By JOE REARDON
Giuliana Ligor spent the fall preparing for a strong indoor season on the track and so far she can feel the difference the added work has made. The North Reading speedster is vastly stronger than a year after a steady regiment of morning runs and lifting sessions
“In the past I usually just lifted,” said Ligor, who finished third in the 600 at last winter’s Meet of Champions. “I did more this year.
Ligor dominated the 300m at Saturday’s Small Schools Speed Classic with a season best of 40.94 seconds. That put her comfortably ahead of Ava VanBuskirk of Marlboro (41.15) and Carli Stanford of Lunenburg (41.63). Ligor proceeded to come back two hours later to win the long jump with a meet record 17 feet, 7 inches.
Ligor’s strength and sharpness are far ahead of last winter and it seems just a matter of time until she breaks her personal best of 40.66 and dips under 40. She’s hoping the added work will get her in the neighborhood of 1:34-1:35 in the 600.
She trained through Saturday’s meet and admitted she ran tired. “I’m a little tired because of a lot of training this week,” Ligor said.
Jack Stahl of Bromfield took more than a second off his personal best on the way to dominating the 600m in a meet record of 1:23.90. Cole New of Ayer Shirley was also under the former mark with his 1:24.75. Stahl’s time was just .3 of a second short of the school record.
Fourth in Div. 5 last winter, sickness kept Stahl out of the Meet of Champions. He plans to be on the line this time around. “I’ve been working hard and was really gunning for a PR in this race. I heard about the record before and I thought, “Ok. I have a chance,'” hel said.
Dartmouth senior Will Fairfax started his season by improving on his personal best in the 55m hurdles three times and made it number four on the infield. Fairfax, ninth in last winter’s Div. 3 meet, got off to a good start and lowered his best from 8.33 to 8.09. Tighe Hosman of Pentucket and East Bridgewater’s Brennan Shea were both clocked in 8.31, finishing in second and third. Fairfax had just one hiccup in his race and didn’t realize it until after the race. “The start felt fine,” he said. “Around the second hurdle I clipped my heel but managed to recover. I didn’t even know until I saw my coach’s video of the race.”
Norwell senior Liliana MacDonald’s transition from diving to indoor track has been a smooth one.
(Photos by BYRON FLAGG)
MacDonald finished fourth in the 1-meter diving competition at last winter’s All-State championships and went on to place a sterling second in the triple jump at New Englands in the spring.
With aspirations of competing in track in college, she needed the experience of an indoor campaign, MacDonald made the huge decision to forgo her final season of diving for track.
The move looks like a solid one so far for the talented MacDonald., tearing away from the 55m hurdle field on the Reggie Lewis Center infield and edging out Lucy Buchmayr of Newburyport for the win in a personal best of 9.16 seconds. Buchmayr also broke her personal best with second in 9.19. She came back to take second to Ligor in the long jump with a leap of 17-5-1/2.
MacDonald, who also played soccer and volleyball at Norwell, was happy with her new best time in an event she is still getting familiar with. “That was a lot better than my first meet,” she said. “I was low over the hurdles and ran aggressive.”
MacDonald admitted “it was a hard choice to make” making the transition from diving to indoor track, but she wants to compete in both indoor and outdoor track in college. “I’ll always miss diving,” MacDonald said. “It’s something I really love.”
Michael Sanchez of Amesbury used his closing speed off the final turn to run down Arthur Ribeiro of Ayer Shirley to win a tight 300mB race in 36.08. Ribeiro’s time of 36.33 was a new personal best.
The UMass-Amherst-bound Sanchez was off his personal best of 35.68, but he’s confident he’ll get under that mark this season. “I’m pretty happy with the time,” he said. “It went pretty well and I felt good. I could feel myself catching him (Ribeiro) on the last turn.”
Julian Sacca of Burlington broke the meet record in the weight throw with a mammoth toss of 45-6. In the first time the event has been held at the Speed Classic, former ballroom dancer Sophia Axelrod of Walpole was the winner with a throw of 45-7-1/4. “I like the events that have finesse,” said Axelrod. “I’m a former dancer and the timing and balance is the same.”
Stephen Pryor of Westfield broke the meet record in the long jump with a leap of 20-11-1/2 and Joel Spaulding of Pentucket took the 55 dash in 6.58. Medway’s Brooke Scott won the 55m in 7.47 and Avery Glidden of Whitinsville Christian took the 600m in 1:42.44.
