(Above Photo by Byron Flagg)
Just a few more days we’ll be back at it again.
This past weekend’s divisional state championships provided the perfect prequel to what’s ahead as the state’s top track & field athletes prepare to descend on Merrimack College for the MIAA Meet of Champions.
Twelve boys’ and girls’ teams were crowned champions, a plethora of athletes earned individual gold and PRs. And, well, you know what happened there. The performances were off the charts.
Want a stat to back that up? Thirteen new state leaders emerged over the two-day championship meets.
We’re going to keep the party rolling here at Bay State Running by previewing some of the top events to watch at the Meet of Champions in the days leading up to Saturday’s showcase.
But first, we can’t overlook what happened during the final day of division competition.
Here’s our recap…
DIVISION 1
Before talking about some of our individual and relay winners, we’re going to cut to the chase with our team champions.
As we predicted, Lexington ran away with the girls’ title, racking up 118 points. Newton North also had a strong showing, scoring 75 points to place second.
In the boys’ meet, St. John’s Prep came within two points of the century mark, defeating runner-up Lexington, 98-85.
The final day saw Xaverian Brothers’ Alex Todorov complete a sweep of the sprint events with a victory and PR of 10.73 seconds in the 100-meter dash. A few days earlier, Todorov claimed the 200m crown in 21.89.
Brookline’s Harry Flint was also a double winner. After taking the 800m on Friday night with a nearly two-second personal best of 1:51.59, the gifted senior went sub-49 in the 400m with a winning effort of 48.91.
All three relay champions produced state-leading performances. St. John’s Prep blazed to a 41.53 in the 4x100m, Lowell clocked 3:21.06 in the 4x400m, and Xaverian Brothers led three other teams under eight minutes with a swift 7:54.36 in the 4x800m.
St. John’s Prep’s Tyson Stroope cleared 6-6 to capture the high jump title and, a day earlier, soared 6-4.75 as part of his winning pentathlon performance.
Methuen’s Lauren Quarm came oh-so-close to breaking 12 seconds in the girls’ 100m, running a still-blazing 12.06.
Did you expect anything different from Chloe Elder in the 400m? The top seeded senior from Natick, a second-place finisher in this event last spring, ran away with the crown this time around. sizzling to a more than two-second win with a season best 54.80.
Lexington sophomore Amelia Whorton successful achieved the 800m-1,500m double. After capturing the two-lapper with a PR of 2:09.29 two days earlier, Whorton was at her best again for the .longer race, crossing the line in another best of 4:52.66.
Not surprisingly, it was Natick’s Emmanuella Edozien in the 100m hurdles. The Red Hawks senior was timed in 14.39, just 0.08 seconds ahead of Central Catholic’s Arianna DiPietro.
Lexington was a victor in the 4x800m with a state No. 1 of 9:17.26.
…
DIVISION 2
North Andover coasted to the boys’ title in this one, doubling the total of runner-up Billerica with a commanding 120.5-60 victory. It was significantly closer on the girls’ side, where Billerica edged Westford Academy, 70-65, for the crown.
Shane Leslie led a 1-2-3 sweep by Billerica in the boys’ mile with a winning time of 4:18.77. Finishing right behind him were teammates Mason Niles (second, 4:19.72) and Sahil Gandhi (third, 4:20.54).
Woburn’s Nahshon Lubowa captured a close 110m hurdles race in 14.57. Beverly’s Myles Gregory was right behind at 14.66.
Leland Pagan pulled off an upset in the long jump with an all-time best of 23-3.75. Catholic Memorial teammates Jelani Semper (second, 23-2) and top seed Amar Skeete (third, 22-10.5) rounded out the top three.
For the girls, there was no one better than Khadijah Diagne in the sprint events. A few days after her victory in the 200m, Diagne completed the trifecta by claiming the 100m (12.19) and 400m (56.04).
