Lucas Andrade couldn’t have asked for better time of the season to elevate his game.
For the third straight meet, the Brockton senior broke the state record for the 55-meter hurdles. The only difference here is this one added slightly more significance.
Facing the region’s best inside the Reggie Lewis Center on Saturday, Andrade defended his title at the New England Track & Field Championships. He did it by simply annihilating his previous best by seven hundredths of a second with an eye-popping 7.22 seconds. The gifted hurdler eclipsed the New England record of 7.26 with a time that moved him to a US #7.
“Today was the best day I ever had,” he said. “The warmup was better than usual. I feel like today I was more healthy, more than everything. I perfected everything I can just for this moment. My coach has trained me well. God did me good as well. I thank him always. I’m just glad I could do it.”
With the New Balance Nationals in two weeks, Andrade is peaking at the absolute perfect time with the nation’s best coming to Boston and the TRACK at New Balance the weekend of March 13-16. In his three previous meets, all victories, Andrade has runs times of 7.30 at the Division I Championships (Feb. 12), 7.29 at the Meet of Champions (Feb. 22) and now his latest performance at the New England’s.
He has one goal in mind in two weeks.
“Since the season started, All American (top 6) was the goal. So with all these PRs coming, you know it’s higher chances to get All American” he said. “I can’t wait for this moment, man.”
In one of the first events to finish, Andrade proved to be an appropriate opening act for the Bay State athletes that competed in the five-plus hour meet.
While she wasn’t able to muster up a victory, Natick’s Emmanuella Edozien did her best to try and make it happen by earning a pair of runner-up placements. The talented junior matched her PR and state mark of 7.96 to finish just behind pre-meet favorite Anika Scott of Bedford (NH), who won the race with a MR and US #5 of 7.76. Edozien came back and soared to a distance of 19 feet, 4 inches. It was her first time over the 19-foot mark and just three inches behind winner Vanessa Agyemang of Bloomfield (CT), who went 19-7.
A week after his shocking victory and 20-second PR in the two mile at the Meet of Champions, Marblehead’s Nathaniel Assa continued the momentum against New England’s finest. In an exciting battle with defending champion Matt Giardina of Bishop Guertin (NH) the final 400m, Assa was able to outsprint his rival in the closing stages to earn the regional title. He lowered his previous best by nearly a second with US #10 of 9:04.60. Giardina, a Tyngsborough native and a seventh-place finisher at the Foot Locker Nationals, secured second in 9:07.34.
“Going through the last two laps, I knew that Matt was right on me and he’s a strong runner,” Assa said. “I knew if i wanted the title I had to put it all on the track and hold him off.”
Shrewsbury high-jumper Derek Shimer inched closer to the seven-foot mark by taking his specialty with a PR of 6-11. Shimer held off a field that still had five remaining when the bar was moved to 6-9. Hopkinton’s Logan Sullivan was third at 6-7.
“It feels great to get the win,” he said. “The competition was great. It pushed me to jump 6-11, a PR. It feels good to win. I can’t wait until (two weeks) and the nationals.”
Shimer’s effort moves him to No. 4 in the country.
Peabody’s Alex Jackson won the shot put with a heave of 64-9.25. It was Jackson’s best performance since opening the season with a best of 66-6.25. He beat a field that had four over the 60-foot mark, including runner-up Brandon Wolfenden of Pilgrim (RI), who secured the silver medal with a distance of 61-3.75. Hopedale’s Ari Levine was eighth at 56-11.5.
In the long jump, Peabody got a third-place finish from Evan Bedard, who was just under his all-time best with a leap of 23-0.5. The event was won by Michael Ahoua of Torrington (CT) with a meet record of 24-feet even.
Sharon’s Josy Brown-Wright came through with his best effort of the season by striking gold in the 300m. The Warrior senior broke the tape in 34.73.
Brown-Wright was a No. 6 seed. He took the title out of the unseeded section.
“Basically I just came in and pushed all the way through regardless on how anybody else ran,” he said.
An expected battle in the girls’ two mile, turned into a comfortable victory for Whitinsville Christian’s Emily Flagg, who clocked a PR of 10:42.59. Flagg broke away from top rival Mackenzie Cook of Oyster River (NH) after just a few laps and ran solo for the remainder of the race. Cook was timed in 10:51.95 for second. Westfield’s Megan Moran was seventh at 11:06.96.
“I was told to run very specific splits,” she said. “I have been having trouble running even splits this entire season. I knew if I ran in the 38-40 (second) range (for each lap), I would be oaky. That’s kind of what happened.”
Amherst-Pelham”s 4x400m quartet of Ololara Baptiste, Skylar Fox, Emilia Luetjen and Moriah Luetjen won an exciting race over consistent powerhouse Bloomfield. The Hurricanes combined for a winning time and six-second best of 3:55.70. Bloomfield was timed in 3:57.44.
PHOTOS (and much more to come!)
