The MSTCA Division State Relays have arrived.
A majority of coaches will agree that this weekend’s meets represent a true team champion; where depth and talent play a more important role than next month’s championship meets. Who are the teams that will be facing each other this weekend and what are some of the top events and athletes that will be competing in their respective divisions? We have it here. Below we feature the Division 4 State Relays, which will be held on Sunday at Reggie Lewis, beginning at 3 p.m.
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Division 4 State Relays – Boys
Day/Time: Sunday at 3 p.m.
Teams: Archbishop Williams, Arlington Catholic, Ashland, Auburn, Bedford, Bishop Fenwick, Bishop Stang, Cardinal Spellman, Chicopee, Danvers, Dedham, Dighton Rehoboth, Dover Sherborn, Falmouth, Foxborough, Gloucester, Greater Lawrence Tech, Groton-Dunstable, Holliston, Lowell Catholic, Marlborough, Martha’s Vineyard, Medfield, Nauset Regional, Newburyport, North Middlesex Regional, Norton, O’Bryant, Old Rochester, Pembroke, Saint Mary’s, Saint Paul Diocesan, Saugus, Tewksbury Memorial, Wakefield Memorial, Watertown, Wilmington
Athletes & Teams To Watch: The meet record of 1 minute, 31.76 seconds could go down in the 4x200m. Pembroke, the No. 1 seed, has a top time of 1:30.79, which it did at last month’s Boston Holiday Challenge. Medfield is the two seed with a time of 1:32 and Newburyport is at No. 3 with a 1:33 seed…It looks like we could have a battle between Dover Sherborn (3:38.0) and Wakefield Memorial (3:38.50) in the sprint medley. Both are not only capable of winning Sunday’s race but going under the qualifying standard of 3:40 for the New Balance Nationals…Wakefield, a strong favorite for the team title, is the No. 1 seed in the DMR (10:42.90), 4x800m (8:10.0) and 4x400m (3:33.0). The Warriors will have their biggest challenge in the 4x400m where they match up with Newburyport, a team that comes in with a seed of 3:33.50.
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Division 4 State Relays – Girls
Day/Time: Sunday at 3 p.m.
Teams: Archbishop Williams, Arlington Catholic, Ashland, Auburn, Bedford, Bishop Fenwick, Bishop Stang, Cardinal Spellman, Chicopee, Danvers, Dedham, Dighton Rehoboth, Dover Sherborn, Falmouth, Foxborough, Gloucester, Greater Lawrence Tech, Groton-Dunstable, Holliston, Lowell Catholic, Marlborough, Martha’s Vineyard, Medfield, Nauset Regional, Newburyport, North Middlesex Regional, Norton, O’Bryant, Old Rochester, Pembroke, Saint Mary’s, Saint Paul Diocesan, Saugus, Tewksbury Memorial, Wakefield Memorial, Watertown, Wilmington
Athletes & Teams To Watch: The meet record in the long jump relay of 49 feet, 4.5 inches, set last year by North Reading, could be short-lived. Top-seed Pembroke, with its trio of Sarah Claflin (17-10.5), Mata Bergamesca (16-8.75) and Allyson Jordan (16-8), have the potential to exceed 50 feet on Sunday based on their bests…Look for a close one in the sprint medley relay. Holliston and Newburyport share the No. 1 seed with identical seed times of 4:19. Nauset Regional is at No. 3 with a time of 4:21.77. Holliston would appear to have an edge, primarily because of its’ 800m anchor, Carmen Luisi . The Panther senior is just a week removed from a victory in the 1,000m at the Northeast Invitational where she ran a sensational 2:53 clocking…Luisi will be back at it again in the distance medley relay where she’ll join a talented foursome that’s capable of running the 12:35 standard for the NBN. The Panthers have a top seed of 12:40 with the quartet of Luisi, Maggie Kuchman, Annabelle Lynch, and Tea Stucchi.
