Despite this weekend's oppressive heat, the tracks of Massachusetts were still chock full of athletes battling it out for fast times, big marks, and team titles. From Burlington HS to Westfield State, a lot was on the line at the numerous Divisional Championship meets and we want to make sure you didn't miss out on all the great results!
D4 Championship @ Norwell HS
BOYS
After taking the All-State and New England Championships during indoor, Alexander Reduker of Newburyport found his way back to jumping pits for the first time this spring. Reduker kicked off his day at the D4 Championship with a leap of 12'6" to finish second overall in the pole vault. After soaring high in the pole vault, Alexander moved onto the triple jump where took first with a respectable leap of 43'7". Ending his busy day with his speciality, the Newburyport senior would clear 6'6" in his first high jump outing this spring and take second overall. The only person to beat Reduker would be Justin Lewis of Lynn Vocational who got up to 6'8" and now sits at the top of the state leaderboard.
The mid-distance events would be highlighted by a quite impressive showing in the 800 by Shawn Carlson of Bishop Fenwick. Prior to Saturday's meet, Carlson only had a PR of 1:59.6 from earlier this month at the Weston Twilight Meet. Well it would be a new chapter in Carlson's career on Saturday, as he dropped almost four seconds and easily won the 800 in 1:55.6. In the mile, Jack Carleo of Newburyport would attack the event for the first time this Spring and win a solid time of 4:25.6.
In the fight for the team title, Amesbury boys would scrape tooth and nail for points in every event and secure a narrow victory with 74.5 points over Norton boys 70 points.
GIRLS
It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that on Saturday, Brooke-Lynn Williams of Norton went very fast in both the 100 and 200. Starting off her day with the 200, Williams would clock in 25.89 in the prelims and then drop the hammer in the finals with a PR and MA#1 time of 24.53. After that little warmup, Brooke set her sights on going fast in the 100 and that would also result in a new PR and MA#1 time of 11.92. With the All-State meet on the horizon, we cannot wait to see what happens when Williams of Norton and Duncan of CRL clash for the top spot!
Not to be overshadowed by the fine running of Williams, but Alyssa Zee of Ashland also had herself a very strong day at the track. While she would finish 2nd to Williams running 24.83 in the finals, Zee actually ran slightly faster in the prelims with a performance of 24.60. On top of her quick 200s, Zee also took the Girls LJ with a near PR leap of 17'10.5".
Also pulling double duty on Saturday, Sarah Edwards of Bellingham had a firm grip on Saturday's D4 mid-distance events. Kicking things off in the mile, Edwards cruised over four laps and won in 4:58.27. Oddly, Edwards time was the same exact time she ran to win the same race in 2015. After a solid mile effort, Edwards shifted down to her bread and butter to take the girl's 800 in another easy victory of 2:13.9.
Without a doubt, Julia Valenti of North Reading had to be the busiest girl on the track this Saturday. The North Reading senior started her day off with the pole vault with a best jump of 10'6" and a victory based on missed attempts. Trading her pole for a shot put, Valenti would then go onto launch the shot out to a mark of 36'9.5" to take second. Closing out her day, Julia dropped a nice new PR of 15.03 to easily win the 110H.
Valenti's efforts certainly didn't go to waste, as the rest of the North Reading squad rallied around her and the Lady Hornets amassed a whopping 99 points to easily surpass Norton's runner-up total of 59.5.
D3 Championship @ Burlington HS
GIRLS
Yesterday's D3 Championship was one busy day for the the O'Leary sister duo of Colette (JR.) and Elise (FR.) Though she was tasked with taking on solid competition in both the 400 and 400H, Elise O'Leary seemed very unfazed with the responsibility. In the 400H, Elise would clock in a new PR and MA#2 time of 64.58 and then follow that up with another a new PR in the 400 and MA#2 time of 56.86. Shortly after Elise's double, Colette took to the track in the 800 and won easily in a near performance of 2:12.51. Joining Colette in the half mile was her teammate, Bridget Mitchell who took 5th running 2:17. Earlier in the day, both of these young ladies competed in the mile and Bridget took 2nd running 5:07 while Colette took 5th place.
