Massachusetts Highlights
Results | National Coverage | Video Interviews
Can lightning strike twice? It most certainly can, but it's not likely. An athlete can post season best performances on consecutive weeks, but with each stellar performance the odds of being able to reproduce it diminish. In Massachusetts, if an athlete competes in all the postseason championships, lightning needs to strike five times in a row. Possible? Sure, but highly unlikely. It's not a question of effort or heart; it's a question of physiology.
Credit goes out to the Newton North and Mansfield coaches who not only understand this principal, but they brilliantly use it to manage the postseason. The chess match we witnessed at the state championships extended to the rest of the nation as they strategically placed their superstars in events over the past month. Elite level athletes believe they can win everything. It's a character trait they must possess to be successful. It's the coach’s job to convince the athlete it may not be in their best interests to win everything, because consecutive weeks of all-out efforts may negatively impact their big-picture goals. This is certainly a difficult task to accomplish among highly competitive people.
Both teams masterfully merged the goals of the program with the needs of the individual by strategically placing their elite level athletes in the very delicate position of being an individual champion and a good teammate. The end product was two national championships from Massachusetts and plenty of team accolades along the way.
Great things are expected from Carla Forbes every time she steps on the track; and she usually delivers. Forbes spent the last month helping her team win championships by scoring points each week in the maximum number of events allowed by the MIAA. Once the team scoring was finished, she stepped away from the long jump at the New England Championships and shifted her focus to the national championships. Tough training cycles and consecutive weeks of competition had taken a toll on Forbes, and she had not posted a mark over 19 feet since the MSTCA Invitational back in January. To her credit, she didn't have to, as she continued to win every long jump competition along the way. But, a perfectly timed peak-cycle and opting-out of the long jump at the New England Championships would do wonders for Forbes, as she returned to the runway on Saturday at the New Balance National Championships to win the event in 19'5.5”. Awards video.
Forbes' successful strategy was not an anomaly and Newton North employed a similar tactic with their boys’ team. After a fantastic start to the meet on Friday where Isaiah Penn won the Emerging Elites 400 Meter Run in 49.62 (race video), Newton North pulled out of the 4x200 Meter Relay on Saturday morning and shifted their focus to the Sprint Medley Relay later that day. Although we will never truly know the answer, that decision may have bought just enough extra recovery time to propel the team of Ryan Lucken, Ben Clark, Isaiah Penn, and Ezra Lichtman to a podium spot with a 6th place finish and a MA#2 time of 3:32.46. Race Video.
As for Mansfield, it was a long road to several team titles over the past month and they had some tough decisions to make as they entered the New England Championships. Because their team success was so heavily rooted in the long relays, they would need to find creative ways to keep their sprinters sharp, yet rest their distance runners. They did so by shuffling their relay line-ups at the New England Championships and removing Josh Lampron and Shayne Collins from their primary individual events. With all the puzzle pieces back in place this weekend, they would experience unprecedented success at the New Balance Indoor National Championships.
Mansfield won the boys 1600m Sprint Medley after impressive relay legs by Nick King, Steve Gannon, and Griffin Robertson put Josh Lampron within striking distance of the leaders. The group finished with a US#1 time of 3:28.99 after Lampron successfully challenged 600 Meter national leader Strymar Livingston with 300 meters to go in the 800 meter anchor leg. Lampron made a strong move on the back stretch of the final lap and put a 5 meter gap on Livingston. He then showed tremendous acceleration out of the final corner to hold on for the win and a 1:52.xx split. Livingston and his Christopher Columbus (NY) teammates held the US#1 time of 3:32.25 entering the race, and the top five finishers from Saturday are now US #1-5! Race Video.
The Mansfield 4x400 Meter Relay team of Griffin Robertson, Nick King, Ryan Petrella, and Steve Gannon would pick-up another team point on Sunday by finishing 8th overall with a MA#2 time of 3:22.11 (race video). Then, Shayne Collins would weather the national record pace set by Lukas Verzbikas in the 2 Mile to finish 3rd in 9:11.12; adding another 6 points to their team total. As a fitting end to the weekend, Josh Lampron would return on Sunday afternoon to win heat #5 of the 800 Meter Run with a great finishing kick in the last 50 meters. His 7th place overall finish (1:53.13) earned two additional team points and propelled Mansfield into 4th place in the team competition; only two points behind 3rd place Lightning Fast of Deleware. Race video.
