More than 350 students participated in individual and relay races at Franklin Park on Thursday
Franklin Park, Boston, Mass. (20-Oct) – Champions were crowned on a picture-perfect fall morning at the 2023 Boston Middle School Cross Country Championships on Thursday, October 19. Hosted by the Boston Athletic Association at Franklin Park, more than 350 middle school student-athletes from 14 City of Boston schools competed over a 1.1-mile course.
Since 1997, the B.A.A. has hosted the Boston Middle School Cross Country Championships in an effort to celebrate healthy lifestyles and promote physical fitness among Boston youths. Nearly 13,000 student-athletes have participated in the Boston Middle School Cross Country Championships since its inception.
Complete Boston Middle School Cross Country Championships results are available here, along with video of athletes crossing the finish line.
Event coverage from media partner WCVB can be found here.
Eliot K-8 Innovation School swept the top four spots in the girl’s race, led by sixth grader Caleigh Moore in 7:20.1. Eliot School’s top four finished within a ten second span of one another, as behind Moore was sixth grader Mairin Goff in second (7:23.7); sixth grader Lexi Uber in third (7:24.8); and seventh grader Grace Nothnagle in fourth (7:30.9). Rounding out the top five was Warren Prescott sixth grader Ava Hess in 7:31.2.
A total of 18 girls broke 8 minutes for the 1.1 mile course, with 196 finishers overall. Eliot scored 20 points to successfully retain their girls team title, followed by John D. O’Bryant School (51) and Warren Prescott School (111).
While it was a close race for most of the boy’s competition, John D. O’Bryant eighth grader Miles Endozo pulled away for the victory in 6:20.4 down the stretch. Joining Endozo on the podium were Edison’s Josiah Bowen (6:29.6 for second) and O’Bryant’s Timothy Pritchard (6:32.9 for third), both also eighth grade student-athletes. Fourth and fifth place went to Haciel Mejia and Roger Orellano, both Edison, in 6:38.2 and 6:39.7 respectively. Each of the top eleven boys completed the loop course in under 7 minutes.
The boys of Edison went from third last year to first this year in the team standings, tallying 33 points. Each of their five scoring runners placed within the top 15. Eliot K-8 Innovation was second (63 points) followed by O’Bryant (88). A field of 158 boys started and finished the race.
The final race of the day consisted of a Co-Ed Relay, with two heats racing the clock to proclaim a team champion. Edison narrowly came out on top, finishing the two girls and two boys relay in 1:10.5 ahead of Eliot (1:12.4) and Warren Prescott (1:14.3).
All finishers were presented B.A.A. unicorn medals by two-time Olympian and B.A.A. High Performance Team Coach Mark Carroll, who was joined by professional runners Annie Rodenfels, Abbey Wheeler, and Eric Hamer who compete for the B.A.A. at events around the nation.
Thursday’s races not only served as the City’s cross country championship meet, but also as a qualifier event for April’s B.A.A. Middle School 1K. The B.A.A. Middle School 1K is held as part of the B.A.A. Invitational Mile, where athletes from each of the eight cities and towns along the Boston Marathon route compete on Boylston Street.
The Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A. is committed to a world where all people can access and benefit from running and an active lifestyle.
ABOUT THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (B.A.A.)
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A. manages the Boston Marathon, and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round programming. The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. Starting in 2024, the Boston Marathon’s presenting partner will be Bank of America. The 128th Boston Marathon is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 15, 2024. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.
