In an impressive effort, Oliver Ames’ very own senior Landon Sarney became the 2025 MIAA Division 1 State Champion. Through an impressive comeback in one of the closest races the MIAA has ever seen, Landon pushed through to take the narrow victory.

During a high pressure situation such as the state championship race, many thoughts can be running through a person’s head that could cause them to falter. In Landon’s case, these thoughts allowed him to find his groove and persevere on to the big win.

“During the race I knew I could win if I just stuck close and made smart decisions. But there was one moment, with around 1k left to go, where the thought of winning crossed my mind. Our front pack had separated from the rest of the race and I started to feel stronger. And at that moment I could just picture it in my mind.”

After obtaining one of the highest honors that any athlete can get to, a whole host of thoughts can be rushing through your head. This was the case for Landon, who tried to sum up the monumental feelings he had directly after his win.

“My thoughts after the race were nothing short of amazing. I knew my name would be cemented into the history books. The state title is something I had only dreamed of.”

Being able to reach that next gear needed to win the state championship is something that not all athletes possess. For Sarney however, that determination was never missing. Through internal support, and external support from the people around him.

“I definitely thought I could get to this level. I know I have good coaches who push me to be better and my family has had a lot of success in this sport.”

Luckily, this is not the end of Landon Sarney’s career as a sensational runner. His performances will only get better from here as he moves on to bigger and better things in the near future.

“I do plan to run in college. I am committed to Northeastern, where I will follow in the footsteps of my two older brothers who have also competed for this program.”