BC High rises to No. 1 in national boys' poll

For the first time in almost two years, there is a new number 1 in the men’s cross country Top 20 world rankings.

BC High moves into first place after an impressive team victory (88 points) at the Ocean State Invitational, fueled by individual winner Shamus Larnard and a fourth-place finish from junior Greg McGrath. Additionally, the Eagles earned a 17-40 victory over No. 10 St. John’s Prep in a Catholic Conference dual major Tuesday.

No. 2 Brookline was one of the few top teams not to show up at Ocean State, although the Warriors held steady with a 15-49 victory over Needham on Tuesday. No. 3 Newton South and No. 4 Lexington trade places, with the Lions beating the Minutemen head-to-head at Ocean State. Newton South also had a big win in the Dual County competition on Wednesday against No. 7 Cambridge.

At the Bay State Invitational held in Wrentham, No. 6 Boston Latin easily won the Boys’ Varsity ‘A’ race, while No. 11 Newton North dominated the Boys’ Varsity’ race It. The Tigers also suffered their first league loss of the year, splitting a three-peat with a 22-34 win over Walpole and a 23-32 loss to No. 5 Natick.

All records are based on scores reported to the Globe.

International survey of the 20 best boys of the Globe

Globe poll as of October 5, 2024. Teams were selected by Globe sports staff.

International survey of the 20 best girls of the Globe

Globe poll as of October 5, 2024. Teams were selected by Globe sports staff.

The Globe Top 20 women’s cross country remains steady at the top, with No. 1 Wellesley remaining undefeated with wins over No. 2 Weymouth and Framingham in a Bay State tri-meet on Wednesday.

The Raiders’ narrow 26-30 victory over Weymouth featured nearly all of the top runners from both teams, with Wellesley senior Charlotte Tuxbury and freshman Maddie Tuxbury finishing first and second, respectively, to help secure the declaration victory .

The major shake-ups in this week’s rankings begin at No. 5, with Billerica moving up six spots after winning the Ocean State Invitational behind a roster made up entirely of freshmen and sophomores. Westford also ranks 6th after finishing second at Ocean State, powered by individual champion Abby Hennessy.

Peabody moves up to No. 16 after posting a dominant victory (34 points) in the Varsity ‘B’ race at the Bay State Invitational, with No. 17 Braintree placing second in that race. Meanwhile, Milton enters the top 20 after winning the Varsity “A” race at the Bay State Invitational. The Wildcats hold just a 2-4 record, but their losses are all against top-10 ranked opponents.

No.	Team	Save	Previous
1.	BC High	4-0-0	2
2.	Brooklyn	6-0-0	1
3.	Newton South	3-0-0	4
4.	Lexington	3-1-0	3
5.	Natick	5-1-0	7
6.	Boston Latin	0-1-0	5
7.	Cambridge	2-1-0	6
8.	Concord–Carlisle	2-1-0	8
9.	While reading	4-0-0	10
10.	Preparation of St. John	3-2-0	9
11.	Newton North	6-1-0	12
12.	North Andover	6-0-0	11
13.	Marble head	4-0-0	14
14.	Sharon	3-1-0	13
15.	Beverly	2-1-0	15
16.	Olivier Ames	3-0-0	16
17.	Melrose	3-0-0	17
18.	Lowell	6-0-0	18
19.	Danvers	0-1-0	19
20.	Lincoln-Sudbury	2-1-0	20

Matty Wasserman can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him @Matty_Wasserman.

No.	Team	Save	Previous
1.	Wellesley	7-0-0	1
2.	Weymouth	5-1-0	2
3.	Cambridge	3-0-0	3
4.	Needham	5-1-0	4
5.	Billerica	6-0-0	11
6.	Westford	0-0-0	7
7.	Olivier Ames	4-0-0	6
8.	Lexington	4-0-0	5
9.	Central Catholic	7-0-0	8
10.	Newton North	3-2-0	9
11.	Swamp field	4-0-0	10
12.	North Andover	4-2-0	12
13.	Holliston	2-1-0	13
14.	Wakefield	2-1-0	15
15.	Peabody	1-0-0	18
16.	Brain tree	5-1-0	16
17.	Dover-Sherborn	2-0-0	17
18.	Hopkinton	3-0-0	19
19.	Concord-Carlisle	1-1-0	20
20.	Milton	2-4-0	–