Stars Will Shine Bright at New England Championship
One thing is for sure. No amount of snow, rain, wind, or hail this February could have derailed the train of performances that came from around New England. We saw Catarina Rocha light up the track to the tune of 4:49, Julie McConville head West to run 10:18, the 2nd fastest time ever run in Massachusetts, Amy Piccolo flirt with the all-time record for the 600, and Precious Holmes continue her all-everything career at Hillhouse, dominating whatever field she entered. While some, like McConville and Rocha, will skip this weekend's festivities, there will be no lack of firepower and star power on the Reggie Lewis track on Saturday.
Distance
The top three Massachusetts runners, Rocha, Abby McNulty, and Olivia Lantz, have elected to forego the mile, opening the field up to a battle that could literally go to any of six athletes. Northwest Catholic (CT)'s Sarah Gillespie is the top seed and has run 4:49 for 1600, but just a shade better than LaSalle (RI)'s Sheridan Wilbur. Waterville (ME)'s Bethanie Brown has to be the co-favorite, however, having PR's of 4:50 and 10:29, and likely raced 5:00.31 at her state meet because it was all she needed to do. Look for Brown and Gillespie to battle here, in what could be one for the ages. A shame Rocha won't be joining the fun. In the 2 mile, Massachusetts's top trio of Rocha, McConville, and McNulty elected out of the race in-state, opening the door for Erin Dietz to run 10:38 and win. Well, Dietz is out as well, making Bethanie Brown once again the favorite here. Brown will likely pick a race, and the hope is that her and Gillespie match up for drama's sake. If she does stay in the mile, Hannah DeBalsi of Staples (CT) becomes the favorite, with Classical (RI)'s Maddy Berkson and others leading a deep chase pack. Somehow, these past 3-4 years, 11:00 became passé, but with this many certainly aiming to run it, expect a fast race. Lastly, the 1000 has some missing star power as well, as Lowell (MA)'s Bryanna Allison will take her 2:53.32 and stay home. That opens the door for the rest of the Mass. contingent, led by Dracut's Karina Shepard, to duke it out with Christine Bendzinski of CT. It appears that it will take a sub-3:00 effort to even sniff the podium.
Girls Sprints
Watching the double that Emily Dawidczyk (Oxford) pulled at the Mass. state meet on Saturday, it's hard to bet against her in anything. She comes in with the fastest time, but also will be more fresh this weekend, since she won't be sandwiching a 55 in between her trials and finals. Look for Dawidczyk and Betsy Garnick of Bishop Guertin (NH) to push each other to a sub 8.20 time, with Melissa Isidor of New Bedford (MA) not far behind. The 55 dash has itsshare of combatants, but Hope (RI)'s Quashira McIntosh, but a sophomore, is the leader of the pack. She will contend with yet another super-sophomore in Lake Region (ME)'s Kate Hall, and Barnstable (MA) junior Amanda Henson. Rare is the year that the top three 55 meter finishers are all underclassmen, but 2013 could be that year, making 2014 fun to imagine. The 300 could be another show-stopper, as Precious Holmes takes the track for Hillhouse, likely against another sub-40 kid in McIntosh. Holmes doesn't appear breakable, but the entire final heat will be blazing, with Weaver (CT)'s Monique Beckford and Shrewsbury (MA)'s Dominique Hall all capable of breaking the 40-second barrier. Amy Piccolo of Ursuline (MA) put on a show in the final 100 meters at her state meet, and needed everything she had to outduel Meghan Bellerose of Newton North, but Bellerose will sit this one out, meaning somebody else will need to come and get her. Erica Johnson of Bay View (RI) has the best shot at doing so, but it's a 2-second spread right now.
Field Events
The high jump has its share of combatants, featuring a renewal of the battle that has been raging in mass. all season. Unfortunately, Marshfield's Ellen DiPietro, who cleared 5'8" at her divisional meet, didn't make the podium last weekend, but she should be back in form in no time. This leaves Lucy Alexander of Lincoln-Sudbury, Emily Cahill of Uxbridge, Amy Collins of Wachusett, Hadlee Coker of Falmouth, Maria Garman of Scituate, and Carrie Abraham of Winchester, all of whom cleared 5'4" or better last week, in the mix. They are not alone, as Bloomfield (CT)'s Natori Jones cleared a personal best 5'5" to win her State Open meet, while Woonsocket (RI)'s Kaylnn Pitts and Bedford (NH)'s Jenny Mara each soared over 5'4" as well. It looks like 5'4" might be the cutoff to reach the podium this weekend. Catherine Lacy of Darien (CT) is the class of the long jump field, but don't sleep on Amy Taintor (Staples, CT) Kate Hall (Lakes Region) who have 18 foot jumps on their resumes as well. Three have been over 40 feet in the shot put this season, with Amity (CT) senior Katherine Simon enjoying the best PR of 41'10" and seeming to come into her own at the right time. Mahar(MA)'s Sabrina Silva flirted with 41' during her state title toss last weekend, and Michaela Smith of Newton North (MA) was over 40 feet early on as well.
Relays
One fun element to New England's is that the 4x800 kicks off the meet, a unique way to get the blood pumping in the gym. Hillhouse, even without Precious Holmes, has the best time coming in, but Narragansett (MA) will run its anchor, Krista Webb, fresh for the first time all season, since the relay comes before the 600. The 'Gansett squad has synergy, as the Capps sisters, Webb and Kylie Chartier have been together for a couple of years, and the bodies almost never change, so they will give Hillhouse everything they can handle. But LaSalle (RI) almost always finds themselves in the driver's seat in this race, so counting them out would be a fool's errand. Cambridge set the track on fire in the 4x200 last weekend, running 1:44.98 out of the unseeded heat. Connecticut almost always brings some noise in this event, so look for Darien and Greenwich, who are used to doing battle with each other, to give R&L a run for their money, even on their home track. Having watched Lexington (MA)'s quartet of Melissa Solomon, Robin Gross, Olivia Manickas-Hill, and Camila Isern light up the 4x400 all season long, starting back at the New Balance Grand Prix, it's hard to bet against them, but knowing that Precious Holmes and Hillhouse will be carrying the stick alongside the Minutewomen, the meet should end with a bang. In both the 4x200 and 4x200, LaSalle lurks in the seeded sections, making this possibly the best team in all of New England.