Track All-Time Lists are up!

If you check the top of the right-hand column, you'll see links for the Track Leaderboard for distance events. I've grouped each one by Overall, Freshmen, and 8th Grade. Marks achieved this year are listed in orange, already new faces on the board, and people already on the board who've moved up!

Attleboro Splits

I'm going to start posting splits for indoor meets on this site, since it's easier than everyone checking their e-mails. The splits for the Attleboro meet can be viewed here

Everyone who ran the same race as the opener went faster in this meet, and a lot of people got their PR's. Quite a few others were only a couple seconds off their PR's, too!

Indoor Track Varsity & JV Schedule

***I'm also putting this on the right hand column with all the links, so when future posts get added above this it'll still be easy to find

Please note that not all athletes will run in the Varsity Meets due to entry limitations, and invitational meets have entry limitations and/or cutoff standards.

Varsity Schedule

FRI 12/13 7:30 p.m. vs. Franklin
FRI 12/20 7:30 p.m. vs Attleboro
SAT 1/4 10:00 a.m. Freshman/Sophomore Meet
THR 1/16 4:30 p.m. vs. Oliver Ames
SAT 1/18 3:00 p.m. Division 1 Relays
FRI 1/24 4:00 p.m. vs. King Philip
SUN 1/26 10:00 a.m. Coaches Invitational
THR 1/30 7:00 p.m. vs. Mansfield
SAT 2/8 8:30 a.m. Hockomock Championship
WED 2/12 4:30 p.m. Division 1 State Meet
SAT 2/22 10:30 a.m. All-State Meet
SAT 2/29 TBA New Englands

JV Meet Schedule
FRI 1/3 7:30 p.m. at Wheaton
TUE 1/7 7:30 p.m. at Wheaton
FRI 1/10 3:30 p.m. at Wheaton
MON 1/20 9:00 a.m. "Paul Davey JV Invitational" at Wheaton

Coaches Invitational Schedule

7:30 - Be at THS
7:45 - Bus leaves
8:30 - Arrive at Wrentham Developmental Center
9:30 - Sophomore Girls (5K)
9:59 - Sophomore Boys (5K)
10:25 - Freshman Girls (3K)
10:44 - Freshman Boys (3K)
11:01 - Junior Girls (5K)
11:28 - Junior Boys (5K)
11:51 - Senior Girls (5K)
12:18 - Senior Boys (5K)

History at Hocks!

On a terrific day for racing, all levels of our program either tied or broke historical records.

The JV's started us out in style. Previously, we had never even run enough runners (five) to score as a team at this meet; despite Kaicey being the only non-rookie among our six runners to toe the line, and many of the girls having never raced a 5K at an invitational, we rose to the challenge.

12) Kaicey Melito-Santos, 25:32
13) Stephanie Rodriguez, 25:34
14) Sarah Mendonca, 25:38
16) Megan Conlon, 25:46
37) Kim Ryan, 27:10
49) Mackenzie Wallace, 30:13

The varsity race saw similar tactics to the JV...letting an early lead individual or pack in the race burn up the field for us. Despite not having anyone in the top 15, we still finished fifth, tying our best finish in program history, thanks to great depth and terrific pack running.

19) Nia Mainer-Smith, 21:09
25) Lily Valcovic, 21:34
30) Olivia Dias, 22:02
31) Taty Mainer-Smith, 22:05
44) Livvy Weber, 22:25
50) Kailey Melito-Santos, 22:35
73) Kiley Quinlan, 24:04
84) Phylicia Dias, 24:49
86) Lauren Iolli, 24:58

Hockomock Championship Meet Info

Be at the High School by 7, we leave at 7:15.

8:00 - Arrive at Wrentham Developmental Center
9:00 - Coed 3K
9:30 - Boys JV 5K
10:00 - Girls JV 5K
10:30 - Boys Varsity 5K
11:00 - Girls Varsity 5K
11:30 - Awards
We should be back by 12:30

Live results on mstcatiming.org

Freshmen 7th as a team at PR-filled Twilight!

The freshmen and eighth graders got the momentum going on a PR-filled night at the Cape Cod Fairgrounds in Falmouth. Many had a faster avg/mile than they did on shorter JV courses during the year. As a team, they finished seventh overall!

