Wesley Gallagher

Timpview's Aidan Troutner (UT) ran the 20th all-time fastest boys 5K at the NXN National Championships en route to victory in 2017.

PEMBROKE — While many high school graduates spend their summers relaxing and unwinding before they depart for college, former Pembroke High cross-country standout Wesley Gallagher runs a demanding 70 to 75 miles per week.For the state’s Gatorade Cross-Country Runner of the Year last fall, it’s all in preparation for his freshman year at Northeastern University, where he will run cross-country, and indoor and outdoor track for the Division 1 Huskies.Northeastern cross-country coach Renny Waldron “gave me a running schedule, and I’ve followed that down to the point every day,” Gallagher said. Whether it’s an 8 a.m. run with members of this fall’s lineup for Pembroke, or an afternoon run with various high school alumni, Gallagher is sure to get his daily workouts in.Along with his running schedule, Gallagher attends a workout every Monday and Thursday with Joe Kelley, a Pembroke parent who assists the runners with injury prevention and strength training.  According to Gallagher, putting a focus on injury prevention was extremely important due to the extensive increase in his training.

Marathon Sports Athlete of the Week goes to the Titans relay. The team of Bill Stafford, Christian Stafford, Joe Vercollone and Wesley Gallagher ran 7:42.70 finishing 8th place at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. How fast was that time set by the Titans? According to Massachusetts Track and Field stat guru Larry Newman, Pembroke had the second All-Time Fastest time in Massachusetts History, second to the 2011 Wachusett team that ran 7:36.37.

Kris Horn went through his practice jumps in the long and triple jumps on Friday, taking particular not exactly where his marks were for both events. Satisfied that he had narrowed them down to within inches of his steps, the Pembroke talent went home and prayed for a hot, sticky Saturday on his home track. Horn’s prayers were answered and he took full advantage. The versatile Titan broke the Div. 3 meet record in the long jump with a leap of 23 feet, 11-¼ inches and took the triple jump with a 46-0 effort, defeating Saugus’ terrific jumper, Olisa Obiefuna, in the process.  

While most of the Massachusetts Track and Field Athletes competed at the MSTCA State Coaches Meet and the Andover Boosters Meet. A handful of the best made an appearance at the New Balance Twilight open meet at Bentley College. It looks as if Mansfield Senior Josh Lampron is making a very serious threat to break the 4:00 minute mile barrier. Lampron ran a 3:45.74 for 1500 Meters, which lands him as our National leader for that distance. His time converts to 4:03.73 for the mile run. Pembroke’s Wesley Gallagher also ran an impressive 1500 Meter race clocking at 3:55.62 (4:12.94)

The New Balance Indoor National Championships start Friday morning at the Armory in New York.  MileSplit New England will follow the accomplishments of all the athletes from the region and post updates as they become available. 

Every event in a state championship provides excitement and drama, but this year the relays may decide the team title. But don't expect to see the same line-ups from last week. Some additional fresh legs --courtesy of athletes that did not qualify in an individual event-- may help the common man become the hero. We watched it happen on Sunday at the Division 1 Championships, and those same teams remain in the hunt this week.

High school track’s version of Patriot Nation shredded the Division 3 championships last night at the Reggie Lewis Center. Pembroke chalked up four wins on the way to dismantling the boys field with 71 points while the girls from another Patriot League school, Hingham, put up a whopping 74 points... (via Boston Herald)

What happens when you combine a cross country team with a future decathlete during an indoor championship?  You get a division title. Pembroke took the versatility of Kris HornKri  and combined it with the foot speed of their middle distance stable to rack-up big points.  Horn finished third in the 55m hurdles, second in the long jump, and ran 50.4 anchor leg to help win the 4x400m.  The Hingham girls walked away with the team title and most of their damage was done on the track. The difference maker for Hingham was the relays, where they won the 4x200m, finished second in the 4x400m, and fifth in the 4x800m. 

