Deep and determined, Weymouth girls’ cross-country is all in to make a run at a Division 1 title - The Boston Globe (2024)

“Our whole senior class wants to get back to that place we’ve been so close to,” said coach Mike Miller, who was recently named a 2024 Hall of Fame inductee by the Mass. State Track Coaches Association. “There’s a feeling that the one thing we haven’t done is win an All-State title. And so I think there’s some hunger there.”

Richard, Galusha, and Carnes first teamed up as eighth graders, and have risen together . While Richard was already the team’s second-best runner as a freshman, both Galusha and Carnes had to work their way from further down the depth chart as underclassmen.

“I think the fact that we’ve all improved together and pushed each other for years has helped us each move to the next level,” said Carnes. “And this being our senior season, I feel like that just adds to the motivation to do well.”

The three seniors were the catalysts for team workouts six days per week, totaling 30-plus miles. From the start of the preseason, Miller said the entire team’s commitment to physical conditioning was evident — and not just the top three.

“I think all three set the tone by example. They each put in outstanding training summers, and have come into the season in great shape,” Miller said. “And that translates to everyone else. We don’t want to waste such a good front three, and I think that’s the mind-set a lot of the rest of the team has.”

Junior Leah Glavin and sophom*ore Natalie McInnis, who finished 93rd and 122nd, respectively, at 2023 All-States, along with junior Mia Manfedi, are candidates for the 3-6 spots.

Weymouth also returns senior Emma Daley, who ran an impressive 19:20 three-mile and finished 44th at All-States as a freshman in 2021, but missed the past two seasons with an injury.

“Toward the end of last season, our gap after number three was just a little bigger than we would want it to be,” Miller said. “With the work that’s been put in, I feel we’ve absolutely closed the gap this summer.”

While repeating as Bay State champions — arguably the state’s toughest conference — remains a goal, the Wildcats hope their performance at the divisional and All-State meets is where they are ultimately measured. Galusha believes that the entire lineup’s big-race experience will pay off come November.

“I think this time around, we know how to not put a ton of pressure on ourselves or create a lot of anxiety [for the postseason races],” Galusha said. “I think we’ve seen how that can lead to not our favorite outcomes, but now we know how to handle it and we’re ready for it.”

Richard, who still looks up to the senior leaders of Weymouth’s 2021 team that won the Division 1A title and was the All-State runner-up, knows the rarity of returning an entire starting line — and the opportunity this unique season presents.

“As a program, we know that we’ve been there before, and that we can do it again,” Richard said. “It’s almost like I’m following those footsteps, that we did it freshman year and just trying to bring it over to this season and this team. And we have everything we need to do it.”

Setting the pace

▪ Even after graduating its top three runners, two-time defending state champion Brookline will be among the top Division 1 boys’ squads again this season.

Seniors Altamo Aschkenasy and Lysander Duffield, who each finished in the top 20 at All-States last year, will slide up from the Warriors’ fourth and fifth spots. Brookline’s third spot will be handled by junior Theodore Butty, who comes off a monster outdoor track season in which he placed sixth in both the mile and 2-mile at the Division 1 championship meet.

A number of talented reinforcements will compete for the fourth and fifth spots. Sophom*ore Liam Hartmann is expected to take a leap following a stellar freshman campaign, while a group of tightly-packed seniors will contend for contributing roles.

“They’ve all been sitting in the wings and seeing the group in front of them do so well,” said coach Michael Glennon. “With that comes pressure, so we’ll have to see how they respond to that. But since we have such a big group, I’m counting on some of them stepping up to it.”

Glennon, head coach at Brookline since 1995, is officially a volunteer assistant coach this fall because of a family trip to Ireland planned in September. Dave Fleming, who coaches Revere track in the winter and spring, is serving as interim head coach, before Glennon plans to resume formally as head coach next fall.

▪ A number of teams kick things off this week with regular season league meets, while other conferences get underway the following week. Among the intriguing opening-week matchups is No. 2 Weymouth vs. No. 7 Newton North, who will square off along with Milton in a Bay State tri-meet on Wednesday.

Some highlights of the early-season invitational schedule include the MSTCA Relays on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Highland Park in Attleboro, and the Frank Kelly Invitational — the first major stop for many teams — on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Wrentham Development Center.

Matty Wasserman can be reached at matty.wasserman@globe.com. Follow him @Matty_Wasserman.