Additional Highlights
Day 3
Kendal Knous (Franklin) ran the fastest 800m time in New England (2:12.94) to finish 10th in the Championship Division.
Andrea Keklak (Lincoln-Sudbury) would finish 2nd (4:49.93) in heat #2 of the mile finals, but would end-up 3rd overall after Hana Meier (Grosse Pointe Farms) won the event from the first section (4:48.50). A pack of six girls, including Keklak and Kathy O'Keefe (Newton South), would break away from the rest of the field after posting splits of 69.4 and 2:25.6. O'Keefe would try to join Keklak at 1200 meters with a big move from the back of the pack, but the group surged in the corner and she would be pushed back to her original position. Both Keklak and O'Keefe made strong moves exiting the final corner; Keklak would almost win the section and O'keefe finished 9th overall in 4:52.68. Race video.
In the finals of the 400 Meter Run, Rebecca Robinson would once again find herself in lane #6 with Dynasty McGee to her left in lane #5. This time McGee would be joined by Kendall Baisden (Detroit, MI) and the pair would open a 5 meter gap on Robinson after 200 meters. But, just like the semi-finals, Robinson would show tremendous strength at the 300 meter mark and close that gap. She would eventually finish in 4th with a time of 55.24. Race video.
In an odd twist of events, John Murray (Shrewsbury) would stop a lap early in the 2 mile and trigger the finish line camera as there was confustion at the finish line with Lukas Verzbicas and Edward Cheserek lapping the field. Murray would quickly get back on the track and finish in 7th at 9:16.17. Shayne Collins (Mansfield) was the top Massachusetts finisher in 3rd place with a time of 9:11.12, followed by David Melly (Newton South) in 22nd overall with a time of 9:39.77. The 6 points Collins earned for 3rd place helped keep Mansfield in the top 5 of the team competition after 15 events. Race video. Chernet Sisay (Brookline) would be the lone Massachusetts representative in the morning section of the 2 Mile Run. He would finish 9th with a time of 9:36.57. Race video.
Andover would post another sub 4 minute time in the girls 4x400 Meter Relay. They would finish 9th with a MA#3 time of 3:57.41; followed by Titans TC (Pembroke) in 16th place in 4:00.32. Race Video.
Greg Boursiquot (Stoughton) would weather a bad start and qualify for the finals by .02 in the 60 Meter Hurdles. Josh Quinnie (Attleboro) would be disqualified for a false start in the second heat of the semi-finals. Boursiquot would finish 6th in the finals with a time of 7.96 (7.38 55m). In two days, Boursiquot ran 55m equivalent times of 7.37, 7.41, and 7.38! Race Video:. Semi-Finals. | Finals.
Vanessa Clerveaux (Brockton) would just miss qualifying for the finals by .07 in the 60 Meter Hurdles. Her time of 8.77 (8.15 for 55m) is the second fastest in the state and just off her state leading mark of 8.13. Race Video.
In a display of depth, 6 Massachusetts athletes qualified for the fist 4 heats of the of the boys 800 Meter Run. Conor Lyons (Hamilton-Wenham) led the way in 11th place overall with a time of 1:56.51. Billy Looney of Bishop Feehan finished in 20th (1:58.14), followed by Jon Horstman of South Hadley in 22nd (1:58.45), Patrick Brekka of Quabbin Regional in 24th (1:58.70), Jair Cruikshank of Nashoba Regional in 28th (1:59.32), and Ben Hiromura of Masconomet Regional in 29th (2:01.43). Race video: Heat 1 | Heat 2 | Heat 3| Heat 4.
Section #2 of the girls 800 Meter Run would host the majority of the Massachusetts contingent. Marika Crowe (Lincoln-Sudbury), Laura Williamson (Wachusett) and Arielle Stevenson (Long Beach, CA) would have to go 3 wide in the final stretch to decide the section winner. Crowe (2:14.70) would edge Stevenson (2:14.77) and Williamson (2:14.82); finishing 3rd overall. Williamson would finish 5th overall, followed by Devyn Pryor of Dartmouth in 12th (2:18.42), Jade Paul of Stoughton in 14th (2:18.67), and Laurie Femmel of Natick in 17th (2:19.37). Race Video: Heat 1 | Heat 2.
Jess Salley (Andover) would finish the Pentathlon in 15th (2790 pts.) after a very good hurdles run and a 5'4.5" high jump.
