It certainly has been a good year for the 4×800-meter relay this season. On the boys’ side, three squads have made the top-10 all-time list. For the girls; it’s also been impressive.
The success of the 4x8s this spring were evidently clear on Day 2 of New Balance Nationals.
Competing in the unseeded sections on Friday, the Bay State produced some outstanding times as well as a couple of new state-leaders inside Franklin Field.
Lexington was fourth in its heat and 11th overall in the girls’ race. The Lady Minutemen manufactured a state best of 9 minutes, 9.84 seconds, a time that ranks No. 2 all-time in Massachusetts behind the 2011 state mark of 9:01.98 by Lincoln Sudbury. What’s equally impressive is that all four members are underclassmen. Comprising the squad for Lexington with their splits were sophomore Callie Glenn (2:19.93) and the freshmen trio of Natalie Bielat (2:20.80), Jane Conrad (2:19.63) and Amelia Whorton (2:09.51). Take note of Whorton’s split. That’s a time that would unofficially rank her No. 2 in the state this season individually. Right now, she ranks No. 8 in the country among ninth-graders with her best of 2:10.16 from her second-place finish at the Div. 1 Championships.
In the boys’ competition, Brookline finished second in its heat and 11th overall with a school record and state-leader of 7:41.98. The quartet and their splits included Harry Flint (1::54.52), Jonathan Traub (2:00.20), Theodore Butty (1:55.44) and Alaamo Asckenasy (1:51.84). Placing 18th in the heat and 29th overall was Lexington with a state No. 6 of 7:53.52. That foursome featured James Joseph, Matteo Sanchez de Rojas, Max Zhang and Zachary Barry. Arlington just missed a sub-8 performance with the squad of Daichi Collins, Anderson Cheung, Patrick Kenneally, and Nico Peukert combining for a time of 8:00.76.
Foot Locker Nationals winner Tamrat Gavenas was the lone Bay Stater to achieve All-American status. The Phillips Academy senior was engaged in a tight race with Louisiana’s Aidenn Monistere in the two mile. Monistere got the best of his rival in the end, capturing individual honors in 8:52.31 to Gavenas’s 8:53.71 runner-up effort. Lincoln Sudbury’s Ethan Sholk was 20th overall in 9:09.68.
In the girls’ two mile, the state’s top three entries finished within three seconds of each other with Westford Academy’s Emily Wedlake (42nd, 10:48.32), Whitinsville Christian’s Emily Flagg (44th, 10:50.21) and Cambridge Rindge & Latin’s Aoife Shovlin (46th, 10:51.09) occupying those spots.
State champion and record-holder Ryan Kyle was ninth overall in the 400m hurdles. The Westford Academy senior was timed in 52.50. North Reading’s Giuliana Ligor was 14th in the girls’ race with a solid 1:00.76 clocking.
In the shot, Hopedale’s Ari Levine heaved the metal ball a distance of 60 feet, 6 inches to place ninth overall. Haverhill’s Madeline Goncalves was 14th in the girls’ competition with a heave of 41-10.
The Lowell foursome of Samuel Ansah, Joshua Amankwaah, Denzel Kisekka, and Khai Yin were 17th overall in the SMR with a time of 3:30.38.
