Nothing like a little rain, right?
A steady drizzle – and the occasional downpour- was hardly enough to keep athletes away from Saturday night’s annual Weston Twilight Invitational, which once again drew a packed field of competitors.
“I honestly love the rain,” said Natick’s John Bianchi. “It’s been a blast. It’s a little bit of a change, something different. It’s definitely tough, but everyone is dealing with it.”
Bianchi was one of many athletes who excelled at the meet, which was split between two locations with the distance events contested at Regis College and the remaining events held at Proctor Field at Weston High.
Competing at Regis College, the Redhawks senior emerged from a loaded field to win the 800-meter run in a personal-best 1:54.83. A little more than a second separated the top five finishers.
Bianchi finished just strides ahead of Amherst-Pelham’s Nicolas Lisle, who placed second in 1:55.16. Medford’s Adam Lewis (1:55.36), Xaverian Brothers’ Jack Weintraub (1:55.42) and Melrose’s Adam Caldwell (1:55.96) rounded out the top five.
In all, 20 runners broke the two-minute barrier.
“It was a really tough race, really fast,” Bianchi said. “I have been working on my speed this season, so it was good to come out to this great meet and race the 800. It was super fun.”
Natick also earned a victory from Freddie van der Velden in the mile. The senior stayed with the lead pack throughout before making his move with roughly a lap and a half remaining, and held it to the finish. Boston College High’s Owen Geagan finished second in 4:23.01, followed closely by Cambridge Rindge & Latin’s Liam Eldridge in 4:23.12.
The lead pack went through the 800m split in 2:11.
“It was a very talented group in the mile,” van der Velden said. “We were sitting together and with about 600 meters to go I was feeling pretty good. I took it from there and wanted to kick it in at the end.”
The boys’ two-mile produced several of the top performances in the state, with the top six finishers all ranking among the best statewide. The race for the title came down to the final meters, as Oliver Ames’ Landon Slaney held off Newton North’s Ryan Costello for the win in a personal-best 9:12.00 to Costello’s 9:12.31, also a PB.
Billerica’s Sahil Gandhi (third, 9:13.75), Hopkinton’s Sean Finnegan (fourth, 9:15.96), Weymouth’s Seamus Egan (fifth, 9:17.81) and Lexington’s Patrick Noonan (sixth, 9:19.47) all broke the 9:20 barrier.
The girls’ two-mile was a contrast to its counterpart. Needham’s Greta Hammer proved to be a runaway winner, taking control from the start and building a sizable lead after the opening laps. The Rocket senior cruised to the title in a solo effort, posting a state-leading and season-best 10:31.65.
Marblehead’s Marietta O’Connell finished a distant second in 11:03.46.
After a long cross-country season where she earned all-state honors by placing second at the Division 1 Championships and Meet of Champions, Hammer took a break from indoor track; instead focusing on training and also competing on the school’s hockey team.
“I was kind of taking a season to train through and take a break from racing, which I feel I kind of needed after an extended cross-country season, “said Hammer, who also competed at the Nike Cross Nationals on Nov. 22. “I joined the JV hockey team and practiced with them during the winter. It was definitely kind of a stress reliever from the racing schedule we have during indoor. I went to all the meets to support my team. At the end of day, I’m a track athlete and not a hockey player.”
Hammer was methodical in her race, hitting consistent 79-second 400m splits.
“My splits were even, which is a confidence booster that I can run a consistent pace even though the race is getting harder,” she said.
The girls’ 800m turned into a close affair with Billerica’s Evelyn Wesling eking out a narrow victory over Needham’s Madison Roach. Wesling broke the tape in 2:13.73, just 0.07 seconds ahead of Roach. Natick’s Chloe Elder was third at 2:14.73. Wesling’s time ranks No. 27 nationally among ninth-graders.
In the girls’ mile, Concord-Carlise’s Maria Chopas and Billerica’s Kylie Donahue became the state latest sub five-minute performers. Chopas won with a time of 4:57.97. Donahue secured second at 4:59.94.
At the Proctor Field locale, Cohasset’s Nicholas Askjaer was a double winner. The junior thrower won a tight duel with Oliver Ames’ Mitchell Callender in the shot, taking over the No. 1 state ranking from his rival with a PR outdoor PR of 62-8.75. Callender was second at 61-11. Askjaer was also first in the discus with a distance of 162-3.
Newburyport’s Kyle Lisauskas moved to No. 2 in the rankings in the boys’ 400m hurdles. Lisauskas, the Division 4 runner-up last spring, clocked a season best of 56.28. Case’s Ben Deady was second in 57.71.
The boys’ 400m produced a new state leader with Walpole’s Brady Thomas defeating Lincoln Subbury’s Nicolas Begic with a time of 49.17. Begic was just strides behind at 49.64.
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RESULTS
