Girls' cross-country
Runners of the Year
Lindsay Donaldson, L-S
 DIVISION 1 |
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In her first season of cross-country, Donaldson proved to be the state's best. Donaldson's impressive season was highlighted by first-place finishes at the state championship, the EMass championship, and the Bay State Invitational. She finished second at the Brown Invitational and sixth at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional Championships. Donaldson's state title was her third (she also won two titles for track). Her time of 16 minutes 54 seconds at the Brown Invitational would have been a course record hadn't Nicole Blood (N.Y.) finished two seconds earlier. Previously Donaldson's autumns were devoted to soccer. But seeking a way to improve her status as an overall runner, she elected to switch to cross-country for her senior year. |
Alexandra Krieg, Wellesley
DIVISION 2 |
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Krieg turned a lot of heads this season and will be the odds-on favorite for Runner of the Year next year as a senior. Krieg notched victories at the State Coaches Invitational (19:36.56) and EMass Division 3 championship (19:15.44) at Franklin Park. She finished third (19:35) at the All-State Division 2 meet at the Northfield Mountain Recreation Center.Krieg became one of the state's top runners this year. Along with teammate and fellow All-Scholastic Brielle Chabot, Krieg led the young, undermanned Wellesley squad to a second-place finish in EMass. Krieg, a high honors student, also runs both indoor and outdoor track and enjoys playing the piano and painting. |
Coaches of the Year
Jack Lang, Chelmsford
DIVISION 1 |
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In his 30th year as coach of the Lions, Jack Lang led Chelmsford to one of its best seasons. Chelmsford has been undefeated in the Merrimack Valley for each of the last four years and won the EMass Division 2 championship. At the state championships, the Lions placed second, earning 127 overall points. Prior to the season, Chelmsford set its sights on the Emass championship and worked as a team to reach that goal. With three top-10 finishers, the Lions (78) edged Newton South (94) for the title. Lang has a career coaching record of 169-57 (with 12 league championships). He is a member of the Mass State Coaches Hall of Fame and was named Merrimack Valley Coach of the Year each of the last three seasons. |
Keith O'Brien, Tyngsboro
DIVISION 2 |
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O'Brien's Tigers captured their second EMass Division 4 championship in three years this season, led by the efforts of Anisse Viera, Holly Johnson, and Meghan Bowden. At the state championships at Northfield Mountain, the Tigers finished sixth. They were this year's Commonwealth Conference champion, finishing with a 9-1 record, and placed second at the Catholic Memorial Invitational. This was O'Brien's fifth year with the Tigers and his third as head coach. O'Brien also coaches Tyngsboro's outdoor track team as well as Westford Academy's indoor track team. A graduate of Chelmsford High School (1982) and Holy Cross (1986), he enjoys hiking, running, and skiing. |
The All-Scholastics
Meghan Barrett, Bishop Feehan
SENIOR |
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Barrett, captain of the Shamrocks, was an Eastern Athletic Conference All-Star and placed second at the conference meet. She also had top-five finishes at the Bay State Invitational and the EMass Division 3 championship. At the state meet, Bishop Feehan won the both the boys' and the girls' Division 2 titles, a feat that had never been accomplished. Barrett also serves as captain of the Bishop Feehan indoor track team and competes on the outdoor team. She serves as president of both the Science National Honor Society and the Music Honor Society. Barrett is a member of the student council and plays the oboe in the band. She has not decided on her college plans. |
Megan Brousseau, Attleboro
SENIOR |
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Brousseau finished third at the EMass Division 1 race (19:13.07) and finished fifth at both the Brown Invitational (18:37) and the Bay State Invitational (19:14.05). She finished 13th in 20:11.74 at the state championship at Northfield Mountain. She capped her high school career with an Eastern Athletic Conference title, going undefeated in the league. Brousseau serves as captain three seasons of the year, cross-country in fall, indoor track in the winter, and outdoor track in the spring. Brousseau is in the top five percent of her class and is a member of the National Honor Society. She tutors and enjoys singing. Brousseau plans to attend Wheaton next year. |