Freshman Race (2.1 miles)
Kiley Quinlan, 15:16.5 (7:16/mile pace), top 40 overall!
Megan Conlon, 15:59.7 (7:37/mile pace)
Sarah Mendonca, 16:07.4 (7:41/mile pace)
Phylicia Dias, 16:12.3 (7:43/mile pace)
Stephanie Rodriguez, 16:15.5 (7:44/mile pace)
Kim Ryan, 17:22.3 (8:16/mile pace)

About half of the teams didn't have enough runners (five minimum) for team scoring. Of the six teams that beat us, three Wellesley (#14), Concord-Carlisle (#2), Hopkinton (#18) are ranked in the top 20 for the state.

Sophomore Race
Lauren Iolli - 24:21, over 40 second seasonal PR!
Kaicey Melito-Santos - 24:50, 1:45 PR!

JV Race
Mackenzie Wallace - 27:41, just missed her PR by 4 seconds!

Varsity Race
Kailey Melito-Santos, 21:06, 43 second seasonal PR!
Livvy Weber, 21:11, 36 second seasonal PR, 2 seconds off alltime PR!
Taty Mainer-Smith, 21:57, 10 second seasonal PR!
Olivia Dias, 22:13, seasonal PR!
Lily Valcovic, 22:31
Sarah Roberts, 23:57, seasonal PR!

Twilight Schedule/Info

Location: Barnstable Fairgrounds, which is in FALMOUTH, not Barnstable

Bus leaves at 2:30. Don't be "That kid"!
Bring money for merch if interested, good prices for T-shirts and everything else

BRING LAYERS - It's supposed to start in the mid-50s, but gets to the mid-40s by the last races. BUT there's also a decent breeze, so it'll feel colder.

5:00 Freshman Girls (2.1 miles)
5:25 Freshman Boys (2.1 miles)
5:45 Sophomore Girls (3.1 miles)
6:15 Sophomore Boys (3.1 miles)
6:40 JV Girls (3.1 miles)
7:10 JV Boys (3.1 miles)
7:35 Varsity Girls (3.1 miles)
8:00 Varsity Boys (3.1 miles)

What's recommended for each grade to bring for the food table

8th graders: Drinks (water, Gatorade, G2, etc.)
Freshmen: Healthy snacks (fruit, granola bars etc.)
Sophomores: "lunchy" items (sandwiches, subs)
Juniors: "Healthy" sweets
Seniors: Sides (fruit salads, pasta, etc.)

There is a $5 entry fee for spectators, and no dogs are allowed on the fairgrounds.

Lots of Medals at Bay State Invitational

We had a great day at the Bay State Invitational in Wrentham, as two girls teams and one of our coed relay teams earned top-10 medals!

The Fr/So race was first. Kim and Megan split 7:49 and 7:26, while the team of Steph (7:36), Kaicey (7:47) and Sarah M. (7:38 for 1.1 miles, so 6:56 pace/mile) took 15th out of 20 Div. 1 teams. Meanwhile, the trio of Lauren (7:30), Phylicia (7:00), and Kiley (7:27 for 1.1 = 6:45/mile pace) finished 10th, earning out first set of medals!

Not to be outdone, our lone Junior/Senior relay team medaled as well. Lily got us out in the top 10 overall, handing off after a 6:29 to Olivia in eighth place. Olivia then dropped a 6:08 over uneven terrain and was in fifth place when she handed off to Livvy. Catching a girl ahead of her, and fighting off a deep pack that lurked mere seconds behind for most of her 1.1 mile segment, Livvy finished in 7:06 (6:23/mile pace), 4th overall and 3rd in Division 1!

We had two coed teams, as Sarah Roberts ran with Andrew and Hans, spliltting 7:07 as her team took 12th, just missing a medal. Kailey Melito-Santos split 6:24 as the second runner on a team with Colin and Matt, as they took sixth in Division 1!

Bay State (Relay) Invitational Info

Be at Taunton by 8AM for bus departure!

10:00 Fr/So Girls
Kiley, Phylicia, Lauren
Kaicey, Sarah M, Stephanie
10:28 Fr/So Boys
Brayden, Andrew, Jack P.
Daris, Shawn C, Sam D
Jack V, Ray, Aiden
Jack C, Jackson, Alec
Ryan, Quincy, Bradley
10:55 Jr/Sr Girls
Lily, Olivia D, Livvy W
11:20 Jr/Sr Boys
Ty, Nolan, Colin
Jeremy, Zachary, Steven
11:44 Coed #1 (2G,1B) 
12:10 Coed #2 (1G,2B)
Kailey, Lucas, Matt L
Sarah R, Hans, Andrew L
Megan, Kim, TBD

We should be back to THS by 1:45
***The MSTCA has posted a reminder for all athletes, coaches, and fans from all teams regarding the facility. The grounds of the WDC campus (the residential facility) are off-limits, no one is allowed to walk through or warmup/cooldown in that area. If you stay on the course or the grassy area near the bus drop-off, you're fine. They appreciate your cooperation.