Doing her best to keep the Lady Eagles of Plymouth North HS in the hunt for the team title, Jackyln Sullivan took her talents to the 400 and TJ. The talented multi-athlete couldn't have done much better, as she finished 2nd in the 400 running a PR of 57.04 and also took 2nd in the TJ with a new PR of 37'1.75. The only person to best Sullivan in the TJ was Shraeya Srinivasan of Foxboro. Recording her second jump over 38' this spring, Srinivasan took the competition with a very respectable leap of 38'1.5".
Finding her groove at exactly the right time, Chloe Eressy of Dennis-Yarmouth launched a massive throw to take the girls shot put on Saturday. Prior to yesterdays meet, Eressy only had a lifetime best of 38'4.5" from earlier this month at the Sunset Invitational. Well she headed home on the bus yesterday with not only a win and new PR, but a new state leading mark of 40'4".
Closing out the meet on a fast high note, we saw an excellent battle in the 4x400 between Plymouth North, Tewksbury, and Belmont. With all three teams dipping under 4:00, the ladies of Belmont would walk away victorious with a new MA#1 time of 3:57.01. Tewksbury was second with their MA#2 time of 3:58.1 and Plymouth North finished 3rd with a MA#3 performance of 3:59.43
Despite the best efforts from the Plymouth North and Tewksbury squads, the girls of Milton proved to be too much to handle on Saturday. In large part to their long-sprints/mid-distance trio, which provided them 46 points over the course of the day. Milton girls took the team title with a 111 points and 8 points ahead of the runners-up from Tewksbury.
BOYS
On the boys side of the D3 action, Andrew Ernst of Marblehead got himself a good "workout" by taking both the 800m and Mile. Starting his day off in the mile, the future Virginia Cavalier easily won with a 4:23.8 performance. Returning later on in the day, Ernst would also secure victory in the 800 with a very respectable 1:53.0.
In the throws arena, Kevin Russo of Wakefield definitely stole the show with his near twenty foot PR and MA#1 throw of 187'1". In the shot put circle, Cole Sterwart of Bishop Feehan fended off Matt Jankowski of Burlington and won the shot with a respectable hurl of 54'10. Jankowski was not too far behind grabbing 2nd and crucial team points with his throw of 53'6".
Looking to defend his home track and help out his squad, Fernando Lamin of Burlington had himself a career day in both the HJ,TJ and 110H. Getting up to a height of 6'6", Lamin not only improved by 1.5 inches but also picked up his first individual title of the day. Shifting his focus to the triple jump runway, Lamin once again rose to the occasion and secured first with a new personal best mark of 45'0.5". Closing out his big day, the Burlington junior picked up one more PR in the 110H and finished 3rd with his time of 15.49.
At the end of the day, Lamin's superb effort both on the jumps runway and track would result in a total of 26 team points for Burlington. Overall, Burlington amassed a total of 78 points and were easily able to hold off Bishop Feehan (64) for the D3 Team Title.
Western / Central D1 Championship @ Westfield State
BOYS
It was definitely a toasty weekend and Nikolas Smith of Northampton only made things hotter with his very fast showings in the 100m and 200m. While Smith's runner-up finish and PR performance of 10.98 in the 100m was certainly noteworthy, the Northampton junior would really shine in the 200m. It definitely appeared he was ready to roll in 200m prelims when he dropped a PR of 21.98. That early effort would eventually result in a 21.62 to take first overall and stake his claim as the fastest 200m runner in the state. Looking to keep with the trend of running fast in the sprints/long sprints, Rodney Agyare-May of Burncoat took the Boy's 400m with a showing of 48.56 to win easily.
In the boy's 800m, we would have a crowded and competitive affair between some top notch half milers. In the end, Grant Hauver of Wachusett reigned supreme over the field and notched down his personal to a very respectable 1:53.9. The boy's mile would also comprise of a very strong line up and after four laps, Peter Monahan of St. Johns took the W with a final time of 4:22.9. Behind Monahan we would see fellow St.Johns runner, Jackson Ennis and Ben Kovacs finished 3rd & 4th with times of 4:25.1 and 4:25.3. On top of his mile victory, Monahan would also stretch his legs in the 2 Mile and finish 2nd with a time of 9:31.8. Northampton's Liam Sullivan was the only one to take down Monahan and won the race in a new PR of 9:26.8.
