Throughout the week, Bay State Running will be providing quick capsules of the girls’ and boys’ meets of the MIAA Division State Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center. Here we have the Div. 2 meet, which takes place on Friday.
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DIVISION 2 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS – GIRLS
Day/Time: Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Teams: Algonquin Regional, Arlington, Barnstable, Belmont, Beverly, Bishop Feehan, Bridgewater-Raynham, Catholic Memorial, Chelmsford, Concord-Carlisle, Diman Regional, Everett, Hingham, Hopkinton, King Philip, Leominster, Lynn English, Malden, Marshfield, North Andover, North Attleboro, North Quincy, Peabody, Plymouth North, Reading Memorial, Sharon, Waltham, Wellesley, Westborough, Winchester, Woburn Memorial
Athletes & Events To Watch: As often is the case, the 55-meter dash could be determined by a lean at the finish. The top seed also happens to be one of the best in the state right now with Wellesley’s Annie Comella scheduled to answer the gun. Comella comes in with a PR of 7.12 seconds, which she did to win the Large School race at the Coaches Invitational last month. Comella will have the competition to push her on Friday. Tied at the two seed are Reading sophomore Kamryn Encarnacao and Sharon’s Nina Kyei-Aboagye, another tenth-grader, who both have best of 7.26 this season. At the fourth seed is King Philip’s Alex D’Amadio at 7.31…The 600m is one of those races that could be determined in the final few meters. Wellesley sophomore Kayla Bohlin is the top seed with a state No. 5 of 1:36.85. Woburn’s Kayla Buback is right behind with a 1:37.24 effort this season. North Quincy’s Maddy McGillicuddy, a tenth-grader, is the three seed with a best of 1:38.99… The 1,000m could be one of the races of the meet. The field features five runners that have dipped under three minutes this season. Leading the talented field is Barnstable’s Chloe Dibb with a 2:56.48 best, currently No. 3 in the state. North Quincy’s Salma Boukhtam (2:57.21), Wellesley’s Delaney Dyer (2:58.02), Plymouth North’s Macey Shriner (2:58.16) and North Andover’s Erika Wojcik (2:59.92) are also members of the sub-3 club. Keep an eye on Shriner. She was second in this race at last year’s Meet of Champions where she ran her all-time best of 2:55.55…The state’s top-ranked 4x200m relay will be competing in this meet with Algonquin Regional on the line. The Titans are the only team that has broken 1:45 this winter with a best of 1:44.89. Speaking of relays, Woburn also occupies the No. 1 spot in the rankings with a time of 4:02.74 for the 4x400m, just over two seconds faster than Weston at No. 2. Will we see a sub-4 this weekend? In the 4x800m, No. 1 seed Wellesley is ranked second in the state with a 9:29.64 best…The high jump should provide plenty of excitement. It features state-leader Charlotte DiRocco, who has a PR of 5 feet, 6.5 inches. She’s matched up against Reading’s Katie Caraco, who is tied with two other athletes for No. 2 in the state with a 5-6 effort…In the shot, Bishop Feehan’s Brooke Serak is favored to regain a title she won as a freshmen two years ago. Serak, a runner-up in 2023, has a top throw of 41-4, nearly three feet further than her closest rival. Occupying the two and three seeds are Arlington’s Meghan Prior (38-7.75) and North Andover’s Makenna Dube (38-0.75).
Team Outlook: With the ability to score a bunch of points in the distance events, sprints and relays, Wellesley is a strong favorite to win the team title, possibly scoring as many as 90 points on Friday. Woburn looks like a solid runner-up.
DIVISION 2 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS– BOYS
Day/Time: Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Teams: Algonquin Regional, Arlington, Barnstable, Belmont, Beverly, Bishop Feehan, Bridgewater-Raynham, Catholic Memorial, Chelmsford, Concord-Carlisle, Diman Regional, Everett, Hingham, Hopkinton, King Philip, Leominster, Lynn English, Malden, Marshfield, North Andover, North Attleboro, North Quincy, Peabody, Plymouth North, Reading Memorial, Sharon, Waltham, Wellesley, Westborough, Whitinsville-Christian, Winchester, Woburn Memorial
Athletes & Events To Watch: The fastest runner in the state will be at this meet with Wellesley’s Witn a state-leading 6.39, Wellesley’s Christopher Brooks hoping to once again prove that distinction on Friday. At the No. 2 seed is Bridgewater-Raynham’s Kauan Bento, who broke his own school record this past weekend by winning the short dash at the MSTCA State Qualifier with a time of 6.50…It looks like we’re going to have a race in the mile, one where Algonquin has a chance to got 1-2. The Titans’ Stephen White owns the top seed with a best of 4:22.54. Fellow classmate Christopher Kardos is at No. 2 with a time of 4:23.18. Wellesley’s Maxwell Hoffman (4:23.98) and Marshfield’s Matt McCabe are among six others that have broken 4:30 in this race..Don’t miss what happening at the high jump pit. This event feature at least five athletes that have a chance at winning on Friday. Holding the top seed is North Attleboro’s Carson Crump, who is currently tied for third in the state with a best of 6-5. The next three seeds – Reading’s William Hughes, Algonquin’s Miles Lipka and Hopkinton’s Logan Sullivan – all have leaped 6-4 this winter. At the No. 5 seed is Wellesley’s Nick Nicolazzo IV with a 6-3 effort this season…The state’s top shot-putter will be at this meet. Peabody’s Alex Jackson is the odds on favorite to defend his title. He had a PR of 58-3.5 this season. That’s nearly eight feet further than the next seed.
Team Outlook: The team title could be close with Algonquin, Wellesley and North Andover, the State Relays winner, in the conversation.