Girls pick up big win at Attleboro!

On a hilly 5K, with steady winds, the girls overcame the elements and an early deficit to win 25-30 at Attleboro. We're now 2-2, entering the finale at Mansfield next Tuesday.

Attleboro had the top two finishers, but our depth was the difference.

3) Lily Valcovic, 22:32
4) Kailey Melito-Santos, 22:53
5) Livvy Weber, 23:11
6) Nia Mainer-Smith, 23:36
7) Olivia Dias, 23:47
11) Kiley Quinlan, 25:09
13) Sarah Roberts, 26:32
15) Lauren Iolli, 28:11
16) Sarah Mendonca, 28:38
17) Kaicey Melito-Santos, 28:55
18) Megan Conlon, 28:56
21) Mackenzie Wallace, 32:20

Attleboro Meet Info

Location: Highland Park, 104 Mechanic St, Attleboro...it's the old golf course which has been bought by the city and turned into a park.

Races: No JV, so everyone runs the 3.1 mile distance. Boys race first (4 or 4:15), girls afterwards

Course Notes

2 Loops, mostly flat, on grass (old golf course), great for spikes. Only uphills are about 40-60m in length, all immediately after a gradual downhill. Steepest one is near end of loop, can be described as a slightly longer/steeper version of the one we have that goes through the gate up to our track. Well-marked, long flag sections still up from invitational.

Note: “DH/UH” = downhill/uphill combo. Most of the time when you get an uphill on this course, it’s immediately after a downhill.

There's a course video available at this site (it's the SECOND one on the link, so scroll down)

http://baystaterunning.com/article/new-x-c-course-should-create-excitement-for-ma-runners

Loop 1

Start: DH/UH combo immediately in first 200m, then flat until a wide U-turn at around 400m. Long straightaway after that, another DH/UH combo from 625-750m (uphill is about 45m in length). 45 degree turn at 800m mark, which is nearly even with starting line (See 1:08-1:20 on video)

Can get into a groove after 800, some turns but very flat until just past the mile mark.

Another DH/UH combo at 180-300m after the mile. See 2:50-3:00 on video

Then another long flat section for about another 400m, with some turns

Then you make a close to 90 degree lefthand turn, surface becomes dark gray stone dust and you’re between two large grassy mounds. (See 3:22 of video).

The biggest DH/UH combo is here. This uphill is the steepest, but it also looks worse than it is, because you see the DH section immediately before it. Uphill has about 60ft of easy incline (1-2% grade), then ramps up to probably 5% grade for another 80 ft. Sharp left turn, which puts you about 100m shy of the end of loop, parallel to the start.

Loop 2

***You don’t do the DH/UH section from the very start, as Loop 2 has you going parallel off to the right before rejoining the rest of the loop. So you can get into a groove again after the short, steep uphill towards the end of the first loop.

Next DH/UH combo is just before the 2M, which was also in the same spot (roughly) as the 800m mark. Another one a bit after 2.5 miles.

Some key “Distances to Finish line” for landmarks on 2nd loop

450m = edge of stone dust, even with end of the section between the grassy mounds, when you’re staring at the last uphill.

365-325m = the uphill

155m = end of green flags, DH, long straightaway before finish chute area.

Big PR's in loss to Franklin on Senior Day

Although we fell 15-43 to undefeated Franklin, we had several big seasonal PR's on both the 1.75 mile and 3.1 mile courses.

JV
13:21 - Sarah Mendonca (35 sec. PR, 20 sec/mile for this distance!)
13:57 - Stephanie Ryan...just missed her PR!
14:21 - Megan Conlon (11 second PR)
15:10 - Kim Ryan (15 second PR!)

Varsity
21:12 - Nia Mainer-Smith (28 second PR!)
21:22 - Lily Valcovic...just missed by 1 second
21:40 - Livvy Weber (11 second PR)
22:03 - Kailey Melito-Santos
24:10 - Phylicia Dias (18 second PR)
24:12 - Kiley Quinlan (12 second PR)
24:16 - Sarah Roberts
25:57 - Lauren Iolli
26:42 - Kaicey Melito-Santos (98 second PR vs. 5K in Milford)
27:37 - Mackenzie Wallace...first 5K, qualifies easily for Twilight!