The boy's 4x800 would be once again highlighted by the flexing of mid-distance/distance muscle from the boys of St. Johns. In one of the fastest 4x800 races this spring, St. Johns came out on top with a MA#2 mark of 8:05.3. East Longmeadow took 2nd with their 8:08.4, Northampton was 3rd in 8:08.7, and Holyoke boys finished 4th with a total time of 8:08.8. Closing out the meet, Northampton's 4x4 squad would strut their stuff and take the win in a current MA#1 time of 3:22.2.
It was obvious that the depth of St.Johns squad would be too much to handle for any other team and in the end that would result in them accumulating 95 points to run away with the D1 team title. Northampton was 2nd with a total of 53 and Nashoba was right behind in 3rd with 52.
GIRLS
We wouldn't be surprised if you have never heard of Wadeline Jonathas from Doherty,HS. She was definitely flying under our radars prior to Saturday's Divisional Championship meet in Westfield. Though after lighting up the track with a new MA#1 time of 56.76, we will certainly have our eyes on her when the All-State meet gets underway in Westfield next weekend.
Also having herself a very fine day, Caroline Hitchcock of Agawam seems to be hitting her steps and soaring high at the right time. In a bit of an upset during the indoor season, Hitchcock took the All-State title with a PR jump of 5'4". Well by days end, the Agawam junior headed home with a victory and new personal best 5'7". Caroline's mark now places her at the top of the state rankings and more than ready to defend her Indoor All-State title.
Last year, she was the All-State runner-up in both the triple jump and long jump. This year, Adja Sackor of Worcester Tech will be looking to flip the script and stand at the top of the podium in both events. Saturday certainly served as good practice due to Sackor winning the LJ in 19'0" and the TJ with a mark of 38'0.5". These weren't Sackor's best leaps of the year, as she currently leads the state with her TJ mark of 39'10" and is MA#3 with a 19'4.5" from last week's Vocational State Meet.
Making short work of the fight for top team, Wachusett girls accumulated 92 points over the course of the day and easily beating out Alongonquin's 59 points and Nashoba's 57 points.
Western / Central D2 Championship @ Fitchburg State
GIRLS
Making her presence well known in both the 100H and 400H, Shannon Meisberger of Lenox was certainly not messing around on Saturday. The Lenox junior kicked off her day with a half second PR in the 100H to win with a solid time of 15.37. Later in the day, Meisberger would clock in a MA#3 64.80 to easily win the 400H. As Meisberger has a lifetime best of 64.4 in the 400H, she is certainly a potential threat for victory in the event next weekend.
A veteran mid-distance runner, Kaylin Ciesluk of Oakmont broke through to another level in Saturday's 800m. With a previous best of 2:17.11, Ciesluk shattered that old best and secured victory with an excellent new PR of 2:14.4.
In the field events, Emily Casella of Athol was the shining star in both the shot put, javelin, and discus. The Athol junior won the shot with a hurl of 37'1.5" and took the javelin with her mark of 115'2". Casella came just short of the triple crown, as she finished a respectable second in the discus with her throw of 108'10".
BOYS
Taking part in the Boy's Pentathlon, Hunter Gray of Littleton was constantly in motion yesterday. The UMass bound senior, strung together 3 PRs out of the five events and accumulated a point total of 3,200. Gray's best showing was definitely his run of 14.85 in the 110H , which now makes him the state leader in the event.
In quite a pedestrian pace for the Bromfield senior, Nicke Steele won the 2 Mile easily in 9:41.1. As the current state leader in the 3200/2Mile, Steele was most likely resting up for a big show down at next week's All-State meet.
Jason Bigler of Tyngsborough had another fine day of throwing, as he won the discus with his 2nd best ever throw of 151'5" and finished 2nd in the shot put with a PR of 48'3.5". Jon Sylvia of Uxbridge won the event with a throw of 49'3".