It not always about breaking records or earning national standards when you’re at track & field meet. While shooting for PRs, be it on the oval, behind the cage or wherever else it takes place, is almost always a priority – after all, they are T&F athletes – the idea of just competing in this great sport and enjoying the comraderies of teammates and fellow rivals that share the same passion certainly makes it worth it to lace up the shoes and prepare for the best your mind and body has to offer.
For more than eight hours on Sunday, athletes of all levels made the TRACK at New Balance their home for Marathon Sports twin bill of competition, the Winter Warrior High School Invitational and the second annual Winter Classic. Taking place on the same weekend of the the MSTCA Distance Classic at Reggie Lewis and the MSTCA Boston Holiday Challenge, the latter just a day earlier at the New Balance venue, certainly could have created some difficulty in drawing entries.
But that was never the case as Sunday’s meets attracted the interest of more than 1,500 entries. The high-schoolers kicked off the “marathon of competition” with the Winter Warrior Invite from 9 a.m. to close to 3 p.m. From 4 o’clock to the early evening, it was time for the Winter Classic, a community event open to youths, middle school & high school athletes, collegians and adults.
It was a win-win for all involved. Here are some of the highlights.
WINTER WARRIOR HS INVITATIONAL
Sharon’s Nina Kyei-Aboagye, Middleboro’s Mia Lee-Bowens and Keaney Bayha of Pilgrim (RI) were all double winners. Kyei-Aboagye captured the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.45 seconds and the 300m in 41.93. Lee-Bowens demonstrated her versatility with victories in the 55m hurdles (8.64) and the high jump (5 feet, 2 inches). Bayha took care of the middle-to-long distance events, claiming titles in the 1,000m (3:02.11) and the two mile (11:15.42).
No one was touching Norwood’s Natalie Martin in the mile. She won that crown by 35 seconds with a time of 5:20.25.
On the boys’ side, Middleboro’s Lekan Sotonwa ran a solid 2:35.45 to earn the top prize in the 1,000m
Danvers’ teammates William Conklin and JJ Rooney duked it out in the two mile. Conklin was the first to the tape in 9:44.78, less than a second ahead of Rooney, who was timed in 9:45.52.
Individual winner Eli Woods of the Prout School (RI) and Sharon’s Josy Brown-Wright both cracked 36 seconds for the 300m. Woods clocked a fast 35.69 for the ‘W’, just one hundredth of a second ahead of his rival.
O’Bryant (1:32.78) was just ahead of Manchester Central (1:33.01) in a too-close-for-comfort 4x200m, while Bridgewater-Raynham came close to a sub 3:30 to take the 4x400m, combining for a time of 3:30.77.
WINTER CLASSIC
In a mixed race of competitors, one that ranged from age 13 to 79, Joshua Gentchos blazed to the 200m title with a time of 22.39. He was among five sprinters that broke 23 seconds. The 17-year-old Gentchos was also the quickest for 60m dash, taking that crown in 7.03.
Saving his best for last, Ryan Gamelin clocked a final 200m split of 28.4 to secure the 800m title with his final time of 1:56.94.
The Greater Boston Track Club’s Brendan Carter engaged in a tight battle with Cole Francis of Narragansett (RI) to claim the mile. Carter raced to a time of 4:20.33, while Francis was timed in 4:21.39.
Three runners broke 9:20 in the two mile with 16-year-old Luke Chisum of Wayland the best of the trio at 9:12.55, five-plus seconds ahead of his closest rival.
Michael Wyman averaged mid 4:40 pace to capture the 5,000m, crossing the line at 14:54.
Bobby Wind of Barrington (RI) was dominant in the 55m hurdles where he was more than four tenths of a second ahead of his competition with a PR of 8.28.
Norton’s recent grad Jillian Strynar continued to showcase her speed, earning the two-for-one deal with victories in the 60m (7.89) and the 200m (26.11).
In a very competitive (and fast!) girls’ 800m, Sarah Jane Underwood took top honors with a time of 2:09.09. Macey Shriner was second at 2:11.79.
Pilgrim’s Keaney Bayha (remember her?), she made it three-for-three for the day with a victory in the mile where she clocked 5:04.73 in the nightcap.
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Click on the link below for more than 600 photos from the Winter Warrior HS Invitational by photographer Bryan Raposa. We also have links for results of both competitions. In case you missed it, below we also have nearly 10 hours of video coverage (with commentary) of the meets.
PHOTOS
RESULTS
