Like most years, the Bay State Conference is shaping up to be one of, if not the best, leagues in the state. The league holds three of the top nine teams in the state, along with plenty of individuals who can put down impressive times. This article will cover all aspects of the Bay State Conference and what to expect from them this season.
Key Individuals
- Liam Hartmann — Brookline
- Ibrahim Abdel-Dayem — Brookline
- Ryan Costello — Newton North
- Patrick Geagan — Weymouth
- Callum Doyle — Natick
- Declan Hava — Natick
- Sleeper: Nam Danh — Brookline
This year, the Bay State Conference is filled with many key individuals, though if we had to choose two, the big matchup will probably be between Liam Hartmann (9:12) and Ryan Costello (9:12). I wouldn’t sleep on Patrick Geagan from Weymouth, though. He’s coming off a sixth-place finish in the All-State mile in 4:15. If anyone has the leg speed needed for the end of a 5K, it will be Geagan.
For the team outlook, though not a bad team by any means, Braintree takes the final spot. Led by sophomore Kyle Koca (10:09) and junior Peter Olivadoti (17:08), this duo can hope to make moves and challenge the No. 8 and No. 9 teams.
Next, the Weymouth squad falls into No. 9. Although they have some serious top-end talent in Patrick Geagan (15:42) and Andrew Himmer (17:27), they don’t have enough depth to back up their campaign. If they were to gain one or two more runners who could get into the 18:00 range or below, the team would be able to make some serious moves.
Next up, two teams that have struggled more over the past few years slide into No. 7 and No. 8. Framingham appears to be a serious threat this year. Led by senior Dylan Wheeler (16:32), the team has four more runners who are sub-19:00 in the 5K. Bennet Dalton (10:34) may also play a big role after a strong spring track season.
Milton enters right above them with a big senior trio, as well as two more runners below the 18:00 barrier. Bobby Beato (16:32), Nate Turner (17:15), and Gideon Toth (17:21) all enter their senior years ready to challenge the rest of the Bay State Conference.
The positions of the next three teams get a bit confusing. It appears that their stats on paper don’t represent the true skill level of all three teams. For instance, Solomin Jin from Wellesley enters with a 5K PR of 17:12; however, he only ran two races last season, both at the beginning of September.
In Walpole, it appears that their No. 4 runner might actually be their No. 1, and their No. 5 runner has never run a 5K before. Nate O’Neil enters with a 17:23 season best after a limited cross country season, but he ran a 4:34 mile this past spring. Sophomore Ethan Hamilton enters with a 10:46 two-mile but has never run an actual 5K.
In Needham, Austin Conti enters with a 16:35 5K after what looks to have been a limited season. Their No. 2, Connor Bobbin, enters with a 17:10 PR, but he ran a 4:39 mile this past spring, indicating his 5K time could be a lot faster.
If we had to guess, we’d assume that Walpole would beat Wellesley and Needham would beat Walpole, but it’s anyone’s guess at this point in the season.
Next is the Natick team. This team is currently sitting in its own space, a bit below the final two teams. Callum Doyle and Declan Hava lead nine of Natick’s top 11 runners returning from last year. With the right training, this team might be able to overtake the No. 2 team.
The boys from Newton North come in second here. Ryan Costello leads his team individually with a strong pack of runners behind him. This pack appears to be led by Lucas Allen (4:29) and William Kenneally (9:56). Although coming in with a 17:09 PR, watch out for Jamie Evans, who’s coming off a great spring track season. This North team could be full of surprises and might have plans to take on the No. 1 seed.
Finally, first are your defending state champions, Brookline. Liam Hartmann and Ibrahim Abdel-Dayem should be able to score very low points for the team in every meet they compete in. Don’t sleep on Nam Danh, though. The league’s sleeper is coming off a two-mile PR of 9:50 and might be able to challenge some of the top runners in the conference. Brookline also returns four other juniors under the 17:00 barrier and has the desire to keep its winning tradition alive.