After strong performances at the Cross Country Championships meet, one Middleboro High School athlete and two Apponequet Regional High School athletes qualified for the Meet of Champions.

To qualify, teams needed to finish in the top seven in their heat at the championships meet, which was held on Nov. 9 at the Fort Devens military base.

Individual runners could also qualify for the Meet of Champions by finishing in the top 10 athletes from teams that didn’t qualify at the Cross Country Championships meet.

The athletes returned to Fort Devens on Saturday, Nov. 16 to compete against the top 23 teams and individual athletes in the state in what was also the final race of the season.

Middleboro junior Atley Phinnet and Apponequet juniors Luca Rubini and Keltey Fournier all competed at the meet.

Phinnet crossed the finish line in 11th place at the Meet of Championships, completing the 5K in a time of 16:33, which was faster than the time he ran on Nov. 9.

Rubini finished the race with a time of 18:32 and, as a junior, already has his eyes set on next year and the progress he and his teammates will continue to make.

Fournier also improved her course time, finishing the girls race in 69th place in a time of 21:59.

Many of the cross country athletes now also have their eyes set on the upcoming indoor track season.