Day 2
At the end of day #2, with 11 events scored, Waltham TC (Newton North) was tied for 3rd in the girls team compeition (11 points) and Mansfield was tied for 5th in the boys (10 points).
Rebecca Robinson (Arlington) would unfortunately draw lane #6 in the final heat of the 400 Meter prelims with Dynasty McGee (US#8 at 400m) to her left in lane #5. Robinson could not see the rest of the field and McGee took advantage. McGee effortlessly made-up the stagger in the first 200m and entered the final backstretch with a 7 meter lead. But, Robinson would show tremendous strength as she closed the gap exiting the final corner and then slipped into lane two in the home stretch to almost catch McGee at the line. McGee would finish as the fastest qualifier in 55.13 and Robinson would qualify in second at 55.29. The two should be side-by-side again tomorrow in the finals. Race video.
Newton Centre Athletics (Newton South) makes the podium in the girls 1600m Sprint Medley Relay by finishing 6th. Their time of 4:09.65 is a new MA#1 and is almost 4 seconds faster than their previous state best. Andover woud finish in 21st just over a second off their season best with a time of 4:17.95. Race video: Heat 5 | Heat 6
Andre Rolim (Somerville) was the top Massachusetts finisher in the 400m. Rolim would end up in 26th place at 50.19, followed by Brian Sommers of Acton-Boxboro in 34th (50.63), Nick King of Mansfield in 38th (50.71), and Patrick Brekka of Quabbin Regional in 43rd (51.15). Race video: Heat 4 | Heat 6 | Heat 7 | Heat 9.
Nick Staley (BC HIgh) cracked the top 10 in the high jump with a final mark of 6'7". Staley would finish in 9th, followed by Sam Yoder (Bishop Feehan) at 6'5" and Matt Sidney (Canton) at 6'3.25".
Wachusett ran a MA#7 time of 9:38.24 in the girls 4x800 Meter Relay. On the boys' side, Acton-Boxboro and Weston would break the 8 minute barrier again, posting final times of 7:59.23 and 7:59.69 respectively. Race video: Boys | Girls.
Annika Gompers (Nobles) completed a tremendous 2-day double by finishing 3rd in the Freshman Mile with a time of 5:08.88. On Friday evening, Gompers was 9th in the Emerging Elites 2 mile (11:20.30). Race video.
Lowell finished 7th (18:00.17) in the boys 4 x Mile Relay; posting a 4:30 average. Peabody finished 14th (18:19.16); posting a 4:34 average. Race video: Heat 1 | Heat 2.
Brockton ran a MA#2 time of 1:44.35 in the girls 4x200 Meter Relay, improving on their previous MA#2 time of 1:45.40. They would finish 3rd in heat #2 and 19th overall. Race video.
Lowell won section #4 of the boys 55 Meter Shuttle Hurdles in 32.73, but would finish 20th overall. Wachusett would finish 27th overall (33.04) out of section #1. Race Video: Section 1 | Section 4.
Waltham TC (Newton North) would have the lead going into the final exchange of section #4 in the 55 Meter Shuttle Hurdles, but would eventuall finish 8th overall with a time of 34.20. Hamilton TC (Hamilton-Wenham) would finish 20th in 35.80. The top 6 times in the country were run in this event. Race Video.
Vanessa Clerveaux (Brockton) and Karla Ganley (Wellesley) would both be seeded in very fast heats of the 60 Meter Hurdles prelims. Clerveaux would finish 3rd in heat #6 and advance to the finals with a time of 8.70 (8.08 55m). Ganley would run out of lane #8 in heat #2; finishing with a time of 9.48 (8.81 55m). Race video: Heat 2 | Heat 6.
Josh Quinnie (Attleboro) and Greg Boursiquot (Stoughton) would both advance to the finals in the 60 Meter Hurdles. Quinnie had a great race in heat #5 and would automatically qualify by finishing 2nd with a time of 8.05 (7.48 55m). Boursiquot would advance based on time with a 7.94 clocking (7.37 55m). Race video: Heat 5 | Heat 2.
After a very productive Day #1 in the 200m, Brianna Tabin (South Hadley) and Emma Rice (Boston Latin) would run 8.00 (7.43 55m) and 8.02 (7.44 55m) respectively in the 60 Meters prelims. Unfortunately, their times would not be fast enough to make the finals. Race video: Heat 3 | Heat 5.
