Outdoor T&F Preview: Boys’ Sprinting Events
100m
Last year no one was touching eventual state champion Jonas Clarke. The South Hadley grad was far ahead of the field in 2022 and nearly broke a more than 40-year-old state record with a best of 10.40. Clarke, who finished second in the event at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Oregon where he also captured the 200m, is now enjoying his first year at Harvard. Unlike last year, this season has a number of speedsters that are capable of earning gold at the State Meet. Newton North’s Everton Muir, a runner-up to Clarke at the Meet of Champions (MOC), is the top returnee. He ran a best of 10.75 to win the Division 1 crown and was one of our state’s top 55m specialist this indoor season where he ran a best of 6.38 for the short dash and was on the Tigers’ sub 1:30 4x200m squad and the SMR, which was third at the New Balance Nationals. Keep an eye on Pembroke’s Andrew Gleason, who had a breakthrough indoor season that was highlighted by a victory in the 55m at the MOC, where he clocked 6.45. That time is nearly three tenths of a second faster that what he did in 2022. During the outdoor season last spring, Gleason’s best for the 100m was 11.34. We’re expecting he’ll drop down a serious PR in the 100m this season based on what he did over the winter months. Tewksbury’s Alex Arbogast is another one capable of making it happen. He finished third in the 100m at the MOC with a best of 10.85. He’s coming off an indoor season where he was second in the 55m at the MOC and finished third at the New England Championships. Randolph’s Jaden Phillips, Catholic Memorial’s Datrell Jones, Parker Charter’s Brandon Ciccolini, and St. John’s Prep’s Chris McDonough all went sub-11 last spring and could be making some noise this season.
200m
Here’s another event where the competition will be strong up front with a bevy of talented sprinters that broke 22 seconds in 2022 . Among them are Acton-Boxbrough’s Alex Landry (21.35), Muir (21.47), Newton North’s Myles Scott (21.57), and Taunton’s Dmitrius Shearrion (21.82). Muir and Landry went 2-3 to Clarke at last year’s MOC. Landry gets the favorite nod, but only slightly. He ran his best to finish second to Lawrence grad Jordany Volquez at the Div. 1 meet, a race where five went under 22 seconds. He was a runner-up in the 300m this past indoor season and had a best of 34.44 to win the Div. 1 title. He also clocked an indoor best of 22.0 for the 200m at the New Balance Nationals last month.
400m
The MOC last year saw nine runners break 50 seconds. From that group, five are coming back including the 3-5 finishers, Newton North’s Quincy Scott and Malden’s Johnny Emmanuel. Last year’s state runner-up Tristan Miller of Austin Prep will not be back this season as the Reading school now competes in the NEPSAC. Scott dipped under 50 seconds several times last year and has a best of 49.19 from his victory at the Bay State Conference Championships. Emmanuel had an outdoor PR of 49.35 from the MOC and this past indoor season clocked his all-time best of 48.86 at Boston University’s Last Chance Qualifier on Feb. 26. The early-season favorite to win at the MOC is Haverhill’s Natanael Vigo Catala. The state’s 300m indoor champion competed (and excelled) in the 400m thrice this winter, racing to an all-time best of 47.96 to take second at the adidas Indoor Nationals. He also ran 47.96 at BU’s David Hemery Valentine Invitational and 48.09 at the New Balance Nationals. There’s also Lexington’s Branndon Uda-Thach, who’s coming off an indoor season where he raced to a best of 34.98 for the 300m. He has a PR of 49.80 from the Div. 1 meet last spring. Could we see Landry competing in the 400m more this season? Of our returing athletes, he has the fastest outdoor time with a best of 49.18, an effort that earned him runner-up honors at the D1 meet. He focused on the 200m at the MOC last year and did not run the 400m.
