For the next few months, it’s all about the outdoor track & field season as our MA athletes look to achieve PRs, individual and/or team titles this spring on the state level and, for some, even beyond the borders. Who are some of the top individuals we should keep an eye on this spring? Here we preview what we consider some of the best in the girls’ hurdling events.
***
100m HH
The competition could get very interesting come championship time. Middleboro senior Mia Lee-Bowens is the top returnee after finishing third at Meet of Champions and posting a best of 14.49 seconds to win the Division 4 meet. At No. 2 is Natick’s Emmanuella Edozien, who is coming off a splendid indoor campaign where she broke the state record in the 55m hurdles and won the Div. 1 crown and MOC. Edozien was ninth in the 100m IH at last spring’s MOC, after clocking 14.53 to place second to Lee-Bowens at the divisional championship. We’re expecting the Redhawks junior to continue the momentum from the winter to the outdoor surface. The state record is 13.72 by Central Catholic’s Katherine Duren from the All-State Meet in 2021. That four-year-old mark may be out of reach, but don’t be surprised to see a time in the low 14-second range, maybe faster with Lee-Bowens and Edozien on the track. Also coming back are two more hurdlers that went sub-15 last year – Billerica’s Nyrah Joseph (14.81) and Lincoln-Sudbury’s Gabrielle Pierre (14.92).
400m IH
The MOC last spring had a number of outstanding performances. This event produced one of them. North Reading’s Giuliana Ligor stole the show with a more than two-second best and state record of 58.97, a time that ranked No.10 in the country. Ligor gets the nod to repeat the magic again this spring, but she will be challenged. Also coming back is the 2024 runner-up Nicole Gangi, who was one of four in the race under 62 seconds with a best of 1:01.14. Other top returnees are Blackstone Valley Regional’s Haley Bilodeau (1:04.28) and Weston’s Solana Varela (1:04.78).
