Editors Note: Remember the MSTCA is helping Christmas in the City again this year. Please remind everyone to bring a new, unwrapped toy to the meet this weekend!www.christmasinthecity.org
The first major track meets of the indoor season take place this weekend at Reggie Lewis as the Mass. State Track Coaches Assn. (MSTCA) hosts their two day Winter Festival Meet. On Saturday the Small School Division goes off with just over 1,600 athletes from 46 schools, and on Sunday the Large School Division has over 1,400 athletes from 32 schools.
The Winter Festival is the first meet that brings teams to Reggie Lewis to give them an opportunity to compete in the best facility in the state. It is also the first chance many of the new athletes have to run in Reggie.
There will be some interesting early season match-ups in the Small Schools on Saturday.
On the girls side in the sprints Jessica Scott (Hopkinton), Sarah Militano and Kristina MacLure (Nashoba Reg.) will run against each other as all made the State 55 final last year. Amy Piccolo (Ursuline-Dedham) will run both the 300 and 600. Amy was the State 600 champ and finalist at 300 last season. Militano and MacLure will also run the 300. Merissa Wright (Ursuline) will test her teammate in the 600. Stanford bound Karina Shephard (Dracut), State 800 champ this past spring, will run the 1000 against Melissa Lodge (Hopkinton). Lodge will also run the mile and be challenged by her teammates Shelby Aarden and Emily Knox (ND-Worcester). Jesse Cardin (Sutton) and Renee Capps (Narragansett Reg.) top XC runners from Central Mass are the leaders in the two mile.
In the field events Paige Suse (East Longmeadow) has already jumped 5’ 05” this season, while MacLure, Piccolo and Scott will also be in the Long Jump.
On the boys side on Saturday Daniel Solano (Whitinsville Christian) is the top 300 runner in the meet. In the 1000 Jeremy Alley-Tarter (Martha’s Vineyard) is top seed followed closely by one Medfield’s twins, Ian Robertson. The mile will be interesting as Ian will run again against his brother Sean and Paul Maurais (Hopedale). All three had very strong cross county seasons. In the Hurdles Jack McCorrison (Dedham) and Edward Matovu (Tewksbury) should battle for first. Samir Sofi (Stoughton) is the leader in the high jump, while Eli Jennings (Wilmington) and Leonardo Ramirez (Fitchburg) are the top throwers.
On Sunday when the large schools compete there will be several interesting match-ups.
Right off in the girls dash defending state champ Amanda Henson (Barnstable) will face a challenge from two Notre Dame sprinters, Amanda Reilly and Isabella DiMare. DiMare improved dramatically when she was the only other Mass girl, behind Henson, to dip below twenty-five second in the 200 last spring. Henson is also scheduled to run the 300 and so is the defending state champ Domonique Hall (Shrewsbury) as well as DiMare, Ashley Lewis (Latin Acad.), Christina Galvagno (Newton North), Gina Conti (Walpole), and Bridget Owen (Algonquin Reg.)
Kate Gobi (Wachusett Reg.) is the top girl in the 600, while Samantha Wise (Haverhill) and Stella Worters (Shepherd Hill Reg.) are tops in the 1000. Worters, Rile Gilmore (Haverhill) will face best Mass distance runner in Kaley Richards (Lowell) in the mile. Richards was the state cross-country champ this past November.
Andover has the two top hurdlers with Courtney Comeau and Jillian Gamache. Hanna Chapman (Andover) is the best long jumper and in the top six hurdlers. Michaela Smith (Newton North) is the top returning thrower in the girls shot.
On the boys side Brady Martin (Gr NB Voke) is the highest returning boy in the 55, while Hamza Naveed (Andover) and Josh Hubbell (St. John’s Prep) will be tough in the 300. In the 600 state runner up Joe Loungo (St. John’s Prep), former Austin Prep runner is the top runner. The boys distance races could be worth the price of admission as the mile’s top runner are Gabe Montague (Newton North), Mike Schlichting (Newton North), Quinn Cooney (Chelmsford), Johnny Abraham (Lowell), Tim Loehner (St. John’s Prep), and Drew Fossa (Peabody) all might stop to the line. All had great cross-country seasons. Schlichting, Fossa, and Chris Skelly (No. Middlesex) will battle in the two mile.
BC High’s Jordan Samuels, fourth in the State last winter, will be pressed by Irvin Johnson (New Bedford) eighth last winter. Dino Tomilli (Shrewsbury) D-I champ last winter will face Nick Fofana (Newton North) in the High Jump. Atiba Frazer-Nichols (BC High) and Tarik Maddrey (Revere) will be jumping at the higher heights also. Evan Dombrowksi (St. John’s Prep), fifth in the state last year, is the best thrower in the state this winter. While Fofana, Johnson, and Jared Prior (Newton North) will be contesting for the chance to be the best Long Jumper of the meet.
The next MSTCA competition will be the Holiday Challenge, Team Pentathlon, Individual Pentathlon and Holiday Qualifier on December 27 and 28 at Reggie Lewis. Information on MSTCA.org.
From: John Carroll, Meet Director, 508-737-7874 trackjc@hotmail.com