The energy was palpable Saturday night at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, Massachusetts as a handpicked field of elite athletes from all levels of the sport thrilled the capacity crowd with photo finishes and mid-race drama.  But, you are bound to get some amazing races when you take a group of high school athletes, put them in a room with their idols, pack a building full of over 4,000 fans, and then turn on the TV cameras.

Chariho High School set a lofty standard for the week when their 4x800m relay team cruised past the Rhode Island state record of 8:04.09 set in 2009 by South Kingstown.  The team of Drew Turner (2:02.4), Dan Kilcoyne (15:58.7), Bryce Kelley (1:58.6), and Mike Marsella (1:54.6) combined for a US#2 time of 7:54.3 to win the Charles Sweeney Last Chance meet.  They are the only team in New England to break the 8 minute barrier this season, but a slew of teams from the region have already run under 8:10.

Gallagher and Christensen finish 2nd and 3rd at the US Open in New York, while several meet records were shattered at the MSTCA Elite Invitational.

New  York NY - The mile is a classic distance.  About 8 meters longer than the now standard 1600m, the mile recently has seen a movement encouraging its' return.  There is even a website dedicated to this very thing, petitioning high school sports to return to the classic distance.  And if there ever was any indication that the mile was still alive, the fields for the mile at the upcoming US Open, New Balance Grand Prix, and Millrose would be it.  See if your favorite made the cut.

  CHICAGO (January 23, 2012) — In its 27th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPNHS, today announced Wesley Gallagher of Pembroke HS as its 2011-12 Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year.  Gallagher is the first Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year to be chosen from Pembroke HS. 

  The Dartmouth Relays is traditionally the first major invitational with regional implications. Teams from all six New England states are slated to participate, in addition to teams from New York and Canada.  MileSplit will follow all the action from the two day event, updating this page with the most recent performances.

This week Coach Z continues the series with fellow Pembroke Titan, and State Champion, Wes Gallagher.  In just three short questions we learn who has the best shaved legs on the team; what event was so exciting it required a hug from Mike Mahon; and the definition of sandbagging. 

THE HERALD TEAM Nathaniel Adams Jr. Lexington Chris Allen Sr. King Philip David Allen Sr. Sandwich Drew Beck Sr. Oliver Ames Nicholas Christensen Sr. Peabody Wesley Gallagher Sr. Pembroke Ben Groleau Sr. Framingham Peter Hale Jr. Swampscott Matthew Herzig Jr. Weston Joel... (via Boston Herald)

The indoor track season is upon us and it’s time to take a look at the top returners from each event.

It was a relatively successful day for Massachusetts athletes at the 2011 Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon.  The Pembroke boys, Hamilton-Wenham girls, and Lexington's Nat Adams qualified for the event after impressive performances last week at the Northeast Regional Championships in New York.

High school coach Jack Dempsey combines his knowledge of sports with over twenty years of video production experience to create high quality highlight videos for athletes.  His crew from JD Sports Video was on site for the 2011 Massachusetts State Championships and created highlight films from all four races.

  Jonathan Green had every reason to be happy after reeling off a sterling time of 15 minutes, 41 seconds in the Division 1 race to outlast always-tough Joel Hubbard of Marshfield (15:42) and Wachusett’s Colin Bennie (15:46). The race proved to be the deepest off the day as eight runners dipped under 16 minutes on what is slowly becoming the legendary 3.1-mile Franklin Park layout.  Pembroke’s Wesley Gallagher had plenty of challengers on his way to defending his Div. 2 title with a scintillating 15:43. Wakefield’s star harrier Stephen Robertson was the final runner to take on Gallagher and finished second in 15:44.   In the team battles, Brookline (110 points) defeated Lowell (147) and Oliver Ames (177) to successfully defend its title from a year ago.  After capturing its third consecutive girls title, Bishop Feehan went to work in the boys Div. 2 race against defending champion Pembroke. Only 21 seconds separated the first five Shamrock runners as they edged out the Titans for the title.