The duo runs together almost every race, and yesterday helped push one another to personal bests and a Division 2 girls’ team victory at the Catholic Memorial Invitational at Franklin Park.

“That’s what everyone always says about Milton, that we have depth and we have a big pack,’’ said Collins, who placed first in 19:53, just two seconds ahead of Hughes.

“It’s a testament to them,’’ said Wildcats assistant coach Tom Shaw. “They put a lot of hard work in over the summer to put themselves where they’re at right now, to put themselves in this position to have a lot of strong front-runners. So I think it just means they’re dedicated to the sport and dedicated to the team and that’s what puts them up front.’’

Milton (31) placed three runners in the top six and five in the top 20. Alvirne, N.H. (76) edged out Hingham (77) for second place.

Division 2 boys: Despite recovering from a ligament tear in his shoulder that left him sidelined this summer, Minuteman’s Tyler Faulkner defeated Whittier’s Bryan Stanley in a tight race.

Faulkner (16:32.6) didn’t run for the Mustangs until three weeks into the season because of a motocross accident, but said he felt strong. The senior didn’t sense any urgency until Bear Cage Hill, when Stanley (16:33) drew near.

“When I felt him getting closer I was like, ‘Oh gosh, I’ve got to run a little bit faster,’ and I just picked up the pace just a little bit, ’’ said Faulkner, whose team finished ninth.

Hingham (137) finished first behind strong performances by sixth-place runner Michael McConville and 12th-place runner Michael Bacarri. Wakefield finished second with a 148 and Triton third with a 160.

Division 1 girls: Although Haverhill’s Julie Solimine was neck-and-neck with Mary Cole of Franklin for the first two laps, the Hillies standout got a second wind to push her to first place.

“We were entering the woods . . . just into the second mile, and I took the turn before her and then I just tried to pull away as much as I could,’’ said Solimine, who finished in 18:58.6. “I was pretty tired but . . . I just kept telling myself, ‘We’re both tired. You can do it.’”

It was Solimine’s first win at Franklin Park. She placed placed eighth at the All-State meet at the park last year.

The Hillies placed fourth behind a dominant Bishop Guertin (56) and Franklin (57) in the team competition. The Cardinals had four runners in the top 13 finishers, and the Eagles placed another two in the top 10 along with Cole (19:04.1). Pinkerton Academy (96) was third.

Division 1 boys: Although Francis Hernandez of Bishop Guertin wasn’t satisfied with his finishing time (15:47), the modest three-time CMI winner still bested his previous time by a second.

“The only thing I was worried about coming into the race was my time,’’ Hernandez said. “It’s easy to fall asleep in the front of the pack. It’s a lot harder to run the race if you have nobody in front of you [to work] off of.’’

Hernandez helped earn the Cardinals (76) a second-place team finish behind a stacked Pinkerton Academy (37). Chris Pietrocarlo and Jake Hawkins was second and third for the Astros. Lowell (142) was third.

Individual titles went to Arlington’s Anthony Taylor in Division 1 (16:19.3), Seekonk’s Johnny Gregorek in Division 2 (15:56.8). For the girls, Newton North’s Margo Gillis won Division 1 (19:30) and Hamilton-Wenham’s Alison Lanois took Division 2 (19:27.5).