Late-season burnout. The excessive heat.
Excuses could have come easily for most of our top athletes competing at Saturday’s New England Championships.
None were needed.
Bay State athletes claimed eight gold medals and produced several more podium finishes during more than seven grueling hours of competition under sweltering conditions at Noble High in Maine.
The Abington High boys’ 4×400-meter relay concluded the meet by lowering their one-week-old state record from last week’s Meet of Champions with a time of 3 minutes, 15.06 seconds. The quartet of Nazie Pauling, Lucas de Oliveira, Aiden Calcano Da Silva and Nathan Calcano Da Silva broke their previous mark of 3:16.06.
Sharon’s Nina Kyei-Aboagye continued her red-hot season in the sprints by blazing to the 100-meter dash with 11.74. Finishing second was a state rival, Methuen’s Lauren Quarm, who was timed in 11.90. The speedy tandem continued their string of sub 12-second performances from their respective division state meets and last week’s 1-2 finish at the Meet of Champions where Kyei Aboagye defended her title.
The Sharon standout, who also had a qualifier time in the 200m at New England’s with her victory at last weekend’s MOC, skipped the longer race on Saturday to focus solely on the 100m.
“I wanted to do the 100 instead of the 200, because I haven’t been that happy with how I’ve been doing in the 100m. I want some practice before nationals,” she said. “The 100 is my better race. I wanted to come in and get my plaque. I have it. I skipped doing it outdoors junior year and indoor senior year. I was like, ‘I’m coming for that plaque..’ I wanted to come out here, run my best race, have a good start and improve from last meet and that’s what I did.”
Weston’s Solana Varela was in unfamiliar territory when she competed in the 300-meter hurdles for the first time.
But the Wildcats senior was in familiar territory at the finish line. The reigning Div. 5 400m hurdles champion captured the shorter race with a fast 42.76. She finished just over a second ahead of Cardinal Spellman’s Abigail Clark, who was timed in 43.65.
“I was really excited to run the 300-meter hurdles because the 400-meter hurdles is a tough race,” she said. “I just went out there and said I’m going to run as fast as I can.”
Reading had two champions in the meet with future UMass-Amherst teammates Luke Rogerson winning the javelin and Ryan Pulpi taking the 200m dash.
Rogerson heaved the metal spear a PR of 211 feet, 1 inch. The recent winner of the Meet of Champions continued his undefeated season. His effort was slightly more than his previous best of 210-6 from the Div. 3 Championships.
Pulpi won the 200m in 21.49, just ahead of Clinton’s Sean Blaze, who took runner-up honors in 21.85. For Pulpi, it was his seventh sub-22-second effort of the spring campaign.
Cohasset’s Nicholas Askjaer and Oliver Ames’ Mitchell Callender continued their rivalry and dominance in the shot by sweeping the top two spots. Askjaer, who beat Callender at last week’s MOC, did it again with a mammoth toss. The talented junior improved his best by more than two feet with a distance of 65-2. Callander was just short of his best with a heave of 62-5. Hopedale’s Ari Levin was fifth at 55-2.5.
The state’s top girls’ triple-jumper, Blake McNeal, won her specialty. The Newton North junior soared to a winning 38-10. Blue Hills’ Nailani Ridore took the silver at 37-9.
Para athlete Mary MacDonald of Bristol-Plymouth earned victories in both of her events, clocking 24.15 in the 100 and 1:23.72 in the 200m.
Other top finishes included Natick’s Emmanuel Edozien, who placed second in the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.31. The podium was well-populated with MA athletes. Central Catholic’s Arianna DiPietro was third in 14.56, followed by Ayer-Shirley’s Lorelei Levy (fifth, 14.71) and Milton’s Annaliese Aguilar (sixth, 14.83).
Old Rochester’s Malik Washburn was fourth in the boys’ 110-meter hurdles.
Brookline was fourth in the 4×800-meter relay with a time of 7:54.20. Highlighting the performance was a 1:50.60 anchor leg by Harry Flint. His split was the fastest of the day.
In the girls’ 4×100-meter relay, Pembroke was fourth in 48.75.
Aiden Calcano Da Silva nearly won the 300-meter hurdles. The reigning 400-meter hurdles champion finished just 0.01 seconds behind winner Charles Dalles of Coginchaug, clocking a time of 37.71.
Central Catholic was second in the girls’ 4x400m (3:55.13). Placing fourth was Amherst-Pelham (4:00.25).
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