Coaches vs. Cancer is typically associated with basketball programs.
After a few high school teams at Northampton High School participated in Coaches vs. Cancer events in the fall, though, Northampton girls indoor track coach Nate Kraft got an idea – a big idea.
The Pioneer Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference, which has more than 1,500 high school athletes competing on indoor track teams, will host a Coaches vs. Cancer fund-raiser Jan. 20 at Smith College in Northampton when the league gathers for its fourth meet of the season.
“We wanted to try to get the whole league involved,” Kraft said.
The fund-raiser is off to a good start, with more than $4,000 already collected based on t-shirt sales. The t-shirts were designed by Northampton team member Joni Sullivan, and the schools will wear the shirts during warm-ups at the Jan. 20 meet.
The other part of the fund-raiser includes athletes collecting money. People can contribute a flat donation, or make a pledge based on how many athletes on a specific team have personal-best performances at the Jan. 20 meet or qualify for the Western Massachusetts Championship Meet.
“Every athlete has a chance to raise money (based on their performance),” Kraft said.
“This could potentially be a $20,000 fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society, just based on the number of athletes we have in the league. Potentially this could be huge, and this year I would be thrilled with around $10,000.”
People interested in making a donation can contact an indoor track athlete, or a school which has an indoor track program.
NEXT MEET: The third meet of the PVIAC regular season, originally scheduled for Friday, has been moved to Tuesday due to a new surface at Smith College being poured.
AUERBACH MEET: East Longmeadow’s Gabriella Weithofer had a great showing at the Freshman-Sophomore Auerbach Meet, held at the Reggie Lewis Center Sunday in Roxbury. In the small school competition, Weithofer placed fourth in the high jump (4-feet-10), fifth in the 55-meter high hurdles (10.21 seconds), and ran on the third-place 4x200 relay team with Vivian Brennan, Emma Paulides and Lauren Champigny.
East Longmeadow’s Rebecca Varney took sixth in the 55 hurdles, and South Hadley’s Rachel Harrington qualified for the state meet in the mile (5:52).
Westfield’s Jessie Pratt flew to a 9.22 in the 55 hurdles to place third in the large school meet Saturday.
HOLIDAY QUALIFIER: At the Holiday Qualifier Dec. 29 at the RLC, Northampton’s 4x400 relay team of Adrienne Pascucci, Sophie Sharpe, Alex Dibrindisi and Mia Toffoli ran a gold medal time of 4:14.66, which was the second-fastest time in the state at the time.
Pascucci also took fourth in the long jump (15-7.5), and Toffoli placed sixth in the 600 (1:43.82). Avi Sheldon qualified for the state meet in the long jump (19-1.25)
Erin Rybacki of East Longmeadow excelled, finishing runner-up in the long jump (16-3) and fourth in the 55 (7.71). Julia Weithofer won the long jump after she popped a 16-4.5, and Paulides was sixth in the 55 (7.77).
The 4x200 relay again medaled, with Paulides, Rybacki, and Gabriella and Julia Weithofer taking second place.
HOLIDAY MEET: Chicopee Comprehensive's Alex Niemiec performed like one of the best athletes in the state at the Boston Holiday Meet Dec. 27 at the RLC, placing runner-up in the long jump (21-5.5), third in the high jump (6-1), eighth in the 55 (6.84) and 10th in the 55 hurdles (8.43).
Westfield’s Blake Croteau ran an impressive 9:42 to finish fourth in the 2 mile, and Mahar’s Sabrina Silva was sixth in the shot put (37-11). Holyoke Catholic’s 4x800 team of Brianna Cote, Natalie Davies, Audrey Boraski and Staci Rezendes captured fourth, and Rezendes finished fifth in the 2 mile (11:55).
NORTHAMPTON: Northampton went to two other meets during the break. At the Team Pentathlon Dec. 29 at the RLC, the girls placed fourth and the boys took fifth.
At the Dartmouth Relays Friday and Saturday at Hanover, N.H,, Toffoli hammered out a 1:40.1 to place sixth in the 600. Andrew Sadowski (shot put, 41-11.75) and Mariel Lutz (mile, 5:37), and Alexandra Dibrindisi (600, 1:46) qualified for the state meet.
SAD NEWS: Jonno Gray, a 2011 Holyoke High graduate and the school’s indoor track record holder in the shot put, died suddenly last week. Gray, a freshman at the University of Massachusetts, is the younger brother of Minnechaug Regional girls coach and PVIAC official Mackenzie Gray. He was 18.
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