2016 All-State Meet Girls Preview !

55H

2015 Winner: Isabella Dimare, Notre Dame -Hingham 8.44

Meet Record: Vanessa Clerveaux. Brockton 7.98  (2012)

There is nothing better when we get to see the states two best hurdlers go head to head at the biggest meet of the year. That will be the case on Saturday when MA#1 Plymouth South junior, Madelyn Sessler (8.44) settles into the blocks next to MA#2 Morgan Sanders of Westfield (8.45). We already got a preview of these two at the D2 Championship, where Sessler ran a strong 8.45 to win and Sanders took runner-up in a respectable time of 8.49. While Sessler might be the current favorite, let us not forget that not only is Sanders the returning All-State runner-up from last year, but also took 3^rd at New Englands and is senior looking to go out on top. Cynthia Aroke of Peabody has been progressing nicely all winter and is the only competitor who has also clocked a sub 8.60, so she will be a solid lock for third.

55m

2015 Winner: Brianna Duncan, Cambridge Rindge and Latin 7.14

Meet Record: Monique Tubbs, Boston Latin 6.99 (1999)

We are quite certain that whether you're in the stands at Reggie or glued to your computer at home, you will not want to miss the showdown in the girls' 55m dash final. Barring a disaster on Saturday, we should have an epic matchup between the two fastest girls in all of New England. In one lane will be the defending All-State Champion and current MA#2, Brianna Duncan of Cambridge Rindge & Latin. From running 7.01 in the 55m to jumping 19'4 in the long jump, and also finding time to drop a 39.96 in the 300m, Duncan has done it all this winter. Her path to a repeat victory will certainly not be easy, as Brooke-Lynn Williams of Norton is more than capable of holding her off and officially becoming the "Queen of Speed" in Massachusetts. Ever since we overlooked Williams during our Elite Meet Preview, Williams has been lighting up the track every meet out and is currently the fastest girl in the state with her 7.00 performance at D4 Champs. So what is our prediction for Saturday? Williams over Duncan and both will be under the meet record.

300m

2015 Winner: Chelsea Owusu, Wachusett 40.01

Meet Record: Sierra Irvin, Hingham 39.04 (2014)

If you thought the 55m was going to be exciting, hopefully you still be breathing to handle this stacked 300m race. As not only will we get to see Briana Duncan (MA #1 39.96) and Brooke-Lynn Williams (MA#3 40.60) square off for the second time in less than two hours, but we will also see Juleen Lewis* of O'Bryant joining them on the starting line. Lewis is rounding into top form at exactly the right time, sweeping both the 55m (7.27) and the 300m (MA#2 40.50) at last week's Division 3 Championship. If that wasn't enough, we will also have Melissa Solomon of Lexington at 40.70, Rachelle Parker of Wellesley at 40.89, and Alyssa Madden of Oakmont at 40.73. Interestingly enough, the Oakmont freshman is the top returner from last year's race (6^th place), and so far this indoor we have only seen her lose once while competing in the 300m (2^nd at the Elite Meet). With such a deep and talented field, this race will be one of the toughest ones to call leading up to Saturday's meet. Though if we had to give you our finishing order right now, we are going to call it Duncan, Williams, and the youngster from Oakmont, Alyssa Madden.

*Juleen Lewis of O'Bryant will possibly not be competing on Saturday* 

600

2015 Winner: Amy Piccolo, Ursuline 1:34.23

Meet Record: Sierra Irvin, Hingham 1:32.23 (1999)

After a senior-heavy race last year, Jacklyn Sullivan of Plymouth North assumes her role at the top of this year's field after taking 7^th in 2015. While the 600m is certainly Sullivan's bread and butter, we didn't see her drop a big time until this past weekend when she won the D3 race in a MA#3 time of 1:34.49. In addition to Sullivan's expertise at the 600m, the Plymouth North senior is also a very talented quarter-miler and has a personal best of 57.10 from last outdoor. Though there aren't many people in the state that can match that type of speed, Sullivan will have to deal with one person that can-Ashley Lewis of Boston Latin. Lewis enters Saturday with a 400m personal best of 55.98 from last August, and so far this indoor we have seen her consistently running 1:34 for the 600. These two young ladies will certainly provide sparks up front, but could also be joined by a first-year from Milton, Elise O'Leary. After being pulled along by her big sister to a MA#5 1:34.81 at the Bay State Conference Champs, O'Leary struck again last week and won the D4 Championship in a respectable 1:35.6. Another potential threat to keep an eye out for will be Samantha Friborg of Acton-Boxborough, who was runner-up at the Coaches Elite Meet and owns a personal best of 1:35.01.

