Bromfield’s Amy Hunter takes second place in the triple jump at the state track meet. (Courtesy photo)
On a day of strong performances by Bromfield athletes, freshman Amy Hunter grabbed second place in the triple jump at the MIAA All-State Outdoor Track Meet at Westfield State University on Saturday, earning a chance to compete at the New England Track and Field Championships in Connecticut later this month.
In their individual events, the eight qualifying Bromfield athletes faced tough competition. But although no points were scored, they held their own against the best runners and jumpers in the state and broke two school records.
A personal best
Hunter was the only freshman to compete in the triple jump, an event that is typically dominated by upperclassmen. “I felt excited going into the state meet,” she told the Press. “I wasn’t really nervous or worried because I just felt lucky to be there.”
Seeded 16th going into the championship, Hunter surprised both herself and the field by leaping to a second-place finish with a personal record of 36 feet 9 inches. The winning jump (37-07.5) was turned in by Brooke Nadeau of Millbury. “I was shocked when I made finals,” Hunter admitted. “I wasn’t expecting it at all. I’m still not sure how I feel about placing and going to New Englands! It doesn’t feel real…[and it’s] weird to think I’ll be jumping at such a cool event.”
The boys team sent six competitors who had qualified in the Central District championships the week before, including senior Dan Colony in the 200-meter dash, senior Patrick Griffin in the 400m, freshman Nick Steele in the one-mile, junior Sam Dyer in the pole vault, and the 4×400-meter relay team consisting of Colony, Griffin, sophomore Price Day, and senior Brendan Beale. The girls team sent freshman Carlisle Ferguson in the pole vault, and freshman Amy Hunter in the triple jump.
Setting new school records
The arrival of the warm weather was certainly welcome, and it arguably helped the boys break two school records. The 4×400-meter relay team broke the school record with a time of 3 minutes, 31.65 seconds, almost three seconds faster than the old one, earning the team a 20th place finish among 26 competitors.
In the pole vault event, Dyer jumped an impressive 11 feet, 6 inches, a half-foot higher than his previous record. Dyer’s performance led him to a 17th-place finish in a field of 29 athletes.
Relay team member Griffith also had a strong individual performance in the 400m dash, placing 11th out of 23 runners with a time of 50.44 seconds, beating his previous school record as well.
Ferguson cleared 9-00 in the girls pole vault (18th place). Although not her personal best, Ferguson still holds the school record 9-03 and will be setting her sights on raising that standard over the next three years of her eligibility.
Steele was one out of only four freshman boys in the entire competition (for all individual running and field events) as the All-State boys championship tends to be dominated by upperclassmen. He finished 20th in the boys mile with a time of 4:47.07.
A successful season
Though only Hunter is moving on to New England Championships, this marks the end of a successful season for Dave Boisvert and Kristen Taschereau’s squads. Boisvert will be losing the core of his team to graduation while the girls team is losing a handful of top performers as well. The class of 2013 will be missed but certainly remembered in Bromfield’s outdoor track history as holders of current school records.
Outdoor track and field school records set by graduating seniors include:
Girls 4x100m relay: 51.17 Moriah Arnold, Emma Hall
Boys triple jump: 42’9″ Patrick Griffin
Boys long jump: 20’3″ Patrick Griffin
Boys 100m: 11.8 Roniel Foster
Boys 200m: 23.08 Patrick Griffin
Boys 400m: 50.44 Patrick Griffin
Boys 4x100m relay: 46.37 Dan Colony, Glen Steranka, Brendan Beale, Roniel Foster
Boys 4x400m relay: 3:31.65 Brendan Beale, Patrick Griffin, Dan Colony
Bromfield state championship statistics
Boys
200m dash: 20, Dan Colony, 23.40
400m: 11, Patrick Griffin, 50.44
1 mile: 20, Nick Steele, 4:47.07
4x400m relay: 20, Bromfield, (Colony, Day, Beale, Griffin) 3:31.65
Pole vault: 17, Sam Dyer, 11-6
Girls
Triple jump: 2, Amy Hunter, 36-09
Pole vault: 8, Carlisle Ferguson, 9-00
Carlisle Ferguson is a freshman at the Bromfield School and one of the eight Harvard athletes who competed at the Massachusetts All-State Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Marisa Steele, a track team parent, contributed to this article.
