Lowell, Andover Get It Done At Division I Relays!

MSTCA Division 1 State Relays
Stephen Mazzone


The goal for the Shrewsbury boys prior to the Division 1 State Relays was to break 1 minute, 32 seconds in the 4x200-meter relay. After Friday's race, the goal for the season for the Colonials has just been readjusted.

Shrewsbury's winning quartet came mere strides from a meet record, combining for a time of 1:30.67. That clocking currently ranks No. 8 in the country.

The focus all week leading up to the race was earning that 'W' inside the Reggie Lewis Center.

"We switched the order because we wanted to try something new; to see if we could bust out a good time," said team member Joe Young. "We practiced hand-offs every single day, giving 100 percent. We didn't let up one bit. I guess it paid off.

In the team competition, the Lowell boys and the Andover girls were able to celebrate at the end. Both teams collected 62 points for their victories.  The Red Raiders finished comfortably ahead of second-place Wachusett, which had 36 points. Brockton was third with 34 points.

"They call it bullets in the gun. I thought we had bullets in nine of the 10 events," said Lowell coach Scott Ouellet. "I thought we really had a strong chance."
 
Lowell scored in the top three in seven events. The Red Raiders earned victories in the 4x50-yard relay (22.09 seconds) and the 4x800m relay (8:10.47). In a very-competitive 4x800m race, Lowell was able to take its only lead with less than three laps remaining. Finishing second was Brockton (8:12.95). Acton-Boxborough was third (8:13.91).

Andover captured four event events and finished second in two to take the girls' title, less than a week after claiming the crown at the prestigious Dartmouth Relays.  The Golden Warriors won the 4x50y (24.78), 4x50y shuttle hurdle (29.57), 4x400m (4:03.01) and the 4x200m (1:45.34) relays. 

"It was a great team effort. We came off a big team win at the Dartmouth Relays. I was kind of excited about that," said head coach Peter Comeau, whose team was first among 57 teams at Dartmouth. "We marked this on our calendar. When we got our schedules in we thought this was something that we could win...I am just overwhelmed right now. I can't tell you how ecstatic I am for our kids, all the hard work that they have been putting on, it's now starting to pay off." 

Needham claimed the girls' race with a fast time of 9:37.29, currently the fastest time in the state. Newton North took runner-up honors at 9:41.36. Newton South also broke 10 minutes, finishing third in 9:55.26.

"We were all looking to average around a 2:20 so we are pretty happy with the time we got," said the Red Raiders' Nicole Stevens

Acton Boxborough clocked the fastest time in the nation in the girls' sprint medley relay with a time of 4:10.47. The Colonials dominated the field, winning by more than six seconds!

In an exciting race, Lexington was able to squeak out a narrow win over Newton North in the boys' sprint medley relay. The squads were neck-and-neck after the opening 800m leg with Newton North's Theo Burba and Lexington's Thomas Lingard blazing their two laps at sub 1:58. The two teams were still doing the pace-setting after a pair of strong 200m legs and then  engaged in a fierce battle with Lexington able to overtake its rival with less than 100m left. Both teams cracked the top 10 nationally with Lexington at No. 3 and Newton North at No. 4.

Highlighted by a 4:20 mile anchor leg from Tristan Shelgren, St. John's Prep was able to hold off Newton North in the distance medley relay. The Eagles finished with a time of 10:39.55 to the Tigers' 10:39.80 effort. Lowell was third at 10:44.06. 

Newton South was an easy winner in the girls' DMR with a final time of 12:38.34. Boston Latin was second with a 13:01.73 clocking.

St. John's Prep won the boys' high jump relay where just 6.25 inches separated the top three teams. The Eagles combined for a height of 17-7.25. Lowell (second, 17-3.5) and BC High (third, 17-1) took the next two placements. Westford copped the girls' crown at 14-10.75. Wachusett (second, 14-8.75) and Brockton (third, 14-4.75) were next. 

The Franklin girls (48-8) and St. John's Prep boys (59-5) won the long jump titles. It was Brockton (94-4.25) and Peabody (142-2.25) in the girls' and boys' shot put, respectively.

Girls Highlights