105 #251 Sandson, Katie SR Newton South 7:11.7 22:21.2
130 #244 Epstein, Jenny JR Newton South 7:24.2 22:59.9

1 Lincoln-Sudbury 52; 1, 4, 7, 14, 26, 67, 74
Total Time: 1:39:00.70; Average: 19:48.14
2 Newton South 102; 5, 9, 15, 23, 50, 70, 94
Total Time: 1:41:43.70; Average: 20:20.74
3 Franklin 126; 8, 10, 22, 27, 59, 68, 95
Total Time: 1:42:42.60; Average: 20:32.52
Division 1 boys:
1 #540 McGowan, Patrick SR Mansfield 5:10.8 16:05.4
2 #409 Taylor, Anthony SR Arlington 5:12.4 16:10.4
3 #568 Reddy, Jared SR Methuen 5:12.8 16:11.8
4 #749 Jones, Byron SR Westborough 5:15.2 16:19.1
5 #778 Sullivan, Tyler JR Whitman-Hanson 5:15.4 16:19.9
68 #620 Melley, David JR Newton South 5:42.8 17:45.1
1 Mansfield; 133; 1 6 7 45 74 81 94
Total Time: 1:24:59.20; Average: 16:59.84
2 Methuen; 137; 2 13 23 28 71 89 102
Total Time: 1:26:07.10; Average: 17:13.42
3 Brookline; 153; 8 27 29 42 47 52 85
Total Time: 1:26:52.20; Average: 17:22.44

MIAA all state cross country meet at Northfield

NOTES ON STATE CHAMPIONSHIP –
TO BE HELD AT NORTHFIELD RECREATION CENTER
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
driving directions on info sheet

Two Divisions of Boys (Large - Division I), (Small - Division II)
Two Divisions of Girls (Large - Division I), (Small - Division II)
In each division - 16 teams and 40 individuals will compete.

State Meet Qualifications:

Eastern MA: Boys and Girls - (Div. I - Large Schools)
Top five (5) teams from Div. I sectional
Top five (5) teams from Div. II sectional
Top ten (10) individuals from Div. I not on one of the qualifying teams.
Top ten (10) individuals from Div. II not on one of the qualifying teams.
Eastern MA: Boys and Girls (Div. II - Small Schools)
Top five (5) teams from Div. III sectional
Top five (5) teams from Div. IV sectional
Top ten (10) individuals from Div. III not on one of the qualifying teams.
Top ten (10) individuals from Div. IV not on one of the qualifying teams.
Central & Western MA: Boys and Girls
Top three (3) teams from Div. I sectional and top ten (10) individuals not on those teams
qualify for the Div. I (Large School) State Championship Title.

Top three (3) teams from Div. II sectional and top ten (10) individuals not on those teams
qualify for the Div. II (Small School) State Championship Title.

1. The races will be held on Saturday, November 21, 2009

2. Starting Times:
Girls’ Division I – 11:00 a.m. Boys’ Division I – 12:00 p.m.
Girls’ Division II – 11:30 a.m. Boys’ Division II – 12:30 p.m.

Awards Ceremony - 1:30 P.M. Approximately

NCAA div 1 qualifier at Franklin Park 14 Nov. 2009

Click here for photos by George
Click here for complete results
After the High school meet the NCAA division 1 qualifier was held. The course reached greater heights of extreme sports. The men's race was especially gruesome with the pack going out fast with the winners truly being those who died less. It took so much more effort to mush through the mud that the equivalent effort might have been 8 or 10 miles. When runners hit the finish mat they'd break a bit. Another step and back on very deep mud still trying to brake and splosh, right on their back. Many were so exhausted they couldn't get up. Officials would pick someone up and ask. "you OK?". Usually only gibberish came as an answer.

