The featured race in the girls' competition of last year's MIAA All-State Meet was no doubt the 55-meter dash. It was an event that matched Norton's Brooke-Lynn Williams vs. Brianna Duncan of Cambridge Rindge & Latin, two national-caliber sprinters. In a race that lived up to its hype, Williams got the best of her rival with both breaking the meet record with sub seven-second performances.
What's the featured event for this Sunday's meet? Take your pick! We have many.
Let's begin with the mile run. Scheduled to answer the starter's gun for the eight-lapper are four runners that have broken five minutes this season - Tewksbury's Rachel Sessa, Milton's Bridget Mitchell, Natick's Grace Connolly and Wellesley's Margaret Donahue. Mitchell and Connolly have both done 4:56 this winter, Sessa won the Division 4 meet this past week in 4:57 and is the outdoor defending champion and Donahue has a 4:59 effort under her belt. In a conversation with Connolly after her double victory in the two mile and mile at the Division 2 meet, the gifted tenth-grader indicated that she plans to go all-out in this race with a goal of a low 4:50 clocking. With the level of talent in this race, you have to believe that a winning time in that range is possible. Will it be Connolly? We'll know early as the mile kicks off the competition on the oval on Sunday.
Connolly is also a top seed in the two mile where she'll match with Newton South's Katherine Collins (11:09.27), Madaket Nobili of Nauset Regional (11:09.48) and Sessa. Connolly was second at last year's All State Meet where she was timed in a PB of 10:45.82. Sessa has done sub 10:40 on the outdoor surface.
The Bay State has four girls ranked among the top 20 in the country in the 600m, and all are set to go this weekend. Acton Boxborough's Samantha Friborg ran the fastest time in the state on Saturday when she claimed the Division 1 title with a time of 1:33.69. Woburn's Avery Leydon (1:34.0) and Milton's Elise O'Leary (1:34.92), who won the Div. 2 and Div. 4 crowns, respectively, and Minnechaug's Grace Pettengill (1:35.10), who was second to Leydon, should also make this an exciting race that should come down to the final straightaway. The meet record of 1:32.23, set in 1999 by Stoneham's Maura McCusker, appears safe. But you never know.
In the 1,000m, there will be seven runners that dipped under three minutes this past week, including super freshman Lucy Jenks. Jenks of Newton South, who ranks No. 3 among all ninth-graders in the country, won the Div. 1 crown in a PB of 2:57.73. The fastest time this season of 2:55.70 belongs to Mitchell of Milton, who will be competing in the 1K after a sure-to-be dogfight in the mile. Will she have enough in the tank to contend? Also in the field is Newton South's Clare Martin, a 2:09 800m runner and a third-place finisher at the All-State Meet last year where she finished with a best of 2:47.61.
The 300m should be hotly contested. Alyssa Madden, who won the Div. 5 meet, owns the top seed with her winning time of 40.3. Right behind is Medway's Ava Vasile, the Div. 4 victor, with a time of 40.39. Anne Leahy of Bishop Feehan (41.0) and Franklin's Halle Atkinson (41.08) are among others that could contend.
Unlike last year, the 55m dash looks like Williams to win. She's been hovering near sub seven-second territory all season long with a best of 7.01. That's nearly two-tenths of a second faster than her closest rival, Division 1 victor Calene Lazare of Newton South (7.24). Wachusett's Victorie Steffon (7.24) and Randolph's Kiara Felix (7.29) are also strong competitors. But in order to beat Williams in this one, they'll need to show up with their 'A' game (and a little more).
Hingham's Zoe Dainton, who is currently tied for eighth in the country, is the top-ranked high jumper. She has done her PR of 5-8 twice this winter, winning the Last-Chance Qualifier and the Division 3 meet this past week. Among her chiefest rivals are 5-6 leapers Ju Jordahl-Henry of Wellesley, Erica Blaackett-Thomas of Wellesley and Isabella Bruno of Winchester.
The long jump features 11 athletes that leaped further than 17 feet at the divisionals. The No. 1 seed is Adja Sackar of Worcester Tech. Sacker did 17-9.25 to win the Division 1 meet, but has gone further than 19 feet on numerous occasions, especially last year. She was the state runner-up in 2016 with a distance of 19-7 and was eighth at New Balance Nationals. This year, she has leaped only a limited amount of times but unleashed a state best of 19-2 to win the East Coast Invitational in Rhode Island last month. Wellesley's Joanna Kennedy, , who won the Division 2 meet at 17-9, and North Reading's Juliiette Nadeau, who had a PR of 17-6.75 to take the Div. 5 crown, are primed for a podium finish.
The shot put features top seed Abbie Mokwah, the Division 4 winner with a state best of 43-6.75. Chloe Eressy of Dennis Yarmouth (41-5.5) and Dracut's Mikaylah Schwartz (40-6) are the only other shot-putters with 40-footers. Right behind is Seekonk's Cameron Garabian, who won the Div. 5 meet with a heave of 39-7.
The 55m hurdles is led by Madelyn Sessler of Plymouth South, who captured the Div. 2 crown and won the Patriots League Championship with a state best of 8.32. Medway's Ava Vasile, the Div. 4 winner, has a best of 8.49 and Chelmsford's Kristen Hohenstein, the Div. 1 victor, had a best of 8.50 to take the Merrimack Valley Championship at the beginning of the month.
