Boys
Friday’s Division 4 Championship almost felt like a great dual meet as it came down to the 4x400m Relay. Newburyport won the battle, as they claimed first place in an impressive 3:29.38. However, it was Wakefield that won the war, as they narrowly edged Oakmont for second place in 3:33.78. Securing eight points proved the deciding factor, as they won the day, 56 to 54 over Newburyport.
Moments earlier, Wakefield also won the 4x200m relay, topping eventual third place team, Pembroke, running 1:31.89. Issac Melo won the 300m, running 35.59, just a few ticks off his PR and the only one under 36 on the day. Teammate Edgard Meneguello placed seventh in 36.47 to secure a crucial two points. The MVP of the day was Jamauri Belmer. Wakefield needed the senior at his best, and he delivered, winning both the High Jump, in a PR of 6-6, and the Long Jump, with a leap of 22-8.5. Belmer also ran on their 4x200m Relay.
Newburyport had a great day as well in their runner up finish. Seniors Michael Mohoric and Kyle Lisauskas both had gutsy efforts in three events each to help their team. Lisauskas got things started with his win in the 55m Hurdles. He’s been one of the best hurdlers all season, and is peaking at the right time, running a PR of 7.65. He also led a trio of Newburyport hurdlers into the final. David Walker and Tommy Rich finished fifth and sixth as Newburyport came away with 17 points. Mohoric would follow suit and win the Mile in a PR of 4:16.19. That wasn’t enough as he came back just a few events later and finished fourth in the 1000m, in 2:34.65. Both athletes would return for the 4x400m and run a season best.
Falmouth’s Silas Garner gave Belmer a run for his money as the MVP of the day. Gartner won the 1000m in a state #2, 2:29.00, and then doubled back for the 2 Mile, and won in 9:44.10. Gartner will be one of the top contenders in whatever distance he chooses next week.
Pembroke’s Nick McCarthy helped the Titans finish third overall by winning the shot put in a toss of 47-11.25. Norton’s Sean Parnham secured the 600m title in 1:22.81, as he preps for a showdown next week at the Meet of Champions. Greater Lawrence Tech’s Gustavo Varela will do the same after winning the 55m title. Varela is currently #3 in the state with a 6.45.
Girls
Weston had a dominant showing, winning with a total of 49 points to Wayland’s 36. They did so without an individual champion as well. It was total team effort as the Wildcats relied on multiple scorers all meet long. As predicted, they won the 4x800m in 9:51.86, almost 20 seconds up on the second place. They ran a season best of 4:15.54 in 4x400m relay to finish second overall. Their highest scoring event was the Mile, as Leksi Sullivan and Izzy Wheler worked together to finish in third and fourth. Both ran PRs of 5:07.79 and 5:08.80.
Solana Varela scored twice, as she finished second overall in the 300m, earning eight points for Weston. Yasani Thompson of Holyoke narrowly beat her at the line, running 40.94. Varela also finished fourth in the 55m Hurdles. In the 1000m, Jessica Bourne battled to finished third overall in 3:04.17. Wakefield’s Quin Wilcox was the overall winner in 3:00.73. Wilcox will be one of the top runners to watch at next week’s Meet of Champions.
The performance of the day came in the form of a major upset. Holliston Freshmen Lucy Downin has shown all season that she has the makings of a future champion. Well, that time is now. Downin ran a near 13 second personal best to top Whitinsville Christian’s Abby Flag in 4:53.53. Flagg also ran PR in 4:55.18. Both times smashed the previous meet record of 4:57.16 and are #2 and 3 in the state. What’s most impressive is Downin’s ability to close, running a final 200m 33.63.
Abby’s sister Emily would win the two mile in a PR of 10:38.95. Her time ranks second in Massachusetts this season. All three athletes, both Flagg sisters and Downin, will be top contenders next weekend in whatever distance they choose.
Despite those amazing performances, you could argue Wayland’s Sazie Wrentmore was the MVP, as she gave a valiant effort to help Wayland finish in second place. Wrentmore was runner up herself in the 55m Hurdles behind Dedham’s Amariah Montaque who ran 8.43. However, that was just a warmup for Wrentmore, as she would win her other two events, the 600m and Long Jump. Wrentmore topped Dover-Sherborn’s Julia Ritchey in the 600, running 1:37.39. She won the Long Jump with a leap of 17-5.75.
Foxborough’s Lauren Bober won the 55m in a PR of 7.23 to help her team finish fourth overall. 300m Champ Yasani Thompson was second. Both will test their speed next week against the state’s best. Auburn’s Isabel Zukowski was as good as advertised, winning the shot put by a considerable margin with a throw of 40 feet even. She’s one of three over 40 this season.