In a classic duel in the mile, Billerica’s Kylie Donahue held off Concord-Carlisle’s Maria Chopas as both raced to impressive PRs of 4:51.33 and 4:52.29, respectively.
DIVISION 3
What a battle it was in the boys’ meet. Just three points separated the top three with Walpole edging Reading, 99.5-99. Longmeadow was third at 96.5, Canton took the banner for girls with a 74-68 decision over second-place Melrose.
It was a three-gold weekend for Reading’s Ryan Pulpi, who followed up his victory in the 200m on Day 1 with titles in the 100m (10.44) and 400m (48.97) on Day 2.
Milton’s Jonah Stephens Roye ruled the hurdles by following his 400m IH win with a victory in the 110m HH (14.81).
The Bay State has two javelin throws ranked among the top 15 nationally. Reading’s Luke Rogerson became the latest with a huge PR of 210-7. Chelmsford’s Gable Gray is the state-leader with a heave of 216.7 from the Penn Relays Carnival, an effort that ranked seventh from coast to coast.
Will anyone touch Sharon’s Nina Kyei Aboagye in the sprints at the Meet of Champions? It won’t be easy. The speedy senior blasted to an 11.87 to win the 100m, a few days after her winning 23.97 for the 200m.
Canton’s Lauren Raffetto also made it twice as nice at the D3 meet by capturing the mile (5:03.54) after her 800m crown (2:13.69) a few days earlier.
Melrose’s Emeline Boyer inched closer to her first 40-footer of the season in the shot with a season best of 39-10.25.
DIVISION 4
Newburyport and Duxbury collected the hardware in this one. The Clippers won the boys’ title, outscoring Pembroke, 78-69. In the girls’ meet, the Dragons slipped by Amherst-Pelham, 52-49.
What seems to be a common theme in these meet, there was a sweep in the boys’ sprinting events. Duxbury’s Ian McNeil made it twice as nice by powering to a victory in the 100m where he broke the tape in 10.79. On Day 1, McNeil bested the field in the 200m with a time of 21.98.
Newburyport’s Michael Mohoric continued his excellence on the track by coasting to the mile title in 4:13.19, a comfortable six seconds ahead of his closest rival. Three days earlier, Mohoric raced to a meet record of 1:51.99 for the 800m.
Pentathlon champion Ryan McCormack of Wayland cleared 13-6 in the pole vault to add that title to his successful weekend.
Thirteen runners broke a minute in the girls’ 400m! Amherst-Pelham teammates Ololara Baptiste (57.14) and Ella Austin (58.02) led the barrage.
Holliston freshman Lucy Downin continues to impress. She earned her second victory of the weekend by capturing the mile (5:01.26). Her other win came on Thursday when she was timed in 2:14.60 for the 800m.
Duxbury moved to No. 1 in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:54.73.
DIVISION 5
Weston’s boys had this one wrapped up before the relay in an eventual 101.5-50 victory over Old Rochester. In the girls’ competition it was North Reading over Weston by a slim 64.5-62 margin.
Cathedral’s Ta’ Qaire Bells swept the sprints with a PR of 10.95 for the 100m. That came after striking gold in the 200m on Day 1.
Weston’s Matthew Fitzgibbon ran a 60-second final 400m, to run away from the field in the mile where he was timed in 4:24.20. Fitzgibbon then anchored the Wildcats winning 4x800m squad (8:10.41) with a 1:57 anchor leg.
On the girls’ side, Ursuline Academy’s Audrey Bernazzani was the Queen of the Sprints. She followed her 200m win on Day 1 with triumphant 12.27 for the 100m.
The future looks bright for Weston freshman Leksi Sullivan, a double-winner, thanks to her mile title in 5:02.85.
The Wildcats’ Solsna Varela also earned a pair of titles by taking the 100m hurdles at 14.62. She was a victor in the 400m hurdles, too.,
Bay State Running will continue to add to this story.
