We’re ready for another exciting indoor track & field season. To get you pumped up for the winter campaign, Bay State Running will preview some of the top athletes that we expect will make an impact over the next few months.
When the Meet of Champions roll around on Feb. 24, be prepared for a plethora of new faces occupying that No. 1 spot on the podium. At last year’s meet, seniors were prevalent in the winners’ circle. Only one returning champion is coming back this season on the boys’ side and two for the girls. But overall, as always, the talent is through the roof this year. We believe several of our Bay Staters will not only prosper at the state level, but regionally and nationally, too.
Here we preview the girls’ throwing and jumping events.
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SHOT
Here’s an event where one of the few athletes that were triumphant at MOC last year will be hoping to make it back-to-back titles. As a sophomore in 2023, Bishop Feehan’s Brooke Serak earned individual gold with an all-time best of 41 feet, 8.25 inches. Serak was a model of consistency inside the circle last winter where she heaved the metal ball 38 feet or further 10 times and was more than 40 feet in six of those meets.To defend her crown, it certainly won’t be easy with plenty of talent behind her. Ludlow’s Elena Chaplin, who was fourth at the MOC, beat Serak at the New England’s where she placed second overall with a PR of 40-8.5. Could we see Newton North’s Skye Petrie-Cameron competing in her final year? The Tiger senior, who captured individual honors as a tenth-grader, did not compete during the indoor season last year. She is the defending outdoor titlist after winning it all in June at the MOC. She has an all-time best of 43-1.75 from an outdoor meet with BSC rival Wellesley on May 10. Natick’s Angela Leavey, Franklin’s Lily DeForge and Chicopee’s Mara Fareti are a few others to keep an eye on, all with best in the 37-38 foot range.
LONG JUMP
We had a talented group of leapers last year with 10 athletes going further than 17 feet during the indoor and outdoor seasons. There’s potential to have a similar number this winter with several top returnees that have already achieved the mark and a few more that are on the cusp. The leading contenders to strike it rich at the MOC is Wellesely’s Annie Comella and Middleboro’s Isabel Wheeler. As a sophomore last year, Comella had an indoor PR of 18 feet, 7.5 inches, which ranked her No. 3 behind eventual MOC winner and Burlington grad Grace Hanafin and Wheeler. The Red Raider standout, who is also a top sprinter, was unable to compete at the MOC last winter due to a sickness. But she came back with another strong season during outdoor where she was the state runner-up and claimed individual honors in Div. 2 with her second 19-footer of the spring of 19-2. Wheeler, a senior, was fifth at the MOC. She won the Div. 4 title and had a best of 18-8 from her victory at a South Shore League meet. North Reading’s Madison Vant, Central Catholic’s Veralie Perrier, Reading’s Katie Caraco, Burlington’s Charlize Collins, and Lowell’s Quinn Petzoid are among others we expect will be fighting for those podium spots. All have leaped in the mid-to-high 17-foot range.
HIGH JUMP
Per usual, this event should be competitive with a number of athletes vying for the No. 1 spot in late February. Coming back is Tantasqua’s Haley McCormack, the defending state champion, who cleared 5-6 as a sophomore. Also returning are Caraco, Concord-Carlisle’s Charlotte DiRocco and Wilmington’s Mollie Osgood, who all finished in the top six at the MOC with identical leaps of 5-4. Caraco (second), Daigle (tied for third) and DiRoccio (tied for sixth) also made the podium during outdoor with matching heights of 5-4 again.