Here are our happy seniors....Kailey, Taty, and Sarah!

Big PR's in JV race...Varsity loses close one to KP

In our second meet, home and overall, of the season, the varsity race saw our girls lose narrowly to King Philip, 26-29. The JV race went well - didn't have separate boys/girls scores, but some good performances.

Also please check below for the race times for Saturday's Frank Kelley Invite. As of now, the bus is scheduled to leave at 10:45 AM.

Varsity Place/Times
3) Nia Mainer-Smith (22:05)
5) Olivia Dias (22:14)
6) Lily Valcovic (22:17)
7) Livvy Weber (22:18)
8) Taty Mainer-Smith (22:29)
14) Kiley Quinlan (24:24, 2 second PR!)
15) Sarah Roberts (24:59)
18) Phylicia Dias (25:21)

JV Times
13:58 - Sarah Mendonca
14:07 - Lauren Iolli
14:18 - Kaicey Melito-Santos
14:32 - Megan Conlon (18 second PR!)
15:25 - Kim Ryan (23 second PR!)
16:09 - MacKenzie Wallace (3 second PR!)

Saturday Schedule
10:45 - Bus Departs (so get to THS by 10:30)
11:20 - Arrive at Wrentham Developmental Center
12:30 - Girls Championship Race (5K)
12:57 - Boys Championship Race (5K)
1:20 - Division 1 Girls 9/10 Grade Race (3K)
1:39 - Division 1 Boys 9/10 Grade Race (3K)
1:56 - Division 1 Girls 11/12 Grade Race (3K)
2:15 - Division 1 Boys 11/12 Grade Race (3K)
3:00 - Leave Wrentham
3:40 - Return to THS

Girls Beat Oliver Ames, JV crush new course as well!

In our season opener, as well as the first meet with the (slightly) new version of the home course, the varsity girls picked up a 25-30 win thanks to great pack running. The JV race saw several athletes smash their avg/mile from last week, and a few others making a sensational debut.

Everyone who raced at Milford ran faster (avg/mile) today...Varsity by an average of 14.4 sec/mile (or 43 sec over the course of a 5K race), JV by an average of 52 sec/mile (about 90 seconds over a JV course length)

Varsity Results

3) Lily Valcovic (21:21)....7 sec/mile faster than at Milford

4) Nia Mainer-Smith (21:40)

5) Kailey Melito-Santos (21:49)...25 sec/mile faster than at Milford

6) Livvy Weber (21:51)...16 sec/mile faster than at Milford

7) Taty Mainer-Smith (22:07)

13) Sarah Roberts (23:59)...13 sec/mile faster than Milford

18) Kiley Quinlan (24:26)

19) Phylicia Dias (24:28)...11 sec/mile faster than Milford

JV Results (counting just the girls)

1) Lara Alves-Furtado (13:30)...1:43/mile faster than at Milford

4) Stephanie Rodriguez (13:50)....3 sec/mile faster than at Milford

7) Sarah Mendonca (13:56)

8) Kaicey Melito-Santos (13:58)

9) Lauren Iolli (14:00)

15) Megan Conlon (14:50)...46 sec/mile faster than at Milford

18) Kim Ryan (15:48)

19) Mackenzie Wallace (16:12)

Info for Meet vs. Oliver Ames on Tuesday

Here is some important information regarding our first meet of the season, Tuesday at home vs. Oliver Ames.

4:00 JV Race (Boys/Girls combined) 1.75 miles - only one loop
4:30 Varsity Boys (3.1 miles)
5:00 Varsity Girls (3.1 miles)

The two-loop course is almost the same as last year, with two exceptions. First, as runners go around the new baseball field, they take a slightly different angle to get back to the part that runs along the parking lot road headed towards the lower softball field.

To make up for the distance lost by not going around the old tennis courts, the finish line (for both the JV and Varsity races) is now at the 200m mark, on the straightaway in front of the elementary school.

The best spot to watch is from the football field area. You can see the start, most of the field portion of the loops, and then see the finish when they come through the gate, up the short hill to the track and end on the track.

Info for Scrimmage at Milford

Here's the important information for the scrimmage at Milford tomorrow.

