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The Winchester High girls cross-country team has had a fall to remember, and it continued last Saturday, Nov. 8, when they captured the program’s first State Division 1B championship on the Wrentham Development Center cross-country 5,000-meter course.
For the record, Coach Kirsten Healey’s team went into the history books by edging out formidable Concord-Carlisle by a mere three points.
To accomplish this history-making moment, the Red & Black had four runners finish in the Top 10 in a race that included 135 competitors.
Freshman Millie McDonald (19:00.60) was the first Winchester harrier to cross the finish line in third place. Junior Julia Ramsey (19:03.70) was close behind in fourth place. Freshman Chloe Chan (19:24.30) came in seventh. Sophomore Caroline Lanz (19:31.40) accounted for a ninth-place finish. Michelle Su (20:25.60, 24th) completed the team’s scoring that resulted in its first-place finish.
Abigail Bastein (20:30.20, 25th) and Alexis Machemer (21:15.80, 50th) were Winchester’s other two runners in this race.
A total of 19 teams ran in this meet, and the Winchester girls once again topped the field with 46 points.
The aforementioned Concord-Carlisle Patriots were right on their heels with 49. Wellesley was a distant third at 116, followed by North Quincy (153), Algonquin Regional (160), Arlington (173), North Andover (200), Natick (222), Chelmsford (253), Belmont (256), King Philip Regional (278), Peabody (295), Marshfield (338), Bridgewater-Raynham Regional (370), Lincoln-Sudbury Regional (415), Woburn (424), Beverly (472), Springfield Central (561) and Barnstable (572).
Boys compete with the state’s elite
The Winchester boys ended up 11th out of 25 teams with 294 points.
Concord-Carlisle was at the head of the class in this race with 44 points. These Patriots were way ahead of second place Natick, who accumulated 70 points. Arlington (133), North Andover (172), Wellesley (207), Xaverian Brothers (209), Belmont (221), Westford Academy (223), Algonquin Regional (238) and Lincoln-Sudbury Regional (282) rounded out the Top 10 in Division 1B throughout the state.
There were 179 boys statewide participating, and Noah Damaske was the first Winchester runner to cross the finish line – 28th overall – in 16:47.80.
Tyler Bernstein (17:04.60, 47th), Noah Mannelli (17:18.00, 60th), Nikola Dimitrov (17:25.00, 64th) and Adel Halaseh (18:06.20, 99th) completed the Winchester scoring in the meet.
Callum Knowles (18:12.70, 105th) and Nate Bickford (18:25.90, 112th) also competed for the Red & Black, but did not factor into the final official scoring results.
The All-State Meet is next up for these two Winchester teams on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Fort Devens’ Willard Park in Ayer.
Joe McConnell is a longtime, award-winning sports editor for numerous North Shore publications. He began covering Winchester sports for the News last November.