From NCAA div 1 qualifier at Franklin Park 14 Nov. 2009

Freshman Bridgette Dahlberg BC and Kelsey Karys Cornell

From NCAA div 1 qualifier at Franklin Park 14 Nov. 2009

From NCAA div 1 qualifier at Franklin Park 14 Nov. 2009

mudpie day at Franklin Park; MIAA eastern champs

Click here for full results
Click here for some wet photos by George
Click here for photos by Dave Fineman
Click here for Newton Tab story
Click here for Boston Globe story
Newton South girls looked great for 2nd place not too far behind Lincoln-Sudbury. Newton South boys had a good show also, back a way in team scoring, but still strong. David Melly qualified for next weeks all states as an individual placing 19th in the div 1 race.
The day was 2.5" rain wet with mud to rival the most I've seen. The morning races were held in heavy rain but the course wasn't muddy yet. With each race the course got muddier - much muddier and times slower. I stuck around to watch the NCAA division 1 eastern championship where the raining let up but the mud reached staggering depths. About every 10th runner went down trying to cross the finish line.
The photos are mostly wet blur - sorry. A few came out. The later college photos with my better lens and less rain came out great. Kelsey and Bridgette lead out the charge in that race.

From MIAA easterndiv championships

From MIAA easterndiv championships

From MIAA easterndiv championships

From MIAA easterndiv championships

HS divisional championships

MIAA State Divisional eastern meet at Franklin Park on
Saturday 14 Nov.
Schedule:
Newton South is division 1. Each school can enter 10 runners per team but only 7 can run.
9:30 a.m. Boys’ Division 2
9:55 a.m. Boys’ Division 3
10:20 a.m. Girls’ Division 2
10:45 a.m. Girls’ Division 3
11:10 a.m. Boys’ Division 4
11:35 a.m. Boys’ Division 1
12:00 p.m. Girls’ Division 4
12:25 p.m. Girls’ Division 1

Right after this meet at Franklin Park is the NCAA division 1 eastern meet, Men at 2:30, Women at 3:30.
Kelsey Karys should be running for Cornell at this meet.

USA Track & Field New England XC Championships

The USA T&F New England cross country championships were held today at Franklin Park. There were three races,
1. masters men 8K,
2. open and masters women 6K,
3. open men 10K.
I've run this race many times in the past but today I was a bag carrier for Pat and appointed photographer on the spot for USAT&F NE. It was warm but beautiful.
Click here for full results
Click here for photos by George
men's open winner just after the break away:

From USAT&F New England Championships at Franklin Park

Wrentham MSTCA Coaches Invitational

Click here for full results
Click here for photos by Sue Chari

Wrentham

Some of the team will be at the MSTCA Coaches Invitational
at Wrentham Developmental Center.
Directions and schedule can be found at:
http://www.mstca.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56&Itemid=1
In the past there have been freshman teams competing from Newton South. I do not know the who is going this year.

You can google maps directions using:
intersection of shear st. and emerald st in wrentham ma

From NSHS alumni photos - misc

Newton South Freshman at Wrentham meet in 2005
Click here for 2005 results

DCL Championships at Franklin Park

Click here for full results
Click here for photos by Dave Fineman
Click here for photos by George
Click here for photos by Sue Chari
Click here for photos by Jennifer Reed
Click here for story in News Tribune
The Tribune story is not always accurate but it's a nice long article.
Click here for 1 Nov. Boston Globe story
And, if we're good, we might get a story from Stephen.
I should add that the Girls varsity took 2nd and the Boys varsity took 4th.

From DCL XC Championships 30 October 2009

From DCL XC Championships 30 October 2009

From DCL XC Championships 30 October 2009

From DCL XC Championships 30 October 2009

From DCL XC Championships 30 October 2009

From DCL XC Championships 30 October 2009

From DCL XC Championships 30 October 2009

From DCL XC Championships 30 October 2009

DCL Championships tomorrow at Franklin Park

Sorry I couldn't do a preview but the competition should be good.
For the girl's varsity race we're looking for a showdown between Newton South and Lincoln-Sudury with Acton-Boxborough looking to make noise and Concord-Carlisle not far behind.
The boys varsity looks even closer. I could imagine the winner being any of Westford Academy, Concord-Carlisle, Lincoln-Sudbury, Acton-Boxborough or Newton South. Newton South will need those 4th and 5th places to move up.
See you there tomorrow. The weather looks good.
I think the start is at 2 pm.

