Throughout the next few weeks, Bay State Running will be putting the spotlight on some of the top performances of the outdoor track and field season. While we’ve had our share of showstoppers over the past few months, these are the moments that we feel stood out the most and left the biggest impression.
***
When Lexington’s Ainsley Cuthbertson began throwing the hammer, the event was little more than an afterthought in Massachusetts. Just three girls competed during her freshman year in 2023. Two years later, participation had climbed to 22, a sign that one of track and field’s oldest events is gaining traction in the state.
While the hammer hasn’t been added yet as an official event at MIAA-sanctioned meets, such as the Meet of Champions, we do expect it will be in the not-so-distant future. Part of that credit can certainly be attributed to Cuthbertson and what she accomplished against the nation’s best last month.
In a season where she had already made significant improvements in her specialty, Cuthbertson saved her best for last, claiming the hammer title at the New Balance Nationals in mid June with a personal-best throw of 180 feet, 4 inches, nearly four feet farther than her previous best. It was the Lexington standout’s eighth effort of the season over 170 feet, a milestone she had reached just once last year during a summer series meet in late August.
