Sports Roundup: Cross Country Wins Lighthouse Division Championship, Two State Tournament Brackets Released
David Creed •
This Whaler sports roundup includes updates on the boys cross country team after they won the Lighthouse Division championship, the girls soccer team after a road victory to close out their regular season, and a look at the field hockey and volleyball team’s spots in their respective state tournament brackets, which were released on Wednesday.
Rory Murray Break School 5K Record Again
The Nantucket boys cross country team had a very successful fall season and added more accomplishments to their resume after winning the Lighthouse Division Team Championship on Wednesday at Dennis-Yarmouth.
Senior captain Rory Murray also continued his strong senior year by breaking the school’s 5K record yet again. He broke the original record set by Whaler alum Aidan McCormack (17:46) in 2020 on September 28th with a time of 17:43. Since that time, he broke his own record at the Bob Glennon Twilight Cross Country Invitational Meet at the Cape Cod Fairgrounds in mid-October after running a 17:17, and on October 30th broke his record again by running a 17:11.
The scores were as followed,
Nantucket: 61
Monomoy: 66
Rising Tide: 85
Sturgis West: 93
Falmouth Academy: 107
Sturgis East: 120
Below are the times earned by each Whaler runner.
Rory Murray – 17:11 (PR and school record)
Dorian Manov – 18:49
Mike Sullivan – 19:33 (PR)
Jimmy Fuller – 20:29 (PR)
Nick Ferrantella – 20:44 (PR)
Numa Solano – 21:50
Harlan Wright – 22:40 (PR)
JV Race:
Finnley Seip – 22:04 (PR)
Hayden Roberts – 22:17
Dom Pasys – 23:00 (PR)
Malachi Seip – 23:22
Jack Harris – 23:25
Will Manning – 26:31
Iain MacIver – 30:50 (PR)
JV won the JV Lighthouse Division Team Championship Race.
Girls Soccer Beats DY
The Whaler girls soccer team beat the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins 9-1 on the road Wednesday afternoon to conclude a regular season where they finished 10-5-3.
Nantucket was led by senior captain Adney Brannigan, who scored six goals for the second time in three games – breaking the record for most points totaled by a girls soccer player at Nantucket High School. The original record was set by 2013 Whaler alum Alexa Crosby, who had 225 points (94 goals and 37 assists). Crosby went on to play soccer at the University of Vermont for four years.
Brannigan now has 84 goals and 61 assists despite missing most of her junior season with an ankle injury. She will be looking to add to that total in the state tournament.
The Whalers also got goal scoring from freshman Harper LeBrecht (two goals) and junior Myah Johnson.
The Div. 4 girls soccer state tournament bracket will be released on Friday, November 1st at 1 p.m.
Field Hockey, Volleyball State Tournament Brackets Revealed
The Nantucket field hockey and volleyball teams will begin state tournament play this weekend after their respective brackets were unveiled by the MIAA Wednesday morning.
The field hockey team (13-3-2) earned the #9 seed and will host Westport (10-5-3) on Saturday, November 2nd at 1 p.m. These teams did not have any common opponents during the regular season. You can view the Div. 4 field hockey bracket here.
The volleyball team (6-14) earned the #19 seed and will travel to the Cape to play the Sandwich Blue Knights (11-9) on Sunday, November 3rd at 11 a.m.
These teams did have a common opponent in the Falmouth Clippers. The Whalers lost to the Falmouth both times: 1-3 at home and 0-3 on the road. The Blue Knights also lost to the Clippers twice: 2-3 at home and 1-3 on the road. You can view the Div. 4 volleyball bracket here.
For more updates on Whaler sports throughout their state tournaments you can:
Follow Nantucket Current Sports on Instagram here.
Follow Sports Editor David Creed on X here.
Follow Sports Photographer Chris Tran on Instagram here.