Prior to her 600-meter race at Saturday’s MSTCA Northeast Invitational, Naomi Witt had just one simple goal: win the race.
It didn’t take her long to realize a record was also within reach.
The Wachusett Regional senior accomplished both during Day 2 of the three-day competition at the Reggie Lewis Center. Taking control after the first two laps, Witt cruised to a three-second victory and a new meet record with a time of 1 minute, 36.67 seconds. Her performance, a nearly two-second personal best, vaulted her to the top of the state rankings.
Witt sensed a record was in sight after the first two laps on the 200-meter oval.
“My primary focus was just to PR and win. But I felt really good today and just decided to go for it,” she said. “My coach said to go out in like 62 or 63 seconds. I saw I went through in 62 and knew I was on the right track.”
The race for second proved to be a much closer affair. Running in the second heat, Amherst-Pelham senior Ella Austin (second, 1:39.27) and Wachusett freshman Annika Kindorf (third, 1:39.34) claimed the next two spots. Finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, were Old Rochester’s Phoebe Cowles (1:39.43) and Exeter (N.H.) sophomore Izzie Bremer (1:39.45).
Witt capped her day with another victory at the six-plus-hour meet, anchoring the Mountaineers to a first-place finish in the 4×400-meter relay. The quartet of Stella Moneault, Madison Benson, Kindorf, and Witt combined for a state-leading time of 4:09.59, while Pinkerton Academy (N.H.) finished a distant second in 4:17.91.
In the boys’ 600m, Lowell’s Denzel Kisekka won the seeded section with a PR and state No. 3 of 1:23.70. Unfortunately for him, Pinkerton’s Joseph Gustavson was just a bit faster in the next heat with a triumphant 1:23.37 to move Kisekka to the runner-up position.
What’s more impressive about the Lowell senior’s time is the improvement he’s had in the event. His previous best of 1:25.29 from his second-place finish at the Speed Classic back on Dec. 20 was a nearly 10-second PR.
“The difference has been, I haven’t done any distant workouts. I’m not a distance runner,” he said. “I have been doing speed work and tempo, and that’s about it.”
Newton South’s Emily Frawley won a close race with Groton Dunstable’s Meghan McEleney in the girls’ 1,000m. The state runner-up in the 1K last year was timed in 3:00.22, less than a second ahead of her rival, who crossed the line at 3:01.12.
Coming off her soccer season this past fall, Frawley was pleased with her effort.
“I haven’t run the 1,000 yet this season,” she said. “My coaches were saying there are some people running right around three (minutes). Why don’t you let them lead. I know I went out in first, but I was just kind of feeling it. I felt pretty strong. I didn’t feel too stressed or anything.”
Ceasar Flahn of Manchester (N.H.) and Westborough’s Brandon Hui came within a quarter inch of tying the meet record, each posting a top jump of 22-2. Flahn earned the victory based on his second-best attempt of 22-0, while Hui climbed to No. 4 in the state rankings.
Milton’s Ella Turner set a meet record in the girls’ high jump with a season-best clearance of 5-5. In the boys’ competition, Case’s Ben Deady tied the meet record along with four other athletes, matching his personal best at 6-4. Lowell’s Parris Mbeca also cleared 6-4 to finish second.
Newton North shattered the meet record in the girls’ 4×200-meter relay, as the quartet of Sophie Finkelstein, Isabella Mangada, Penny Blumenthal, and Brooke Bennett combined for a winning time of 1:46.63. Four other teams also dipped under 1:50, including second-place Wachusett (1:48.27).
In the boys’ race, top-seeded Xaverian Brothers delivered as expected. Luke Preskenis, Sean Moynihan, Aidan Arnold, and Alex Todorov clocked 1:31.96 to edge Hopkinton, which finished second in 1:32.18.
With a gutsy push over the final stretch, Todorov later captured the 300 meters, tying the meet record with a personal-best 34.97. He held off Catholic Memorial’s Jameson Booker, who placed second in 35.12.
Franklin raced to a state-leading time in the girls’ 4×800-meter relay. The quartet of Madison Bruno, Gwenyth Holland, Victoria Courtright-Lim, and Savannah Copeland clocked 9:47.04. In the boys’ 4×800, Xaverian Brothers moved to No. 3 in the state rankings by placing third overall in 8:18.25.
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Day 1 on Friday night also featured several standout performances.
Newburyport’s Mike Mohoric captured the mile with a massive personal best and meet record of 4:19.26. His time marked an improvement of nearly 11 seconds on the indoor surface and more than eight seconds off his previous all-time best of 4:28.07, set last spring.
In the girls’ mile, Whitinsville Christian’s Abby Flagg climbed to No. 4 in the state rankings with a PR and winning time of 5:05.83. The race was highly competitive, with five additional runners breaking 5:10: Wakefield’s Quin Wilcox (second, 5:06.88), Saint Mary’s Kelsey Kwiatek (third, 5:06.92), Bromfield’s Rosie Bradley (fourth, 5:07.88), North Shore (N.Y.) runner Joanna Kenney (fifth, 5:09.40), and Whitinsville’s Emily Flagg (sixth, 5:09.52).
New Bedford’s Nialonis Smith set a meet record in the girls’ weight throw with a toss of 47-0. The mark was just six inches shy of her personal best and state No. 2 performance of 47-6 from last month’s Indoor Mercury Games.