2:20 - be outside of THS by the gym entrance
2:30 - Buses leave for Milford
3:15 (approximate) arrive at Milford
The address is 31 West Fountain Street, if you have people coming to watch, the best way to go is take 495 North then take Exit 20, it's only a few miles off of the exit
4:00 - Combined JV Race (Boys & Girls run together), 1.9 miles
4:30 - Varsity Boys Race (5K)
5:00 - Varsity Girls Race (5K)

The course is run entirely on the school campus.

Change in Practices for Thurs-Fri-Sat (Girls Team)

Girls, in case you haven't seen the e-mail I just sent, here's the short version.

Thursday (tomorrow) - longer run, uniforms distributed afterwards.
Friday - shorter run (basically I switched Thursday/Friday's length)
Saturday - NO PRACTICE at Poor Farms, due to expected high winds/significant rain from the remnants of Hurrican Dorian. Try to run on your own on Sunday instead.

-Coach Kelley-

Practice Cancelled Due to Thunderstorms

There is NO practice today (Wednesday) due to the impending thunderstorms. Don't run on your own, take the day off. We'll see everyone tomorrow!

Practice Start Times

A friendly reminder, once school starts tomorrow, practices will begin at 2:15 for the boys, 2:30 for the girls team. If you have to stay after school with a teacher or have another reason for being late, please contact one of the coaches ahead of time. Coach Kelley's e-mail is mkelley@tauntonschools.org, while the other three coaches you can all find in the High School during the day. (You can also e-mail them if that's easier).

8AM Practices Thursday/Friday

After talking to Coach Coute (boys' team head coach) at our staff meeting this morning, we decided that both the boys and girls teams would have practice at 8AM this Thursday and Friday. 

As for next week, Monday and Tuesday there is no school for students, but all four coaches (Coute, myself, and our two assistants) do have professional days. If the weather is favorable, we may go with the typical afternoon start time (2:45). However, we won't make an official announcement until Friday morning. We'll know by then if Mon/Tues are supposed to be too hot in the afternoon, in which case we'd go early in the morning instead.

Don't forget to bring your blue permission forms Thursday! If anyone needs them, the Athletic Director's office is open this week, they have plenty of extras. 

As always, send any questions to me at mkelley@tauntonschools.org

Spike Night Tuesday, August 27th!

We'll be having our Team Spike Night at Marathon Sports in Mansfield on Tuesday, August 27th from 5-8 p.m. The store always gives high school athletes a discount on shoes, but usually it's more on team nights. If you can't make it that night, you can of course go on another day, or shop elsewhere if you prefer.

Please refer to the other post for more general information.

Welcome to 2019 Girls XC

Hello everyone!

     First, I'm thrilled to be able to take the baton (metaphorically speaking) from Coach Charlesworth, we should be able to build off the progress you made last year to reach new heights in 2019! Most of you I know from being on staff a couple of years ago, but for those of you that I don't, I look forward to working with you this year!

If you have any questions, my e-mail is mkelley@tauntonschools.org. Please refer to the links on the side, which have a lot of relevant information. I'll be adding more links in the next few days.

     Here's a preliminary schedule for the first mini-week of practice. Remember, you need to be registered with an updated physical in order to be eligible to practice. If you're out of town on vacation for any of these, you're of course excused.

Thursday, August 22 - 8:00 AM start. Introductions, Lunge Matrix/Leg Swings, Core Circuit, Dynamic Warmup (Drills), Base Run. ("Base Run" can be thought of as medium, or typical length. Not your long run for the week, in other words). Stretching afterwards.

Friday, August 23 - 8:00 AM start
     Lunge Matrix/Leg Swings, 10-12 minute easy jog, Dynamic Warmup. Then a 3K time trial on the track. 3K is 7 1/2 laps, a bit under 2 miles. I'd recommend you do this in training shoes, not spikes. The purpose of the time trial is to get a sense of where everyone's fitness is in relation to each other, so future workouts can have paces that are appropriate for you. If we have more than 15 athletes that day I'll split it up into two heats. 8-10 minute cooldown jog afterwards and stretching afterwards.

Saturday, August 24 - 8:00 AM Start.
     Same as Thursday, we'll hold off on a true Long Run until the following week.

*Starting with the first full week, rookies (8th graders and any older athletes who didn't do XC, and weren't distance runners in track) will have Saturday practices off. This will keep your overall mileage a bit lower than the more experienced runners, while also allowing you to run with the veterans on some of the weekdays.

I'll have a more detailed schedule shortly, as well as start times for the first full week, which includes the first two days of school.

Keep up the summer running, get registered, and spread the word to any friends that may be interested in joining! See you in a couple of weeks!