Elizabeth Bacon, Newton South
JUNIOR |
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There's nothing like competing in one of the strongest leagues in the state to prepare you for the major-meet season. A junior, Bacon served as the Lions' captain and had a great year. She finished fourth at the EMass Division 1 championship and placed third at the Dual County League meet. She also finished ninth at the Brown Inivitational and 21st at the Division 1 state championship. Bacon set her 3K personal best this year with a time of 19 minutes 10 seconds. Look for her to be one of the state's best runners next year as a senior. Bacon is an honor roll student and enjoys riflery, waterskiing, and dancing. She also competes in indoor and outdoor track. |
Brielle Chabot, Wellesley
SOPHOMORE |
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Get used to hearing her name. Only a sophomore, Chabot had a terrific season, capturing sixth place in the Division 2 state championship (20:36) and fourth in the EMass Division 3 race (19:51.43). Chabot had first-place finishes at the Catholic Memorial Sophomore Division 1 race (19:43.55) and at the State Coaches Invitational (19:58.96). She has shown significant improvement since last season and should be one of the state's best runners next year. With teammate Alexandra Krieg, she provided Wellesley with one of the best 1-2 punches in the state. With both runners returning next year, Wellesley should be a force to be reckoned with. |
Michelle Cox, Marblehead
JUNIOR |
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Cox turned heads this season when she placed fifth at the Division 2 state championship (20:08). Previously she had finished 13th at the EMass Division 3 race (20;27.31) and third at the Northeastern Conference meet. Cox runs track all three seasons, and has been a big part of the indoor and spring track teams' success. She has thrived in Marblehead's very competitive program. Look for her to continue to improve and be one of the state's top runners. Her interests include art and design and she is undecided about college at this point. |
Meghan Curran, Chelmsford
JUNIOR |
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This Chelmsford junior had a very successful season. While going undefeated in the Merrimack Valley Conference, she led her team to a 10-0 season. At the conference championship, she beat the field by 49 seconds. Her first-place finish at the EMass Division 1 championship (18:44.74) played an essential role in helping her team capture its first Division 1 title. Curran's 11th-place finish at the state championship (20:02.47) led the Lions to second place. Curran's performances earned her the MVC Runner of the Year award. The former field hockey player is a member of the National Honor Society. |
Ashley Davidson, Natick
SENIOR |
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As captain and MVP of the Redmen, Davidson led Natick to a Bay State Conference championship. The Redmen finished 10-2 overall and undefeated in the league. Davidson also placed third at the EMass Division 2 championship with a time of 18 minutes 44.94 seconds. This season she was named a Bay State Conference All-Star for the fourth time in her high school career. Davidson is also captain of Natick's indoor and outdoor track teams and has earned all-star honors on the oval. This is the second time she has been named an All-Scholastic. In addition to running, Davidson enjoys singing. She is undecided as to her college plans. |
Liz Gleason, Newton North
SENIOR |
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Gleason's senior year was highlighted by a second-place finish at the EMass Division 1 championship. Her time at the Franklin Park race was 18 minutes 50.14 seconds, less than six seconds behind Chelmsford's Meghan Curran. She also finished sixth at the Division 1 state championship (19:35.76) and won the State Coaches Invitational (19:02.01). Last fall she finished in 12th place in the state championship. Her top 5K time of the season was 18:50. She is a second-time All-Scholastic and an honor roll student. Gleason is also a member of Newton North's indoor and outdoor track teams where she has also earned all-star honors. She has not decided on a college. |
Cassi Knight, Concord-Carisle
SOPHOMORE |
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This season Knight, only a sophomore yet a two-time Dual County League All-Star, continued to improve. She finished sixth in the EMass Division 2 championship (19:47.8) at Franklin Park and eighth at the state championship. Her time at the state meet was 19 minutes 51.18 seconds on the very difficult Northfield Mountain course. Knight made a name for herself last season, finishing seventh at the Dual County League meet as she led her team to second place overall. She is a member of the honor roll and enjoys outdoor activities including cross-country skiing and hiking. |