Running at the Armory for the first time can be an overwhelming experience. Regardless of the outcome, it is the experience that matters. Several Massachusetts athletes participated in the very competitive freshman sections on Day #2, and all are better athletes for having done so. Abigail Epplett (Whitinsville Christian) ran 64.92 in the 400m; Katie Freitas (Pemborke) ran 64.89 in the 400m; Johnny Abraham (Lowell) ran 4:48.79 in the mile; Daniel Alpert ran 4:47.41 in the mile; Randy Nong (Lowell) ran 4:51.81 in the mile; Allen Shiu (Newton South) ran 4:44.62 in the mile; Sammy Lerner (Needham) ran 5:31.26 in the mile; Arianna Maida (Bishop Fenwick) ran 5:37.55 in the mile; and Alli Wood (Chelmsford) ran 5:20.71 in the mile. Race video: Freshman 400 Heat 1 | Freshman 400 Heat 3 | Freshman Boys Mile Heat 1 | Freshman Boys Mile Heat 2 | Freshman Girls Mile Heat 1 | Freshman Girls Mile Heat 2.
Day 1
Championship
Lincoln-Sudbury finished 6th in the Distance Medley Relay with a time of 11:53.08. The would split the following: Crowe 3:37.24, Ready 61.67, Acton 2:16.14, Keklak 4:58.03. Wachusett finished 17th overall out of the second section with a time of 12:27.41. Wild Kitten (Weston H.S.) finished in 20th with splits of 3:50; 66.1; 2:27; and 5:14. Race Video: Heat 1 | Heat 3.
Andover ran a MA#1 time of 10:28.38 to finish 12th in the boys Distance Medley. They held their own in a race that featured the #3, #4, and #6 fastest indoor times in high school history. Race Video.
Kristen McDonagh (Mansfield) would finish the high jump in 12th at 5'5". Moira Cronin (Andover) would also finish the competition at 5'5" but she would end-up in 15th based on misses at previous heights.
Camille Blackman (Longmeadow) ran 18:29.65 in the 5000 Meter Run to finish 25th. Race video.
Emerging Elites
Wellesley won the girls Emerging Elites 4x400 Meter Relay in a MA#6 time of 4:01.64. Race video.
Marissa Shoji (Nobles) won the 2 mile with a MA#1 and US#25 time of 10:49.00. Megan Brophy (Waltham) finished 4th in 11:14.24 and Annika Gompers (Nobles) was 9th at 11:20.30. Shoji would return in the mile and take the lead early; posting split of 1:15, 2:33, and 3:48 en route to a 3rd place finish and 5:02.61 final time. Post race interview.
Tristan Richardson (North Attleboro) won the high jump at 6'5". Joining him on the podium was Zach Grube of Peabody who finished 4th at 6'3.25". Awards video.
Isaiah Penn (Newton North) won the 400m with a time of 49.62. Race video.
Hulerie McGuffie (Lynn Classical) finished 10th in the 400m with a time of 58.79. Race video.
Kelsey Whitaker (Notre Dame Academy) was the top Massachusetts finisher in the 800m in 2:20.85 (21st place). Tara Sullivan (Ursuline Academy) was not far behind in 2:21.31. Race video.
Alex Jagelsky (Wachusett) finished 3rd in the 800m with a time of 1:57.49. Ben Groleau (Framingham) and Nick O'Leary (Attleboro) also finished in the top 10, posting times of 1:58.03 and 1:58.08 respectively. Race video: Heat 5 | Heat 6.
Brianna Tabin (South Hadley) did not let being placed in lane #2 impact her quest to make the finals of the 200m. She qualified in 5th with a 25.42 clocking. Tabin would run out of lane #5 in the finals; winning the first section and finishing 5th overall in 25.11. Race Video.
Andover TC (Andover) made the podium in both 4x200 Meter Relays. The girls ran the 5th fastest in the state (1:46.44) to finish 6th and the boys ran the 3rd fastest time in the state (1:31.76) to finish 5th. Race video: Boys | Girls
Steph Brown (Newton North) finished tied for 5th in the pole vault at 11'2.5". Casey Teska (Nshoba Regional) would also clear 11'2.5" but ended up 19th based on misses at previous heights. Awards video.
Caldwell Miller (New Leadership) set a new season best in the long jump of 20'8" (13th place).
Zach Nardone and Sean Farrell of Bishop Fenwick finish 8th (52'4.75) and 9th (51'3") respectively in the weight throw. Not bad for a state that does not compete in the event (maybe we should reconsider that).