MANSFIELD — Superintendent Dr. Michelle McKeon and Principal Matt McGuire are pleased to share that the Qualters Middle School (QMS) Cross Country Team has wrapped up a successful fall season.
Under the direction of coaches Karen Carpentier, Michael Ganshirt, Nora McNeilly, Natalie Visconti and Tim Carpentier, the 2025 QMS Cross Country Team participated in four meets this season, including events in Canton, Sharon and Stoughton, and hosted its first-ever home meet at Memorial Park.
The home meet drew a large, enthusiastic crowd from across the school community, including families, students, teachers and administrators. The strong turnout and smooth operations affirmed plans to host multiple home meets in future seasons.
Many members of the Mansfield Middle School Cross Country Team also competed at the State Championships on Nov. 1 in Devens, representing the town on one of the toughest courses in Massachusetts, while facing strong winds and cold temperatures.
Seventh graders Leah Miceli and Emily LaCivita led the way for Mansfield, earning medals with sixth- and ninth-place finishes, respectively, in a highly competitive field of 159 runners. In the sixth-grade race, Paige Howard earned a medal with an eighth-place finish, while Anna Buckley secured a top-20 spot among 201 runners. For the eighth-grade girls, Katelynn Herrick placed 37th out of 173 runners, with Caroline Cronin and Cairenn Geagan also finishing in the top third of the state.
On the boys’ side, Leo Mullin led Mansfield with a strong 33rd-place finish, followed by Barrett Reynolds in 42nd in a field of more than 265 competitors. Luke Bailey finished in the top third of the eighth-grade race in only his second meet of the season. In the seventh-grade race, Jonathan Crooker was Mansfield’s top performer, finishing 73rd out of 225 runners. Several athletes achieved new personal bests, including Emma Scotti, Emily LaCivita, Barrett Reynolds and Wolfgang Snyder.
Throughout the season, the 39 student-athletes showed exceptional commitment, training through every kind of weather while supporting one another at every meet.
“As coaches, we believe that cross country teaches them perseverance, accountability and teamwork while also working on achieving personal goals throughout the season,” said QMS teacher and coach Tim Carpentier. “We have been told on more than one occasion from our own students’ parents but also from the other schools we compete against, how uplifting it is when they see how our kids are always cheering on their peers at each of the meets. We have great parental support for the program here in Mansfield and hope to continue building the program in the future.”
Principal McGuire praised the program’s continued momentum.
“The continued growth and success of our Cross Country program is incredibly exciting,” Principal McGuire said. “Providing an interscholastic athletic opportunity at the middle school level is vital for student development, teaching commitment, resilience and teamwork. We are so grateful to our dedicated coaches for their commitment to fostering a spirit of belonging and helping each student to maximize their potential. As we close another outstanding season, we are committed to building on this foundation and fostering the next generation of student-athletes at QMS.”
Superintendent McKeon commended the team for its achievements.
“We are incredibly proud of our cross country student-athletes and their coaches for an outstanding season that showcased not only their athletic talent but also their character and teamwork,” Superintendent McKeon said. “Hosting our first-ever home meet was a true celebration of school spirit and community pride, and seeing our students represent Mansfield at the state level was inspiring. This program reflects the spirit and values that define our Mansfield school community, and we look forward to the continued success of the program.”
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