Girls Win First BSC Title in Program History! Boys Finish Regular Season at 9-2.

Bay State Conference Champions: Girls finish regular season 11-0.

Turner on her way to victory.

Coach O'Connell

Tuesday October 23rd, Needham hosted their final home meet of the season against the Wellesley Raiders and both Rocket teams came out victorious.  The girls' team entered the meet undefeated in conference competition and continued to do what they've done all season long: win.  Caroline Turner, Margie Cullen, Sarah Armstrong, Julianna Donovan and Rachel Blaustein eased into the race on the first lap running just off the pace of Wellesley's Eileen Monagle and Valerie Collins.  To the uninitiated spectator, it would appear that Wellesley was in control as several more of their athletes filled in behind.  On the second lap however, Collins began to fade as the quartet of Turner, Cullen, Armstrong and Donovan continued to stalk their prey.  With 400 meters remaining, Needham threw in a surge and caught the tiring Wellesley runner.  To Monagle's credit, as all five athletes sprinted for the line, she held onto 4th place to prevent a complete Needham sweep.  None-the-less, Turner a senior,  finished fastest to win in 20:41 in her final race at Cutler Park.  Armstrong and Cullen finished 2nd and 3rd with Donovan 5th.  Blaustein finished 8th, Daria Fortin 11th and Erica Koljonen 14th in Needham's 19-36 rout of Wellesley. 

The boys' race on the other hand could not have been more different.  Both teams entered the meet with a record of 8-2 but having been dealt losses by different teams.  Needham's Adrian Amaya and Tyler Hagen ran straight to the front with Wellesley's Danny Palladino.  Behind the front-running trio, a sea of Wellesley and Needham runners flowed over the paths and trails of Cutler Park.  The Rockets ran tough to finish in alternating order as Amaya lowered his own course record for the third time this season finishing in 16:24 with Palladino a close second in 16:26.  Hagen finished a solid 3rd in 16:44, Tommy Kelley 5th in 16:59, John Benner 7th in 17:13 and Zak Heier came on strong to close out the fop five running 10th in 17:31.  When all was said and done, Needham eked out a 26-29 win over Wellesley putting nine runners ahead of the Raiders' sixth.

John Benner, Zak Heier and Alex Elman run as a pack.

Captain Noah Mertz looking determined.

Previously, both Rocket teams easily defeated the Framingham Flyers in a dual meet held on October 16th.  While counting toward their win/loss record, the meet lacked any true excitement and was merely a stepping stone toward greater accomplishments as the season comes to a close.

Full results can be found at: http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/School.aspx?SchoolID=19349.