With so many variables, it’s never easy. But we’ll give it our best shot predicting who we feel will be some of our top track & field athletes this outdoor season. Here we feature the girls’ throwing events, which includes the shot, javelin and discus.
SHOT
This past indoor season, we had five athletes exceed 40 feet in this event and two more who were less than a foot from achieving the mark. It should be another competitive season this spring. The early favorite is Ludlow’s Elena Chaplin, who captured individual honors at the Meet of Champions last month with a PR of 41 feet, 9 inches. Bishop Feehan’s Brooke Serak, the indoor titlist at the MOC as a tenth-grader, was third at the MOC this past season and unleashed a season -best of 41-4 to take the crown at the Northeast Invitational. Other 40-footers include Haverhill’s Madeline Goncalves (40-9.5), Franklin’s Lily DeForge (40-6.5), and Winchester’s Caroline Herihy (40-3). Chicopee’s Maria Fareti (39-11.25) and Framingham’s Emily Richardson (39-6) are others to keep an eye on based on what they did during the indoor campaign.
JAVELIN
There should be a lot of familiar faces this spring. From last year’s Meet Of Champions, six of the top eight will be returning, including our 1-2-3 finishers – Franklin’s Elizabeth Hopkins, Peabody’s Alessandra Forgoine and Hudson’s Savannah Gao. Forgoine tossed a state-best of 137-0 at the Andover Boosters Meet. Hopkins had a PR of 132-2 and Gao went 128-3 last year. Seven more from 2023 went 125 feet or further. Just like last year, this event could get very competitive come championship time.
DISCUS
We could have several in the mix in this event at the MOC. Gone to graduation are our top two finishers, including individual winner Catherine Sargent of Dedham, the only athlete to exceed 130 feet with her 132-0 best from the New England’s. Among returnees, Walpole’s Sophia Axelrod had the top performance with a PR of 127-8 from her victory at the Weston Twilight Invitational. No doubt the talented senior will be looking for redemption after fouling out of the MOC. Walpole’s Mia Kurtz (122-5) also went 120-plus last spring. A bunch more are in that 115 to 118-foot range, such as North Reading’s Abilgail Lilley and Medway’s Charity Johnson, who had identical PRs of 118-6 in 2023.
