When you have three solid middle-distance runners and your fourth is the best in the state, you're pretty guaranteed a good - if not great - time. And when your horse is at the top of his game, the performances become that more intimidating.
Newburyport's 4x800-meter relay team certainly fit that bill at Saturday's Div. 5 Coaches Relays at the Reggie Lewis Center.
Led by defending indoor mile champion Nick Carleo's scintillating 1:56 split, the Clippers demolished their year-old meet record of 8:15.77 with an 8:08.55. Carleo made up 50 meters on his leg and Tom Graham held the lead on his anchor leg with a 1:58 split. Jack Carleo and Gabe Ficht opened with consecutive2:07 splits.
Clipper head coach Don Hennigar knows that Carleo, who has already run a 4:14.4 mile this winter, is a deal breaker in most any race he competes in. "8:08 is what we wanted to run," said Hennigar. "He's (Carleo) pretty special talent and a very competitive kid. When you put those two together good things happen."
Newburyport also grabbed the meet record in the distance medley (10:53.38) and long jump (17-1/4) on a day when records were falling at an alarming rate. A combined 10 records were broken in a stirring meet that saw Ursuline take the girls' title with 50 points and Newburyport take the boys' team title with 49 points.
The girls' 4x200 proved to be a burner as well as Sutton broke the meet record with a 1:48.89 and both North Reading (1:50.84) and Oakmont (1:51.68) were under the previous mark of 1:52.09 set last winter by North Reading. Sutton also combined for a meet-record 14-10--1/4 to win the high jump.
In the shot put cage the top four boys' teams demolished the former mark, led by Bishop Stang's 124-8-1/4 effort. Old Rochester's girls combined for a 43-6-1/2 effort to break the meet record in the long jump and Sutton set a new standard by winning the high jump at 14-10-1/4. Seekonk (28.09 meters), Ipswich (27.72) and Ursuline (26.97) all eclipsed the shot put mark.
East Bridgewater's boys edged out Old Rochester to win the 4x50 dash in 23.26 and Old Rochester came back to win the the 4x50 hurdles in 27.88. Littleton won the duel against Whitinsville in the 4x200, 1:36.10 to 1:36.85. North Reading hooked up with Innovation in the 4x400 and pulled out a 3:40.75 victory. Murdock was an easy winner in the sprint medley at 3:49.09.
Amy Piccolo closed out the 4x400 with a 58.5 leg to give Ursuline the win and Manchester Essex was victorious in the distance medley in 13:01.30. Ursuline also captured the sprint medley in 4:19.48 and Notre Dame of Worcester took the 4x50 dash in 26.23. North Reading was also victorious on the infield, claiming the 4x50 hurdles in 30.40.