NS v Westford & Tyngsboro @ Westford

Click here for photos by Sue Chari
Click here for Westford parent Chris Brearley's photos
Boys results below.

Girls Results and story by Stephen McChesney:

We concluded our regular season today in great fashion and our record is now 8 - 1. We visited Westford and had a very fast race over their course.

NS vs Wfd and Tyng
@ Westford 3.07 miles
Scores
NS 16 Westford 39
NS 15 Tyngsborough 48

3 way tie for first: Kathy O Keefe 18:39 Mel Fineman 18:39 Madeleine Reed All NS 18:39
4. Anna Laurence NS 19:10
5. Tia Caldwell Wfd 20:12
6. Jenny Epstein NS 20:23
7. S. Parker Wfd 20:32
8. K. Ernst Wfd 20:38
9. R Sickenger Tyng 20:40
10. C Graham Wfd 20:54
11. A Motyl 20:58
12. Katie Sandson NS 21:00
13. M. MuCuster 21:01
14. T. Caldwell Wfd 21:11
15. Hannah Friedman NS 21:13
16. N. Kibblehous Wfd 21:17
17. R. Carlye Wfd 21:44
18. M Brandjes Wfd 21:55
19. L. Chrevaier Wfd 22:03
20. Lauren Gabriel NS 22:08
21. E. Brandies Wfd 22:29
22. F LeBoeuf Tyng 24:09
23. Madison Willer NS 24:05
24. M. Jordan Tyng 24:55
25. C Morrill Tyng 25:15
26. L GElsonmini Tyng 25:15
27. N Capplello Tyng 32:50

This week we have started to solidify are preperations for the championship part of the season. We have worked pretty hard and through our last couple of meets and today we really saw some gains. I told the kids that I wanted them to run fast, but controlled races today and boy did they ever run fast. I feel that we are coming together nicely for our run at the big meets.

Madeleine Reed, Melanie Fineman and Kathy O Keefe blasted through their 3.07 mile course all in 18:39 efforts that equal sub 19:00 on Franklin Park. Anna Laurence ran another Brilliant (with a capital B) race and kept her teammates in view over the entire race. She finished 4th in 19:10 which translates into a huge PR. I feel that we have made some real gains up front. Jenny Epstein ran a solid race in 6th place in 20:23 to round our our scoring.
Elizabeth May and Kayla Burton are both back running, but I held them out to allow some of our newer varsity kids a chance to maybe score at the varsity level. Katie Sandson ran her best race ever and secured a place on our 10 person state roster today in placing ahead of the 2nd Tygnsborough girl and right with the Westford 5th girl in 21:00 which is a big PR. Hannah Friedman also topped the 2nd Tyng runner and ran 21:13, Lauren Gabrieal ran her first varsity race and earned varsity points in a PR of 22:28 as did Madison Willert.

According to both of the Westford coaches the course runs about 20 seconds faster than Franklin Park and that makes sense as it is only about 50 meters short of the true 5K and has a pretty good sized hill in the first mile. They also have established their measurement over the course and it is understood to be 3.07 by all of the coaches. That makes us a very fast team right now and we are on target for some pretty big things in the post season.

