All Seven Runners Count!

Some time ago, NNHS historian Josh Seeherman sent me a wonderful account of the 1995 Mass. Girls State Div I Cross-Country meet. That meet was remarkable for several reasons, not least because the top two teams -- Newton North and Newton South -- had identical scores after their first five runners had crossed the finish line.

I have been holding on to Josh's story, waiting for an opportune time to post it. This week seemed as good a time as any. Here in New England we are between indoor nationals and the beginning of outdoor track, while the rest of the world is preparing for the IAAF XC championships in Spain. Meanwhile, legendary coach Peter Martin is preparing to coach his final season.

So here is Josh's account. Although fall XC is still six months away, I hope the story resonates and reminds us what a great sport it is.


All Seven Runners Count!
by Josh Seeherman

This fall marked the 15th anniversary of the 1995 Newton North girls state cross-country title, the middle championship of the magical 1994-1996 three year run when Peter Martin's team trampled over the competition and won three consecutive state championships. While some emphasis is placed on the 1996 team, one of the best teams in NNHS history scoring only 44 points, it is worth recounting the 1995 story in that something absolutely impossible to replicate actually happened - Newton North tied Newton South in the scoring and won on a tiebreaker.

Throughout the early-mid 1990's, the two high schools from Newton sat atop the girls cross-country universe in Massachusetts, winning their leagues and defeating most of the other competition at the state level. Newton South had won the 1993 state title quite convincingly with 55 points, putting 4 in the top 25 including a 2nd place by Eliza Beardslee; Newton North turned the tables and won the 1994 title behind sophomore Senta Burton's sub-19:00 romp and an overachieving performance by junior Susan Duncombe. It was not surprising that NSHS and NNHS were once again 1-2 in the coaches' poll for the 1995 season, and both teams easily won their respective conferences. Newton South featured the speedy Shara Miller, a legitimate individual championship contender, while Newton North countered with what appeared to be (perhaps) a slightly deeper team.

At the Eastern Mass races, held at Franklin Park, both teams held serve in convincing fashion in their respective divisions. In Division I, Newton North won by over 130 points, beating Plymouth South 50-182 behind the efforts of sophomore Liz Aronin and now junior Senta Burton, placing 5th and 6th respectively. However, over in Division II Newton South had played copycat, defeating Woburn 53-159. Shara Miller had run unopposed for 1st place, winning by 18 seconds, and the top 4 runners were all in the Top 15 placings. However, Newton North's top 3, the third runner being sophomore Sarah Harrison, had all run faster than Newton South's #2 and #3. Combining the times in a dual meet fashion, NNHS had gone 2-3-4 for 9, while NSHS had scored 1-5-6 for 12. If Newton North could somehow replicate the same situation, they might take the title. However, with no realistic shot at Miller herself, if they could not get their 2-3-4 across quickly the Lions looked like the championship team. Additionally, Wachusett Regional, still in the Central MA division, had performed very well and rightfully believed they were just as good as the two Newton high schools. The state meet, held at Gardner, would be a three team affair.

As we now know after the fact, the stage was set for a historic race. Miller ran as predicted, taking third overall but snaring the first team point as the first two runners were individual racers. However, in the first "wrinkle," Liz Aronin came flying across the finish line in an unexpected fifth, running 17:48 for 2.9 miles. With the fourth place runner also an individual participant, Aronin had taken the precious second team slot and neutralized NSHS's top harrier. Wachusett then showed their prowess, placing their Top 2 runners in before either of Newton's 2nd. The meet scoring was very much up for grabs between these three teams at this juncture.

Newton South then made their most significant move of the day. While Senta crossed the line in 18:13 as Newton North's second runner, the Lions' second and third runners (Maggie Hillis and Anna Beardslee) approached the finish line having managed to move in front of Sarah Harrison by one position. Beyond this point, there was a slight gap, and it became anyone's guess as to who had won as the officials sorted out the individual scorers from the team participants. It took a heroic effort from Susan Duncombe as the fourth NNHS runner to keep pace with NSHS's fourth, Julie Farago, otherwise the meet would have been over right there, but North's fifth runner (Gillian Chiong) stayed in front of South's fifth. Both Newton teams had their fourth runners in before Wachusett's fourth, effectively ending the bid from the Central Massachusetts school.

When the officials were taking longer than usual to reveal the score, and then were seen consulting the rule book, everyone knew the meet was extraordinarily close. Finally, the scores were announced, an unprecedented tie; Newton North and Newton South had each scored 68 points, Wachusett had scored 98 for third. Although it had never been enforced before at the state level, the tiebreaker rule was simple - the team with the lowest placing sixth runner won the meet. In this instance, Newton North's superior depth had prevailed. Going down the scorer's sheet, the officials revealed that both the Tigers' sixth and seventh runners had finished in front of the Lions' sixth. Sophomore Becky Zatsman, previously an anonymous sixth runner, running in essence to "bump" other teams' fourth and fifth runners, suddenly found herself in the Boston Globe recap, having run 19:31, a full 40 seconds in front of Newton South's sixth. The championship trophy went back to Newton, but this time it was staying on Lowell Ave for a second year and not heading down to Brandeis Road.

Looking back, the impact of this meet has somewhat been negated by Newton North's superior effort in 1996 and Newton South's historic performance in 2008, where they perhaps had the best team performance in Massachusetts history. Nevertheless, much like the fabled 1968 Harvard-Yale tie game, the 1995 meet still resonates for many who were witnesses. As Coach Martin said for the Globe, "cross-country is a team sport... you run as a team and finish as a team." The 1995 meet was a fantastic performance for both Newton teams, one perhaps just an ounce better on that particular day.