1000

2015 Winner: Ariel Keklak, Lincoln-Sudbury 2:51.17

Meet Record: Ari Lambie, Broomfield 2:45.46 (2003)

In the past three years, the 1,000m has gotten incredibly competitive for girls in Massachusetts and Saturday's All-State race is going to be a fine example of the current depth in the commonwealth. In terms of numbers, we will have eleven girls from 2:48.7 to 2:59.8 racing at Reggie, while there are also seven other girls in the state who've run sub 3:00 this season. That brings the total number of sub 3:00 athletes to 18, which matches the total from 2015 and well ahead of the years from 2010-2014 ('10 = 9 / '11,'12,'13 = 7 / '14 = 10).  Now getting back to Saturday's race, defending champion and current state leader, Ariel Keklak of Lincoln-Sudbury will be the pre-race favorite. Compared to some of the other top distance girls in the state, Keklak has kept a relatively low profile after her stellar cross country season. Despite the limited racing, we have still seen impressive marks from Keklak, such as her strong anchor leg on the Lincoln-Sudbury DMR at D1 Relays, a 4:49.6 (0.36 off PR) mile performance at the end of January, and her state leading time of 2:48.7 at last Sunday's D1 Champs. Now who will be capable of stopping the top seed from Lincoln-Sudbury? Well, we feel that both Clare Martin of Newton South and Sarah Edwards of Bellingham are viable candidates. Yes, Martin just lost to Keklak in the D1 1,000, but the Newton South junior still broke 2:50 and she has terrific half mile speed. Edwards is very similar to her counterpart from Newton South and looked quite strong running 4:51.1 to get 4^th at the NB Indoor Grand Prix mile. Also looking at very strong in the NB Grand Prix Mile after racing very well earlier in the week was Sarah Armstrong of Needham. In terms of personal bests, Armstrong is slightly slower than the front three girls, but the Needham senior has been running great and should be in the mix. So with so many top ladies competing in the 1,000m, how will it all shake out? We feel confident that Keklak will win and then it will be Edwards, Martin, and Armstrong.

Distance

Mile

2015 Winner: Kaleigh Hughes, Needham 4:56.35

Meet Record: Catarina Rocha, Peabody 4:49.14 (2013)

After last week, we're not sure what Margie Cullen of Needham can't do on the track. Last Wednesday night at D2 Champs, we witnessed Cullen not only win the mile in a personal best time of 4:51.1, but also come back a few hours later and win the 2-mile in an impressive 10:44.0. Most runners would be quite content with such a week, but Cullen still had the New Balance Grand Prix Mile on the calendar. Eventually, her third race of the week would arrive and, once again, Cullen performed exceptionally well to set a new PR of 4:50.1 and take 3^rd overall in a very competitive field. After a little reprieve, Cullen will make yet another trip to Reggie in a few days and we guarantee you she'll be picking up her first individual All-State title in the mile, possibly putting up a new meet record time simultaneously. The runner-up spot should go to Julia Curtin of Beverly, who is the only other person in the field to have run sub-5:00 this winter (4:54.8 at Elite Meet). A fine battle for 3rd should ensue between Rebecca Grusby of Newton South, Kaley Richards of Lowell, and Alex Babick of Lincoln-Sudbury. As last year's All-State runner-up and a veteran senior owning a personal best of 4:56.7, Richards of Lowell could also mix things up and create a scare up front for Curtin.

2 Mile

2015 Winner: Margie Cullen, Needham 10:51.21

Meet Record:  Emily Jones, Bromfield 10:29.57 (2009)

She is the defending All-State champion, fresh off a spectacular week of racing, and will very likely be doubling back from a victory in the mile. But will Margie Cullen of Needham be able to make it two for two on Saturday? Maybe it was preparation for this weekend, but the Georgetown bound runner already showed us at D2 champs that she is more than capable of coming back from a hard mile victory to win a fast 2-mile. With the likes of Abigail Long of Bishop Feehan and Grace Connolly of Natick, however, Cullen's quest for two will not be easy. Until last week's D2 Meet, Long of Feehan had a firm grip on the state in the 2-mile with her 10:49.9 performance at the Elite Meet. That all changed when the freshman from Natick took out the D2 2-mile in a blistering pace and forced Cullen to follow. In the end, Cullen put up the MA#1 time of 10:44.0 and Connolly was not to far behind in a tremendous MA#2 time of 10:48.5. As Cullen will be doubling back from the mile, we wouldn't be surprised to see Long and Connolly "team up" to push the pace from the gun. We feel that this might be the only shot those two have at stopping Cullen, but as we have seen before it sill might not be enough. It's definitely going to be a close race and in the end we think it will go: Cullen, Connolly, Long.

