Records Will Fall
Speculating about the potential outcome of a meet or race is often the best part of the otherwise boring week leading up to the Divisional Championships. This year gives us much to speculate about as some close team match-ups have coaches playing chess with the rest of the state. Many strategic moves have yet to be unveiled, and this weekend will certainly be an exciting one.
The release of the performance lists on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week revealed several big surprises and a few puzzling decisions. Championship meet entries can give track fans a glimpse into the philosophy of a program, the desires of the individual, and the conflict that sometimes lies between. At this point, all we have to go on are, performance lists, PR’s, and pure speculation. With that said, here are the previews of each division.
This Division 1 consistently produces the deepest fields and events are often packed with the state’s top 10. Credit must go out to the competitive athletes of Division 1 because they realize that talented athletes, fast packs, and external pressure often result in impressive performances from the entire field. Here is a look at each event:
Division 1 Performance List
Boys
55 Meter Hurdles
Josh Quinnie (Attleboro) is second in the state to league rival Greg Boursiquot of Stoughton (Division 2). Last week Quinnie ran 7.57 in the Hockomock League Finals partly because Boursiquot got out so fast. This week he will have to lead a talented group of 6 that have run under 7.90, including Connor McDavitt of Wachusett and Nicholas McDaniels of Xaverian.
55 Meter Dash
Phito Gondre (New Bedford) has led the state for much of the season after posting a 6.46 time at the Boston Holiday Challenge. New Bedford relies heavily on Gondre for team points and he will be competing in multiple events. Although this is not new for him, the strain of a long season may come into play if the long jump and sprints start to overlap. But don’t underestimate Gondre. He is a fierce competitor.
The next 16 athletes are all between 6.61 and 6.76; making advancing to the finals up for grabs. Consistency and a clean start will be the key to advancing to the finals and eventually scoring team points.
300 Meter Dash
Isaiah Penn has been one of the most impressive athletes in the Bay State league for the past two years. His seed time of 35.58 is the second fastest 300m time in the state and he ran it in en route to another Bay State League Championship last week. But, Pat Farnham (Andover) has also been running well lately. He posted the #4 time in the state last week at the Merrimack Valley Championships. Add sophomore Brian Sommers (Acton-Boxboro) to the mix and you have a race that may go under 35.25.
600 Meter Run
Seeding was important in this race because 15 athletes ran sub 1:25.00 to qualify. Andre Rolim (Somerville) is the favorite with his MA#2 time of 1:22.01 but Michael Galasso (St. John’s Prep) is not far behind at 1:23.81. You may see someone from outside the final section post a time that ultimately puts tremendous pressure on the rest of the field; forcing Rolim and Galasso to run an overly aggressive race. Experience and confidence will play a big part in who is crowned champion.
1000 Meter Run
Ezra Lichtman (Newton North) catapulted himself to race favorite following a 2:32.50 effort at the MSTCA Coaches Invitational. In one of the most competitive fields assembled this year, Lichtman finished 3rd, behind national leader Josh Lampron of Mansfield and Foot Locker Cross Country Finalist John Murray of Shrewsbury. This time, Lichtman will have to lead another impressive field, featuring Curt Owen (2:33.50), Cameron Kelley (2:33.72), Michael Giardina (2:33.80), Ryan Cooney (2:34.30) and Alex Jagelsky (2:34.88). If we are lucky, we may see another race at Reggie go under 2:30.00.
1 Mile Run
The weekend of February 5th was a big one for Massachusetts milers. Josh Lampron, John Murray, and Shayne Collins all ran 4:20 or faster at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. But, the most impressive mile of the weekend came the next day at the McIntyre Elite Meet. That’s where Dan Zawalich of St. John’s Shrewsbury ran 4:19.45. Could he have run 4:17 if surrounded by the energy and excitement of the New Balance Grand Prix? Unfortunately, we will never know, but we will definitely find out what he is capable this weekend.
The mile is a stacked field, where the times may not necessarily reflect the depth of talent. Zawalich is the top seed but the rest of the field is made up of familiar names such as Michael Giardina, Simon Voorhees, Steve Sollowin, Patrick Coppinger, Padraic Donovan, and Nick Christensen. If someone is brave enough to keep the pace honest, we may see several athletes run under 4:20.
2 Mile Run
John Murray (Shrewsbury) has narrowed his focus to the 2 mile. After a long cross country season (he raced in December at the Foot Locker National Championships) is seems to be a fitting progression as he moves up in distance with each subsequent week. Murray ran 9:25.03 at the Boston Holiday Challenge but boasts an outdoor PR of 9:05.34. Murray will undoubtedly run to win this race, but will he run to break the meet record of 9:13.00 set in 1981 by Mike Flynn of Woburn?