(Thanks Stephen and thanks in advance to Matt for sending the boys results!) (hint)
boys results:



photo below by Sue Chari

Catholic Memorial Invitational at Franklin Park

Click here for photos by Sue Chari
Click here for full results

Double dual meet in Waltham - 7 Oct. 2009

On a day with 100% rain in the forecast the weather was spectacular with clouds, sun and a strong cool breeze.
The boys scores:
Boston Latin 27, Waltham 28
Newton South 19 Waltham 41
Newton South 15 Boston latin 48
I didn't get the girls scores but NS won both. See photos for times
Click here for photos by George
Click here for photos by Sue Chari
Click here for story in Tab

From NS v Boston Latin v Waltham at Waltham HS

From NS v Boston Latin v Waltham at Waltham HS

From NS v Boston Latin v Waltham at Waltham HS

Dual meet today v Waltham and Boston Latin At Waltham

The meet today is at Waltham High School, 617 Lexington Street, Waltham. I'll have to assume it starts at 4 p.m.
I remember running against Waltham for Newton South at their high school in 1965 or 66. It is about the only time I remember getting outkicked in the last 400 yards or so of a race. Waltham won 27-28 and I've never forgiven myself. When you get near the end of a race never give up until 10 feet past the finish line.

Massachusetts MSTCA polls

Girls Poll
Boys Poll

Alumni news

Wil, Sasha and Kelsey were all at the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh in Bethlehem PA.
Womens gold race 6K
place; team place;runner---1 mile; time; pace; school
58;----58 Kelsey Karys, Fr* 5:33; 21:36; 5:47 Cornell University
Men's brown race 8K
261;--232 William Cha, Fr; 5:12; 27:52; xxxx Trinity College
College men JV race 8K:
255;-- 233 Alex Long, Fr 5:12; 27:56; 5:38 Johns Hopkins University

BC ran at the Murray Keatinge Invitational in Orono, Maine
Womens 5K results
11; 10; Dahlberg, Bridget FR Boston College 5:45.5; 17:53.31;
Middlebury ran at the 2009 VT X-C Intercollegiate Championships
Women's 5K results
12; 12; Juliet Ryan-Davies Middlebury College; 20:12.9; 4:02/K

McIntyre Invitational 19 Sept. 2009 Photos

I never posted photos from this race ay=t Franklin Park.
Click here for photos by George

LS > NS > Arlington

From NS v LS v Arlington - XTi

From NS v LS v Arlington - 5D

Click here for photos by Dave Fineman
Click here for photos by Jennifer Reed
Click here for photos by George-1
Click here for photos by George 2
Click here for photos by Sue Chari
Click here for varsity results and JV boys results
Boys - 1st 12:
LS 21, NS 34
Taylor 13:50
Barnes 14:05
Ellersick 14:11
Melly 14:17
Uruci 14:22
I. Hoenig 14:25
E. Hoenig 14:41
Arlington 14:42
Mullin 14:59
Dailey 14:59
M. Barnes 15:10
Pearce 15:12

Girls - 1st 10:
LS 24, NS 31
Stock SO LS - 15:49
Keklak JR LS - 15:53
O'Keefe JR NS - 15:59
Fineman SR NS - 16:03
Reed SR NS - 16:03
Arthur SR LS - 16:41
Clarke SR LS - 16:44
Broecker FR LS 16:52
Laurence NS - 17:00

Last year Kelsey and Bridget ran 15:41 for the record.
Dan Beardslee (NS) has record at 13:29.
I have to say that Antony Taylor from Arlington looked like he was running easy yet was only 21 seconds off the course record.

From NS v LS v Arlington - XTi

From NS v LS v Arlington - XTi

NS v LS v Arlington this Wednesday at Cold Spring

Newton South versus Lincoln-Sudbury versus Arlington in a double dual meet this Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Cold Spring Park off Beacon St. in Newton. See you there.
Click here for MSTCA Massachusetts girls rankings 28 Sept. 2009
Click here for MSTCA Massachusetts boys rankings 28 Sept. 2009
Click here for Dyestat National XC rankings top 25 teams
For girls LS is ranked 13th and NS 18th nationally.
No Massachusetts boys teams make the national top 25.

