Cullen Wins Divisional Title! Girls Finish 2nd to Lincoln-Sudbury.

Cullen, Armstrong and Donovan at the front.

When all was said and done, everyone appeared to be thinking the same thing... what if?  What if we hadn't gotten sick?  What if we hadn't gotten injured?  What if someone had made a move just the little bit sooner?  But really there is no point in thinking "what if" because at the end of the day everyone gave it their all.  After a long and lustrous season, the girls' cross country team stood on the second step of the podium with medals round their necks and heads held high confirming the highest ever team finish at the Eastern Massachusetts Division 2 Championships in program history!

As the gun sounded and the field sprinted across the starting area at the Wrentham Developmental Center, the division 2 race which was billed as a dual meet between Needham and Lincoln-Sudbury was shaping up as just that.  The fearless freshmen triumvirate of Margie Cullen, Sarah Armstrong and Julianna Donovan ran straight to the front with Caroline Turner in tow and began to dictate the pace as they've done on numerous occasions this fall.  However, Lincoln-Sudbury was quick to counter as sophomore Sydney Clary ran toe-to-toe with Cullen and teammates Morgane Butler, Katie LaScaleia and Sam Cook filled in the ranks.

Cullen runs clear for the win with dad John celebrating behind.

As the field passed the one mile mark, Cullen and Armstrong continued to work together pushing the pace, each one looking the likely winner as  Donovan dropped back just slightly but stayed within striking distance.  As the leaders entered the second mile, Cullen, Clary and Sami Carey of Mansfield opened a gap on their competitors and teammates.  Meanwhile, Turner fought mightily to hold position while teammate Hallie Armstrong who had started more conservatively was closing hard and gaining places rapidly.  As Cullen neared the third mile, she had successfully dropped all of her competition and cruised in to the finish line for the win in 18:53.4 one place and six seconds ahead of Clary.  Donovan who had made a late race surge, managed a magnificent 5th place showing in 19:12.6.  Sarah Armstrong, tiring from her early efforts, held on to 8th place (19:23.8), while Turner finished 18th (19:55.7) and Hallie Armstrong kicked hard to finish 23rd (20:06.5).  Teammates Katie Horton and Rachel Blaustein finished 61st and 78th respectively.

Turner rounds the bend for home.

              
In the end, the L-S Warriors were just too strong as they defeated the Rockets 51-55.  Chelmsford finished a distant third with 105 points.  The second place showing qualified Needham for the All-State Championships to be held at Northfield Mountain and affords them a shot at a state title.

The boys were in a bit of a different scenario.  With no one team standing out as favorites above anyone else, the division appeared wide open.  As the race started a group of athletes formed at the front including Needham's Adrian Amaya, Tommy Kelley and Tyler Hagen along with several runners from defending champion Lincoln-Sudbury, Chelmsford, Billerica and Cambridge Rindge and Latin.  No one wanted to take the lead and consequently the mile was passed at a pedestrian pace.

Amaya strings out the field with Stubbs and Cooney in tow.

As the leaders passed the two mile mark, Amaya began to stretch out the field with freshman sensation Sam Stubbs of Cambridge Rindge and Latin and Quinn Cooney of Chelmsford in hot pursuit.  Hagen and Kelley seemed to struggle mightily as they navigated the undulating Wrentham course and gradually lost contact with the top group.  Meanwhile, Alex Elman who had gone out more conservatively made a valiant effort to move through the field and tow teammates Zak Heier, John Benner and Ben Baron along with him.

As the leaders rounded the final hairpin, it was Stubbs who made the definitive move to the front outkicking Amaya for the win and becoming the first freshman in Massachusetts state history to break the 16:00 barrier by the slimmest of margins.  Amaya held on for second place in a PR of 16:03.3.  Hagen finished 12th (16:37.8), Kelley 41st (17:18.0), Heier 58th (17:35.1), Benner 59th (17:35.4), Baron 62nd (17:39.2) and Elman 68th (17:49.5). 

When all runners were in and the score had been calculated, it was Chelmsford who came out victorious scoring 53 points well ahead of runner-up Cambridge Rindge and Latin (87), Lincoln-Sudbury (104) and Mansfield (130).  Needham had to settle for 6th place with 167, still their highest divisional finish since 2007.  Individually, Amaya and Hagen qualified for the state meet and will represent Needham at Northfield Mountain.

Full results can be found at: http://www.coolrunning.com/results/12/ma/Nov10_MIAAEa_set1.shtml.

Photos courtesy of Ken Horton and Jocko Rooney.