The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School girls cross country team are division champions for the first time in the program’s history after running away with first place out of 21 teams at the MIAA division 5 Eastern Massachusetts championship meet Saturday in Wrentham.

"The intensity was so high, but they kept their integrity and poise and ran their race,” said Coach Joe Schroeder.

The victory, which included five Vineyard girls finishing in the top 25, means the girls secure a spot to compete alongside the best high school runners in the commonwealth at the state championship meet next week. The Vineyard boys will also join them after finishing in fifth place out of 24 teams.

Eighth-grader Adrienne Christy led the charge for the Vineyard girls, finishing in seventh place out of 155 runners on the 5K course with a time of 19:56. Catherine Cherry wasn’t far behind, finishing 14th with a time of 20:26. Then a wave of purple dashed through the finish line that included Yayla DeChiara in 20th place (20:35), eighth-grader Eloise Christy in 21st (20:35) and Amber Cuthbert in 25th (20:52). Kaitlyn Freeman (24:00) and freshmen Margaret Sykes (24:01) rounded out the team.

Vineyarder Peter Burke, who finished in second at the Cape and Islands championship last week, was the top finisher for the boys team with a time of just under 17 minutes, putting him in 14th place out of 167 runners. The rest of the team all finished under the top 60 runners, led by senior Owen Porterfield in 36th place (17:45), Isaac Richards in 37th (17:46, Owen Atkins in 42nd (17:51), freshman Zach Utz in 48th (18:01), Kieran Karabees (18:06), and Nathaniel Porterfield in 60th (18:21).

The Vineyarders will compete at the MIAA All-State meet next Sunday at Stanley Park in Westfield.

"It’s more mental now than physical," said Coach Schroeder. "They’re on uncharted ground. The competition is best of the best. It’s going to be exciting.”