After finishing sixth at last year’s Meet of Champions, Sean Blaze set his sights high for the current indoor campaign.
So far, he’s off to a great start in turning those goals into reality.
For the second straight week, the Clinton High junior proved victorious against his statewide rivals. At Saturday’s MSTCA Sprint Classic, Blaze captured the 55-meter dash with a personal best and state No. 2 time of 6.52 seconds. In an exciting, down-to-the-wire duel inside the Reggie Lewis Center, the Gaels’ standout out-leaned Essex North’s Makaio Bey at the line by just one hundredth of a second.
“Coming in, I knew there was some great competition,” Blaze said. “I knew I had to come out hard and finish hard. I just had to run my best race, and that’s what I did. I was able to inch Bey at the end.”
Blaze’s recent win comes on the heels of his 300m title at last weekend’s MSTCA Winter Festival, where he ran a state No. 3 time of 35.20.
Among returnees this season, Blaze ranks No. 9 in the 55m based on his previous best of 6.59 from his third-place finish at last year’s Division 5 Championships. Now, he’s focused on improving his placements at both the divisional and Meet of Champions levels—and extending his season beyond the state meet.
“This year, I’m looking to qualify for New Balance Nationals,” Blaze said. “I just have to cut my time down to 6.47. That’s what I’m aiming for.”
Blaze wasn’t the only athlete to leave Reggie Lewis Center with a meet record. Pre-race favorite Lauren Quarm was dominant in the girls’ 55m. Methuen’s talented speedster broke the tape in a state-leading 7.19 seconds, finishing comfortably ahead of runner-up Abigail Falconi (7.50).
Quarm’s performance moved her past previous state leader and defending champion Nina Kyei-Aboagye, who ran a season-best 7.23 at a Hockomock League meet just two days earlier.
Big personal bests were turned in by the winners of the respective girls’ and boys’ 600 meters. Barnstable’s Emma Steenstra dipped more than two seconds under her previous best with a winning time of 1:44.75.
On the boys’ side, Collin Lindley of Quabbin Regional shaved nearly four seconds off his PR while winning the second heat in 1:25.24. That mark vaulted him into the state’s No. 2 spot, overtaking seeded-heat winner Denzel Kisekka of Lowell, who briefly held that position after clocking 1:25.29 to finish second. Shrewsbury’s Bodhi Chadwick was third in 1:25.30, as less than a second separated the top eight finishers.
Newburyport’s Audrey Roebuck continued what’s been a strong winter season in the 300 meters. The Clipper sophomore captured her specialty with a personal best of 42.13. As a ninth-grader in 2024–25, Roebuck had a top time of 45.20 from the MSTCA Qualifier Meet in early February. Prior to Saturday’s meet, she improved on that mark by more than two seconds with a 43.46 victory at a Cape Ann League meet on Dec. 14.
In the boys’ 300m, Archbishop’s Patrick Cadogan claimed the crown with a personal best of 35.89. Littleton’s Seiji Friedman was second in 36.09. Cadogan, who moved to No. 5 in the state rankings, was fourth at last year’s Div. 4 meet with a season best of 35.97.
Other winners in the meet included Newburyport’s Kyle Lisauskas (7.77) and Westfield’s Nessa Gibson in the boys’ and girls’ 55m hurdles, Andover’s Rodrigi Siqueira (21 feet, 5 inches) and Algonquin’s Tanvi Mehta (16-10) in the long jump, Nipmuc’s Dashel Correia (55-2) and Kameron Getman (33-5.25) in the weight throw, Essex North (1:35.69) and Andover (1:49.06) in the 4x200m relay, and Shrewsbury (3:38.86) and Brockton (4:27.08) in the 4x400m relay.
With the same events, Day 2 of the Speed Classic is scheduled for Sunday at 10 a.m.