Amherst Invitational -Sat. 26 Sept. 2009

Click here for Photos by Jennifer Reed
Click here for photos by Dave Fineman
Click here for photos by Sue Chari
Click here for complete results

Notes from the Course*

Amherst Invitational

September 26, 2009

The weather at Hampshire College was perfect for both the racers and the spectators. Cool morning air developed into long-sleeved-tee-shirt weather – the perfect fall day. I wasn’t originally too thrilled to be getting up at 6:00 am on a Saturday to make peanut butter toast and hot chocolate, but as with all running events, the fun of the day was well worth a few less hours of that precious commodity, sleep.

The drive out to Amherst was easy and beautiful, especially watching the fog rise from the valley and Hampshire College is a great place to watch a race because you are able to see the runners at different places along the course, provided of course that you are willing to run at least a mile in intermittent spurts! The first race of the day for NSXC was the Boys Freshman. The boys team took 2^nd overall only 10 points off of the winner Danbury! This group of boys should be a nice match up in years to come. Newton South placed three runners in the top 12, with Noah Rivkin (8 – 18:31), Nicholas Reed (10 – 18:34) and Joe Trask (12 18:38) all finishing within 7 seconds of each other. Jason Chari and Ben Eisenberg finished 23^rd and 26^th respectively and Mike Pezza, Jason Karys, Relj Nedelijkovic and Eric Zhang rounded out the South effort.

The Girls’ Varsity team took 1^st overall. The NSXC girls had a great start and all finished within the top 25 spots. Melanie Fineman (3^rd in 18:50)), Kathy O’Keefe (6 -19:02) and Madeleine Reed (8 – 19:08) controlled the first two miles of the race before being broken up by runners from other teams. Anna Laurence (18 – 20:03), Kayla Burton (19 – 20:06) and Elizabeth May (22 – 20:08) all finished within 5 seconds of each other.

The Boys Varsity team finished 10^th overall with individual finishes by David Melly, 11^th in 16:37 and Xhulio Uruci, 23^rd in 16:59. Alex Pearce (17:37) and Kyle Olson (17:42) finished 52^nd and 53^rd. Mickey Verlaque and Balazs Varady (who I heard had fallen at the start) finished 123^rd and 134^th.

The girls JV team tied for first place with Concord Carlisle and lost in the six place tie breaker, despite placing the top 6 girls in the top 25 runners overall. It was a great effort by all, with Jenny Epstein taking an early lead and never looking back, finishing well ahead of the pack in 21:07. Hannah Friedman (21:48) and Abby Pressberg (21:55) finished 5^th and 6^th respectively, followed by Katie Sandson (16^th in 22:38), Daphna Chissick (19^th in 22:41) and Zuzanna Skvarkova (25^th in 23:23). Sara Chari, Maya Alper and Rachel Hurwitz finished out the team effort.

The Boys JV race was the last of the day. NSXC ran four boys in the race with Victor Miosescu finishing first for South and 22 overall in 18:51., David Wortham in 20:07 and Max Ezekial in 21:43. Two other runners competed but are not listed in the official results - Nate Weaver ran with Jon Rothendler's number and finished in 19:38. Cameron Olia also ran but I have no results for him.

Newton South just missed taking back home the coveted Crowley Trophy by 3 points. The Award is given to the School with the best combined boys and girls scores. Not a bad showing by NSXC!

In a shout out to John Huth, a philosophical comment and observation…..I am always surprised at how quickly 6 hours (or any amount of time) can pass during one of these invitational meets or league meets. I get caught up in the energy of those gathered and warmed by the cheering for all the runners, including those who finish last and well behind the pack. It is especially wonderful to observe the athletes tearing around the course to cheer for each other. I wonder whether it is the sport or the athletes drawn to the sport that make this happen, probably more likely both (much like the nature nurture debate). Go runners!

 *An occasional missive after races (best expected when a rainy non-work day follows a race day!