Many of the athletes that comprise the rest of the field are attempting doubles; or their coaches would like everyone to believe they are prior to race day. Murray will press the pace and Ben Halpin, Chernet Sisay, David Melly and a host of runners listed in the mile will try to hang on.
Shot Put
This is the best shot put field of all the divisions; with the #1, # 2, # 5, and #6 throwers in the state. Swardiq Mayanja (Newton North) has been absolutely dominant this year, holding on to the top spot in the state for weeks and improving to 56’2” at the McIntyre Elite meet. But, there are 4 other athletes who have broken 50ft and Don Caouette of Attleboro has thrown 54’2” in recent weeks.
High Jump
Nick Staley (B.C. High) is the top seed with his MA#1 jump of 6’9”. With a PR of 6’10” he is in familiar territory and has started to look very good in the past couple of weeks. But, 8 athletes are seeded at 6’4” and the high jump can be a fickle beast. Tobey Belton (St. John’s Shrewsbury) has jumped 6’8” outdoors and may be the most likely candidate to challenge Staley.
Long Jump
This is where New Bedford can make a run at a Division Championship. They have 3 athletes who have consistently jumped over 20ft and Phito Gondre is the top seed in the event at 22’4.5”. New Bedford will need every bit of that; in addition to strong performances from Ricky Williams (21’3.5”) and Justin Callander (20’11”).
Yosa Nosamiefan (B.C. High), Ryan Summers (Westfield), and Berngy Guerrier (Brockton) are also seeded in the top six and hope to break up the New Bedford trio. Many of these athletes are entered in other events, so fatigue and event timing will play a major role.
4x200 Meter Relay
11 of the top 20 teams in the state are in this one race. New Bedford is the top seed and holds the #1 time in the state at 1:31.84. Lawrence, Newton North, Andover, and St. John’s Prep have all run under 1:33.0. The exchange zone is going to be crowded and chaotic. Getting out of the zone first may be the key to staying out of trouble.
4x800 Meter Relay
The outcome of this race will depend on the chess match that is played with the other distance races. Fresh legs will win this one, but it will be a battle. Brookline enters with the top time of 8:08.43, but Andover is eyeing a win and a school record. Last year Andover set the meet and school record in 8:02.74.
4x400 Meter Relay
The meet record of 3:24.67 is in jeopardy if Somerville can find a way to squeeze a couple of seconds out of this fantastic group of four. They are the top seed at 3:26.86, followed closely by Acton-Boxboro who has made a living on the relays this year. Look for Somerville, Acton-Boxboro, Newton South, and Brockton to come down to the wire. The order that each team chooses to run may make all the difference.
Team Predictions (based on seed times/marks)
1. Newton North (41)
2. New Bedford (39)
3. Andover (38)
4. Acton-Boxboro (36)
5. St. John’s Prep (30)
6. Attleboro (28)
7. Lowell (27)
8. Boston College High (25)
9. Lawrence (24)
10. Somerville (21)
Girls
55 Meter Hurdles
This is an event that features 5 of the top 10 hurdlers in the state; including the number 1, 2, and 3 athletes. Nicole Genard (Somerville) is the top seed at 8.20 but Vanessa Clerveaux (Brockton), who is listed at 8.27, has run 8.13 at the MSTCA Girls Invitational. Add Kayla Wong from Newton North and Lauren Ready from Lincoln-Sudbury and we may be fortunate enough to watch the meet record fall. That record was set by Vanessa Clerveaux in 2010 at 8.24.
55 Meter Dash
It must have been difficult to decide where to put Carla Forbes, considering she can score in so many events. She narrowed things down to the 55m, long jump, and probably a relay. Emma Rice (Boston Latin) is the top seed in the 55m at 7.34, but Forbes is not far behind at 7.36. Forbes will also battle fellow sophomore Sima Sutton of Lowell who ran 7.45 at the Boston Holiday Challenge.
300 Meter Dash
Eve Bishop wanted to send a message to the rest of the state at the Merrimack Valley Championships. In doing so, she ran the #3 time in the state at 40.39. She has now positioned herself to run for the meet record of 40.13 set in 2003 by Natasha Stevenson of Haverhill. Challenging her will be Emma Rice (Boston Latin) who is attempting to double in the 55m and 300m and Maya Jarostchuk of Acton-Boxboro who has run 41.60. In addition, freshman Domonique Hall of Shrewsbury has been gaining momentum all season and sits in 4th at 41.80.
600 Meter Run
The absence of Andrea Keklak (who is ranked 3rd in the nation in the 600m) leaves this race wide open. Courtney Neves (New Bedford) is 4th in the state at 1:36.09, followed by Rebecca Stabile (Haverhill) who is 6th in the state at 1:36.64. But, Kendal Knous of Franklin has run 1:34.52 and looked very strong last weekend at the Hockomock League Championships; opening a gap on Jen Esposito of Mansfield in the 4x400m. If Knous can maintain contact, she will be very dangerous in the last 200m.
