The girls of Cambridge Rindge and Latin put on a clinic at Andover High School to win the Eastern Massachusetts Division 1 championships. Led by impressive victories from Maya Halprin-Adams and Brianna Duncan, and scorching performances from Sydney Fisher in the sprints, CRL took the team win by three points over titan Newton North.
Sophomore Brianna Duncan pulled off the double win in the jumps, with despicably far leaps of 19-01 (two feet ahead of second place finisher Morgan Richard of Barnstable) and 37-2.50 in the long and triple respectively. Putting up 20 points for her team while pulling off one of the furthest jumps in Massachusetts since the Carla Forbes era set Cambridge R&L off on the right foot. Chelmsford athletes Marylou Ryder and Michelle Jaquint took second and third, both with jumps of 36 feet, hinting at a prosperous all-state triple jump final.
In the two-mile, Sydney Clary of LS put down a more than capable field with a time of 11:05, followed over seventeen seconds later by Needham’s Margie Cullen and Newton South’s Rebecca Gruspy at 11:22.56 and 11:22.63, both sophomores.
The 400 Hurdles showcased a duel between Jessica Maki of Acton-Boxborough and Emiliegh Glode of Taunton, finishing just two tenths apart at 64.27 and 64.47.
The next event on the track was maybe one of the deepest mile fields seen in a long while. Kaleigh Hughes of Needham spearheaded a finish that clocked seven girls under 5:10, finishing at 5:01.02 and followed closely two sophomores, Ariel Keklak of Lincoln-Sudbury and Sarah Armstrong of Needham HS, both posting sub 5:02 times. At 5:02.23 was Olivia Lantz of Gloucester and at 5:02.53 was sophomore Kaley Richards of Lowell. The sixth place time of 5:06.42 by Maeve Greely of Newton North would have finished first at this same meet last year by over three seconds.
Mikaila Amerantes of Mansfield, who pulled away from the field in a smooth clocking of 58.17, won the 400 meters easily.
Amanda Henson easily took the 200 meters, the first leg of her sprint double, in an MA #2 time of 24.85. Following her was Sydney Fisher of Cambridge at 25.11, putting up 8 points for her team’s eventual win. The duo repeated their performances in the 100 meter final two events later, clocking 12.15 and 12.31 respectively, which puts them at MA #3 and #5, though Fisher’s preliminary time ranks her at #4.
Maya Halprin-Adams (2:17.85) stacked more points on for Cambridge by taking the 800, narrowly taking the win over Olivia Manickas-Hill of Lexington (2:17.93).
Azariah Boyd of Brockton HS took the 100M hurdles in 15.53, followed by Sabrina Pray of Mansfield at 15.65. Kristin Leone of Weymouth took the third at 15.77.
The relays cemented Cambridge’s win, with a key second place in the 4x100 and a third place in the 4x400 to cement their win. The 4x100 showcased a smoldering final section, with four teams under fifty seconds. Brockton led the way with an MA #1 48.69, with Cambridge, Newton North, and Newton South close behind at 49.25, 49.27 and 49.39. Every one of these times is good for a Massachusetts top-ten ranking. In the 4x400, the ladies of Mansfield joined the sub-four club with a 3:56.12, good for a new MA #1 by two seconds. Lexington finished with a time of 4:00.80, with Cambridge R&L crossing five seconds later at 4:05.21.
In the 4x800, Needham and Lincoln-Sudbury dominated the field, both posting times good enough for MA #1 and #2, at 9:31.07 and 9:32.51. It should be noted, however, that Needham already had the MA best with time good enough for the MileSplit gold standard, at 9:19.45. On their A-game, the All-State record of 9:15.13 could be in jeopardy. The Newton North girls kept themselves in the mix with a third place in the 4x800, at 9:41.12.
Newton North’s Michaela Smith continued her dominance of Massachusetts’s throws in remarkable fashion, winning the shot put and discus at 40-6 and 117-3, winning the discus by over ten feet and the shot put by over five. Having personal bests of 43-5 and 120 combined with the fact that she simply has not lost an event since the New England championships last year, Smith is arguably one of the best field athletes in Massachusetts, male or female. North scored points in the javelin as well, with Maddie Jacks taking second at 115-06. Ellie Bucknell of New Bedford won the event by an impressive near-six-foot margin at 121-03.
Though Newton North was able to finish the meet with extremely strong performances in the field events and relays, the women of Cambridge had remarkable depth throughout the running to combat them. Cambridge and North will now look to take their talents to the All-State meet and duke it out once more with some of the strongest teams in the state now in the mix.
Team Scores :
Cambridge Rindge & Latin – 73 points
Newton North – 70 points
Lexington – 53
Andover – 50.5
Mansfield – 49
For more meet photos visit NewtonSportsPhotography.com.
