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All-Star Girls’ Race Features 6 of Top 12 in MA on New Balance Falmouth Road Race Weekend
FALMOUTH, MA (August 1, 2017)—Twenty high school athletes from throughout Massachusetts will compete in the Tommy Cochary High School Mile on Saturday, August 19, in conjunction with the New Balance Falmouth Road Race the next day, race organizers have announced.
Highlighting the girls’ mile will be six of the 12 fastest high school milers in the state, led by the 1-2 punch of Newton’s Clare Martin (Newton South HS), ranked #1 in the state and the 2017 MIAA All-State Champion at both 800 meters and the mile, and defending champion Rachel Sessa of Tewksbury (Tewksbury Memorial HS), ranked #2 and the 2017 state runner-up to Martin at both distances. The boys’ mile is headlined by Tristan Shelgren of Boxford (St. John’s Prep, Danvers), the 2017 New England Indoor Mile Champion.
The track festival will begin at 4 PM at the James Kalperis Track at Falmouth High School with SBLI Family Fun Run, followed by the Tommy Cochary High School Mile and the Aetna Falmouth Elite Mile. Admission is free.
The high school mile, which began in 2010, was renamed six years ago in honor of Tommy Cochary, a young Falmouth runner who was killed in a drunk-driving accident in 1990. The Road Race was a huge part of the family’s life, and athletes are chosen to compete not only because they are among the best high school milers in Massachusetts, but also because they embody Tommy’s spirit of an active life and fun-loving attitude, and because they have shown evidence of making smart choices in their lives.
Winners of both the boys’ and girls’ miles will have a grant of $2,500 awarded to their school in their name to be used in a way that implements change in athletics or wellness, such as new equipment, team uniforms, or after-school wellness activities.
Competing in the girls’ Tommy Cochary High School Mile, in addition to Martin and Sessa, will be Nicole Clermont of Franklin (Franklin HS); Grace Connolly of Natick (Natick HS); Tara Ellard of Brewster (Nauset Regional HS); Devyn McCarthy of West Bridgewater (West Bridgewater Middle/Senior HS); Kate Mitchell of Lynnfield (Lynnfield HS); Madaket Nobili of Eastham (Nauset Regional HS); twin sisters Kaitlyn Roffman and Sarah Roffman of Littleton (Littleton HS).
In addition to Shelgren, the boys’ Tommy Cochary High School Mile will feature Lucas Aramburu of Brookline (Brookline HS); Tyler Brogan of Franklin (Franklin HS); Mike Griffin of Wrentham (King Philip Regional HS); Nicholas Manickas-Hill of Lexington (Lexington HS); Dominic Mastromatteo of Worcester (Saint John’s HS); Adam Sylvia of Rochester (Old Rochester Regional HS); Joseph Walsh of Auburn (Saint John’s HS); Friend Weiler of Duxbury (Duxbury HS); and Noah Whiting of Newton (Newton South HS).
Among the top challengers to Martin and Sessa in the girls’ mile will be Connolly, who finished sixth in the mile at New Balance Nationals Indoor this winter and ninth at the 2016 Foot Locker National Cross Country championships. Ranked #1 in the state in the mile indoors, she is also the 2017 state champion outdoors in the 2-mile. In April, she won the B.A.A. Invitational Mile, about two seconds ahead of Martin. Connolly will likely have plenty of fans in the stands: She spends summers at her family’s home in Falmouth.
Most likely to challenge Shelgren in the boys’ mile are Aramburu, ranked #3 at 3200 meters and runner-up at that distance at the 2017 New England Championships, and Griffin, who finished second in the 2017 freshman mile at New Balance Nationals Outdoor.
All of the Tommy Cochary milers are involved in extra-curricular activities and public-service projects outside of athletics, including peer mentoring, church projects, club leadership and volunteer work. Among them are Kaitlyn Roffman, who volunteers at the Acton Food Pantry and the Celiac Support Group at Children’s Hospital; Mastromatteo, who has helped build a tree house for an 8-year-old boy fighting cancer; and Whiting, who serves as a Wellness aide to children with disabilities.
For more information on the Tommy Cochary High School Mile, the SBLI Family Fun Run, the Aetna Falmouth Elite Mile or the 45th running of the New Balance Falmouth Road Race, please visit our website at www.falmouthitf.wpengine.com; our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/falmouthroadrace; our Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/falmouthrr, and our Instagram at www.instagram.com/falmouthroadrace.
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About Falmouth Road Race
The New Balance Falmouth Road Race was established in 1973 and has become one of the premier running events of the summer season. Each year the race draws an international field of Olympians, elite and recreational runners out to enjoy the iconic 7-mile seaside course. The non-profit Falmouth Road Race organization is committed to promoting health and fitness through community programs and philanthropic giving.
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