1000 Meter Run
This is where Andrea Keklak is going to start her double……hopefully. She is entered in the 1000m, the 2 mile, and is usually a staple on the Lincoln-Sudbury 4x400m relay team. It is evident that there are decisions left to be made. Last week Keklak ran uncontested at the DCL Championships, clocking in at 2:50.15. The field has enough depth to challenge her early (5 girls have run 3:02 or faster), but don’t forget that she is #3 in the nation at 600m. Laura Williamson (Wachusett), Marika Crowe (Lincoln-Sudbury), Jillian Corcoran (Weymouth) and Lauren Hagen (Franklin) all have the daunting task of dealing with Keklak. It will be interesting to see if Keklak and Crowe both run the event, and if so, how many of the 12 time based qualifiers to the ALL-State Meet will come out of this one race.
1 Mile Run
Kathy O’Keefe (Newton South) is seeded at #4 on the list (5:12.61) but she is actually #2 in the state at 4:58.51. She has gained some valuable race experience by running in the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix and will most likely make another attempt at running under 5 minutes. 4 other girls are also poised to break the 5 minute barrier; Catarina Rocha (5:04.59), Colleen Sands (5:06.29) and Marika Crowe (5:11.06). In their last head-to-head competition, Sands ran a very smart and strategic race to beat Rocha at the MSTCA Coaches Invitational. But, Rocha is a very smart and experienced runner who usually doesn’t make the same mistake twice.
2 Mile Run
This is the second part of the proposed Andrea Keklak double. She enters the race ranked 6th at 11:20.79 but that time is not indicative of her talent and range. She is nationally ranked at 600m and 1000m, in addition to running a 4:49 mile split at Yale. It would be an amazing feat to be nationally ranked in 4 events. That said, she will not go unchallenged in the 2 mile. Maggie Mullins (Andover) remains undefeated at 2 miles this season and is the top seed at 10:59.82. She is #1 in the state and the only girl to run sub 11:00 this season. Megan Ross of Franklin will have her usually tenacious style of running tested with Keklak and Mullins in the race but she is seeded second at 11:02.91 and has the talent to run under 10:50.00. Catarina Rocha (Peabody), Katie Carlson (Wachusett) and Colleen Sands (Wachusett) round out the top 5, but Rocha and Sands are scheduled to race the mile earlier in the meet.
Shot Put
Courtney Williams (New Bedford) is the #1 thrower in the state and the clear favorite by over 2 feet. Emily Raczelowski (Westford Academy) is currently seeded 2nd at 36’11” and is ranked #6 in the state.
High Jump
Moira Cronin is the current meet record holder at 5’7” and the top seed at 5’6”. She is followed by 3 girls at 5’4” who all have a shot at the win. Leah Potter (Lincoln-Sudbury), Lucia Grigoli (Newton North), and Jess Salley (Andover) will all be desperately trying to score points and help their teams in the hunt for the team title.
Long Jump
Newton North has the potential to sweep the event with top seed Carla Forbes (19’1”), Kayla Wong (17’1”) and Amy Ren (16’10”). Standing in their way is Nicole Genard of Somerville who is seeded 3rd at 17’0”. Lauren Ready (Lincoln-Sudbury) and Eve Bishop (Andover) will be trying to break up the Newton North trio in an effort to shift the team point totals.
4x200 Meter Relay
We will get to see the #2, #3, #4, #10, and #12 teams in the sate go to battle. Newton North is the top seed at 1:45.41, followed by Brockton at 1:46.81. Then there are 3 teams at 1:48 and 3 more at 1:49. Brockton has a shot, especially considering that most of the Newton North girls will have completed 2 other events prior to the relay.
4x800 Meter Relay
7 out of the top 10 teams in the state will be in this one race. Wachusett is the top seed and the #1 team in the state after running 9:36.96 at the MSTCA State Relays. Franklin is seeded second at 9:38.53, followed by Haverhill (9:44.82) and Weymouth 9:46.79. Fatigue and strategy is going to play a big part in the outcome because most of the top teams have athletes in the 1000m, mile, and 2 mile.
4x400 Meter Relay
Lincoln-Sudbury is the only team in the state to have run under 4 minutes for the 4x400m relay this season. Andover is close at 4:01.44 and Newton North will have to show some real depth at 4:02.76. This will be an important event for Lincoln-Sudbury in their battle with Newton North and Andover for the team title.
Team Predictions (based on seed times/marks)
1. Lincoln-Sudbury (79)
2. Newton North (67)
3. Andover (52)
4. Wachusett (33)
5. Franklin (26)
6. Weymouth (25)
7. New Bedford (22)
8. Brockton (22)
9. Boston Latin (18)
10. Haverhill / Peabody (17)
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