Westford Academy Smashes State Record
Despite trailing, Westford Academy’s Diya Shresthra must have been full confidence as she handed off the baton to teammate Abby Hennessy. The runner up from yesterday’s Mile Championship tore through the field to bring Westford Academy into Second Place. In was a phenomenal effort from the quartet that also included Emily Wedlake and Emily Deeks. It was unfamiliar territory for both Wedlake and Deeks, as they typically race longer distances. Wedlake, a sub five miler, opened with 3:39 leg and was followed by Deeks, who ran a strong 63 second split. Shresthra then moved them into position with a 2:17 leg for Hennessy to bring them home with the fastest split of the day, 4:36. Their time of 11:36.71 was well under the previous record of 11:44.77 from Newton South in 2010. With both Hennessy and Wedlake graduating and moving on to collegiate racing, this was the cherry on top of an already great season. As well as for Shresthra and Deeks, who will look to carry on the strong legacy set by the two seniors.
While they just missed the podium, the girls from Needham had a fantastic performance as well. They combined for 11:39.99, well under the previous state record, and finished seventh overall. Greta Hammer had a career day, splitting 4:46.59, the third fastest split of the day.
Brookline Boys Do It Again
After a long and hot weekend of racing, Brookline executed to near perfection and earned All-American for the second year in a row. The team of Ibrahim Abdel-Dayem, Tony Carballo, Harry Flint, and Theodore Butty combined to run 10:00.71 and finish sixth overall. There could have been a debate as to who should run where given the talent on the team, but it’s clear Coach Glennon and the boys knew what they’re doing. After strong legs from Abdel-Dayem and Carballo, 3:09.67 and 50.72, Flint scorched the field with a 1:50.92, to get the Warriors in striking distance. Theodore Butty then had one of the best races of his career, splitting 4:09.41, equal to 4:10.86 for the full mile. Most of these athletes had already raced once, if not twice, making this performance all the more impressive.
Fast 800s
After earning All-American in the morning, most people would call it a day. Not Harry Flint. The Senior came back to run the Championship 800m, and ran one of the fastest 800s in state history. Flint crossed the line in 1:50.00 to finish eighth overall. While there must have been some disappointment when he saw 1:50 instead of 1:49, that doesn’t diminish what an incredible performance this was. Two 800s in one day is tough. To run faster in the second is amazing. Flint also negative split the race, going 55.22-54.78, to finish second in his heat.
In the girls Championship 800m, Amelia Whorton continued her fantastic weekend of racing. Whorton ran a big PR of 2:07.79 to finish ninth overall. Her previous best was 2:09.28 heading into the race. After going out hard in 1:02.17, she held on strong to finish second in her heat.
Abby Hennessy returned to run her third race in 24 hours. The seeded section went out relatively slow, 65.52 through 400m, and Hennessy did her best to stay with the pack as they closed hard over the last lap, and finished in 2:09.26.
Catholic Memorial Earns All-American
After advancing to the final with a state record performance yesterday, the Knights got it done today and finished sixth overall in the Championship 4x100m. Ramar Thomas, Tristan Ham, Jelani Semper, and Jameson Booker combined to run 41.88 and edge Danbury, CT for the final spot on the podium.
Freshmen Shine
Malden’s Khadijah Diagne and Wachusett’s Terry Kwarteng both finished top six in the Girls Freshmen 200m Final. Diagne ran 24.25 to finish third overall, and Kwarteng ran a PR of 24.61 to finish sixth overall. The two freshmen finish the year as #2 and #3 in the state over 200m.
Abington Close Record Year
There wasn’t much left for the Abington Boy’s 4x400m Relay. They had already set the State Record multiple times this season, running 3:15.01 at New Englands. Nazir Paulding, Lucas de Oliveira, Aidan Calcano Da Silva, and Nathan Calcano Da Silva, showed up to Philly to represent their small south shore town. Despite coming out of Division 6., they finished 10th overall in the highly anticipated Championship 4x400m. The boys were remarkably consistent this season. Their time of 3:16.18 was their third fastest time this season, and third under 3:20. All four boys return next season.