Kate Knowles, Chelmsford
SOPHOMORE |
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A summer of hard work produced a great first season of cross-country for Knowles. After finishing second at the Merrimack Valley Conference meet, she placed sixth at the EMass Division 1 championship with a time of 19 minutes 43.88 seconds. One week later, she finished 29th at the state championships (20:59.98). Knowles joined with fellow All-Scholastic Meghan Curran to lead the Lions to the Division 1 state title. A Merrimack Valley Conference All-Star, she should only improve so watch out for her next season as a junior. She enjoys painting and drawing. A high honor roll student, Knowles plans to run both indoor and outdoor track this winter and spring. |
Meredith Leenhouts, Franklin
SENIOR |
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This Hockomock League champion finished undefeated in league competition. Leenhouts finished fourth at the EMass Division 2 championship with a time of 19 minutes 4.13 seconds. She placed fifth at the Manchester Invitational. At both events she led her team to the overall victory. The EMass victory marked the second time the Panthers claimed the title with Leenhouts. She excels in both indoor and outdoor track. In the spring she was state champion in the 800 and earned All-Scholastic honors. She is a member of the National Honor Society and hopes to go to college in the Northeast. Her hobbies and interests include peer leadership and art. |
Kylynn McKinley, Marblehead
JUNIOR |
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McKinley improved on a terrific sophomore year in which she finished first in the Northeastern Conference. This season she finished second at the EMass Division 3 championship with a time of 19 minutes 21.91 seconds. A week later, she placed fourth at the Division 2 state championship with a time of 19:51. As a sophomore, McKinley finished 11th at the EMass championships and ninth at the state championship. She also competes in indoor and outdoor track, where she earned conference all-star honors, and enjoys playing badminton. The junior has plans to run at the college level as well. |
Jillian McNabb, Lexington
FRESHMAN |
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The talented McNabb is this year's only freshman All-Scholastic in cross-country. She finished the season ranked the state's top freshman runner. McNabb turned heads when she captured the Brown Invitational Championship (freshman division). She finished fifth at the EMass Division 1 race (in 19 minutes 38.19 seconds) and 15th at the state championship in 20:14.20. In the winter she plays hockey before it's back to running (outdoor track) in the spring. McNabb enjoys participating in outdoor activities such as snowboarding. She is an honor roll student and is enrolled in advanced math and Spanish. |
Katy O'Brien, Oliver Ames
SENIOR |
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O'Brien captured the South Shore Principals championship with a time of 16 minutes 23 seconds and is making her third appearance on the All-Scholastic pages. She finished fourth at the McIntyre Invitational (19:07.40) and ninth at the state championship (19:56). O'Brien finished fifth at the EMass Division 2 championship at Franklin Park with a time of 19:24, leading her team to an impressive third-place finish. She also runs indoor and outdoor track where she has earned Hockomock All-Star honors. O'Brien is a member of the National Honor Society and ranks 21st in her class (3.94 GPA). She enjoys art and is looking at Boston College, Tufts, Stonehill, and Providence College. |
Heather Wilson, Danvers
SENIOR |
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Wilson was this year's Northeastern Conference MVP, placing first at the NEC league meet. She placed second at the EMass Division 2 meet with a time of 18 minutes 44 seconds (her personal best) and third at the Division 1 state championship. Wilson qualified for the state championship in all four years of her high school career. She also serves as captain for the Falcons' indoor and outdoor track teams. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the World Language National Honor Society. Wilson is an AP/Honors student and is undecided on her plans for college. |
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The All-Scholastic girls' cross-country team was selected by the school sports staff. Selection is limited to MIAA schools that compete in EMass leagues. Text by Jeff Schaible. Photos by David Kamerman.
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