Field Events

High Jump

2015 Winner: Danae Bucci, Bedford 5'8"

Meet Record: Heather Francis, Dartmouth 5'11" (1995)

Entering Saturday's meet, Liana Reilly of Newton North and Michelle Connor of Swampscott are the top two seeds with their marks of 5'5". For Reilly, her state-leading mark came in mid-December at a Bay State League meet, while Connor's 5'5" earned her a victory at the Northeast Conference Champs at the end of last month. Both will need to be at 100% on Saturday if either one wants to remain #1 in the state, as theere are a handful of girls right behind them at 5'4", including the top returner from last year's field and owner of best PR (5'6") in the field, Catherine Flaherty of North Andover.

Long Jump

2015 Winner: Brianna Duncan, Cambridge Rindge and Latin 18'8.5"

Meet Record: Carla Forbes, Newton North 20'1.25" (2012)

Saturday's jump runway will be an excellent three person battle between Brianna Duncan of Cambridge R&L Juleen Lewis of O'Bryant*, and Adja Sackor of Worcester Tech. At the Coaches Elite Meet, we witnessed Duncan and Lewis go jump-for-jump and in the end, they both put up a mark of 19'4"; Duncan took the win on a tie-breaker. At the recent D1 Champs, Duncan wouldn't be so lucky, as Sackor of Worcester Tech out performed her to win with a nice personal best jump of 18'9". While it has been few close calls and upsets for Duncan this winter, we still feel that she has got what it takes to win on Saturday and will defend her title from 2015. 

*Juleen Lewis of O'Bryant will possibly not be competing on Saturday* 

Shot Put

2015 Winner: Jenny Lee, Woburn 40'3.25"

Meet Record: Melody Johnson, North Attleboro 46'0.5" (1986)

Just last week, Skylar Barthelmes of Dartmouth launched the shot to a second best all-time personal mark of 42'2.5" to easily win D3 Champs. That means not only is she the top returner from last year, but also the state leader by more than a foot. If all goes according to plan, the Elon University-bound thrower should win easily.

Relays

4x200

2015 Winner: Hingham 1:44.20

Meet Record: Cambridge Rindge & Latin 1:43.46 (2006)

Buckle up and hold on tight, as the Girls 4x200 on Saturday is going to be one wild ride. The team with a target on their backs will be the young ladies from Wellesley, who put up the MA#1 time of 1:45.46 at the Bay State Champs meet earlier this month. Right behind them will be eight teams from 1:46.08 to 1:46.96. Everyone will need to hold on to their batons tight and have smooth exchanges, as it's a wide open race and anyone's for the taking. 

4x400

2015 Winner: Mansfield 3:58.75

Meet Record: Lexington 3:55.89  (2011)

Entering the All-State meet fresh off their D1 Champs relay victory and state-leading performance of 4:00.17, the young ladies of Lexington will be the ones to watch on Saturday. They were runner-ups last year and obviously capable of sitting at top of the podium this year, but will also have to be mindful of Lincoln-Sudbury and Acton-Boxborough.

4x800

2015 Winner: Lincoln-Sudbury 9:22.89

Meet Record: Lincoln-Sudbury 9:31.63 (2009)

Since 2010, the Lady Warriors of Lincoln-Sudbury have won the All-State 4x800 four times (2010, 2011, 2012, 2015) and were runner-ups in 2014. So it's no surprise to most everyone that once again Lincoln-Sudbury will be the odds on favorite in the 4x800. They looked very strong at D1 Champs, where Ariel Keklak anchored the squad and brought them home in a MA#1 time of 9:31.63. Hoping to keep it close in the final stages of the race will be Acton-Boxborough and Walpole. Though we feel that if it's a slow race and a lot of teams are still in it during the anchor leg, watch out for Newton South and Clare Martin on the anchor leg.