NS v Concord-Carlisle v Wayland photos

Photos from last Wed double dual meet.
Click here for photos by George

From NSHS v Concord-Carlisle v Wayland

From NSHS v Concord-Carlisle v Wayland

From NSHS v Concord-Carlisle v Wayland

From NSHS v Concord-Carlisle v Wayland

Girls at Hartford Riverfront Race

Newton South finished 4th in the Invitational race of 6 top teams.
8 Kathy O- Keefe, JR, 19:01.9
12 Madeleine Reed, SR, 19:25.0
17 Kayla Burton FR 19:59.3
21 Anna Lawrence SO 20:08.0
23 Elizabeth May SR 20:28.7
Click here for full results
Click here for video of race
Click here for photos of JV race by Sue Chari

Boys at McIntyre race at Franklin Park

Click here for full results
Click here for photos by George
Boys Varsity Race:
31 Xhulio Uruci 12 Newton South 17:18.5
33 #2830 David Melly 11 Newton South 17:20.4
94 #2836 Klye Olson 12 Newton South 18:12.9
108 #2839 Alex Pearce 12 Newton South 18:21.0
189 #2850 Balazs Varady 12 Newton South 19:27.6
195 #2837 Dan Pasquale 11 Newton South 19:32.3
227 #2835 Camy Olia 12 Newton South 20:16.4
TEAM: 19 Newton South 441; 29 31 92 106 183 189 221
Total Time: 1:30:40.40 Average: 18:08.08
I don't have time to post the rest of the results now. Anyone who could write it up and Email me, I'll post.

NS v Concord-Carlisle v Wayland

There was a meet today at cold spring park between NS and Concord-Carlisle and Wayland.
boys varsity: CC > NS > Way
girls varsity: NS > CC > Way
Photos to come. I took complete photos of the results. Could someone connect the runners with the numbers?
Click here for complete results
Click here for photos by Jennifer Reed
Click here for photos by Sue Chari
Click here for photos by George
The coaches:

From NSHS v Concord-Carlisle v Wayland

team tents

From past years cross country and track parents have bought heavy duty high quality 10'x10' tents for meets. At times these tents were left at the school and used by other sports teams. This has consistently been a disaster with damaged tents being returned.
I have the newest tent (E-Z UP Eclipse II steel) with about 14 broken struts and other miscellaneous damage. The new struts are about $9 each plus shipping. The repair cost might be around $200. I'd like to take up a little collection this time rather than buying parts myself. When repaired it is important that the tents not be kept at the school unless it was a locked up running storage compartment. The best has been a student -parent keeping the tents at a home and bringing them to the bus for meets. Perhaps, we can do a collection at the next meet.
(A little update: Repairs done on this tent were with incorrect strut sizes and probably caused much of the present damage).

See How They Win

The Boston Globe west has decided to cover the Newton South cross country team. I happened to be at practice when the Globe reporter, Sapna Pathak, was watching the team. Steven introduced her to me and she peppered me with questions about the team when I ran for NS. The only part she quoted wrong was about the amount of competitiveness between my coach and Steven. My coach was very competitive but he was also negative. Steven is competitive and positive. Everyone wants to run for Steven.
Read the story at:
http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/articles/2009/09/13/winning_newton_south_cross_country_coach_shares_his_love_of_running/

NSHS alumni results

I've just bookmarked a pile of college XC sites to at least report a few results. Please send in or comment on ones I missed.
- Dartmouth Invitational 3.3 miles; 12 Sept.2009
9 Dahlberg, Bridget, FR Boston College, 20:49.50 9
friend of NS runners:DCL Bedford:
16 Gault, Jon, FR Dartmouth College, 26:44.10 16

- Bentley v Brandeis Dual Meet, 6K, 4 Sept. 2009
1. Sam Donovan, Brandeis, 19.54

- Cornell v Army dual meet 6K, 11 Sept.2009
3 Stephanie Pancoast Cornell Sr 18:34.4 (WestfordAcademy)
4 Kelsey Karys Cornell Fr 18:53.9
When Kelsey was a HS freshman and Stephanie was a HS senior, they fought each other for the DCL XC championship with Kelsey winning. They are now teammates at Cornell.
Cornell photo:


- Baltimore Metro Cross Country Meet - 5K - 9/4/2009
15 Long, Alexander, FR Johns Hopkins, 5:27.1, 16:56.01
- 2009 Navy Invitational - 8K - 9/12/2009, Annapolis
61 Long, Alexander Johns Hopkins 5:37.4, 27:56.90

- 2009 Duquesne Duals - 9/5/09 - 8K
54 Ben Finch CMU 28:23:00
- Waynesburg Invitational - 12 Sept. 2009 - 8K
8 Ben Finch CMU 27:32

- 2009 Redlands Cross Country Invitational - 9/12/2009 - 6K
65 Cameron Fenn, Cal Tech, 5:49, 21:41, 44

- Engineers Cup; Saratoga Springs 12 Sept. 2009 - 8K
22 Weaver, Matt Mit 28:13.62

- Trinity College, Wickham Park, Sept. 12,2009, 5K
42 William Cha, Trinity, 17:34, 5:40

1st dual meet, NS v AB at AB

Both AB girls and boys appear to be greatly improved.
I don't have a story or results. Rumor is boys: AB 26 NS 31 or 32 or 33.
Xulio and David went 1,2 but AB then bunched the rest. I'm sure the team can't wait for number 1 returner, Yugi.
AB girls took 1,2 but NS then took many of the next places. NS 27 AB 30. The results photo is scored incorrectly.
Remember that only 7 from a team can score.
Click here for photos by Jennifer Reed
Click here for photos by Dave Fineman
Click here for photos by Sue Chari
Waiting for results.


I just looked at the photos and it looks like the tradition continues. Should have warned the team to quintuple team Steven.

Steven's preseason team review

From Steven:
We are currently ranked 2nd in the state, 2nd in the Northeast region (New England, NY and PA) and 19th in the nation. I feel that we are not there yet and have lot of work to reach those goals. But I do believe that we have the talent and desire to make those things happen.

I have been coaching at Newton South now for 20 years and I have seen a lot of new and exciting starts to the year and also to the cross country season. This ranks as one of the most exciting starts to our season and year. Our team this year may very well be the deepest team in school history and that is saying a lot as our 1998 JV team beat the Saratoga Springs JV team which was considered at the time the best JV team in the nation. We return All Americans Madeleine Reed, Kathy O' Keefe, Melanie Fineman and also Elizabeth May from our All State championship team of last year. They are joined by fellow team captains Sara Chari and Maddison Willert who were part of the All State team as alternates. We have so many promising new athletes that I will not list them to keep the pressure off of them and also to allow them to earn mention.
But the real story is that we have so many others that will contribute at a varsity level this season as well as having a great JV team. Most years picking the state meet team is pretty clear cut but for maybe one spot. This year we may have a dozen or more kids with a shot of making the state team. We have a lot of kids with limited experience who came in with little mileage, but have promising talent.
I have told our girs that the team that we returned is already among the top 5 best teams in the state history when you look at their best times. This is a very special team and they will make their mark. But what we may all remember about this season after it is done is about just how many kids did make their mark.

This will be a fun season!!!

The season is about to start

Steve and Matt will have team previews shortly.
There are 16 incoming freshman boys and at least 9 freshman girls.
The first meet is against Acton-Boxborough tomorrow. It should start at 4 but please verify if you are thinking of going. It is a great course with lots of opportunities to watch. It looks like the last meet at Acton-Boxborough was 21 Sept. 2005. That means this whole team is unaware of the "tradition". Bring your swimsuits for a dip after the race. I can't be there tomorrow. Hopefully someone can take some shots and send the link to me to post.
21 SEPT.2005 PHOTOS: