Both the girls’ and boys’ outdoor track and field teams had strong performances at the District Class meet last Saturday. The girls scored 70 points, placing second out of a field of 18 teams, and the boys placed seventh out of 18 teams, with a score of 33 points. The girls’ meet was held at Shrewsbury and the boys’ meet was held at Lunenburg.
Despite poor weather earlier in the week, the day cleared up in time for the meet, lending itself to impressive performances on behalf of both teams.
The girls’ team did well in a wide variety of events, ranging from sprints to field events to relays.
Girls’ relay teams all place
The Lady Trojans got off to a strong start at their meet by placing first in three field events. Sophomore Amy Hunter took first place in the triple jump; junior Brianna Harte placed first in the discus; and sophomore Carlisle Ferguson took first in the pole vault. Adding to their score was Harte’s second-place finish in shot put and eighth-grader Arielle Sclar’s third-place finish in the pole vault.
The girls maintained their momentum in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, with Hunter taking fourth and freshman Sarah Doben taking fifth, respectively. The Bromfield girls also had great races in the 400-meter hurdles, in which sophomore Deirdre Kennedy placed third and freshman Maddie Steele placed fifth. And all three relay teams placed in the top six in each of their races.
The 4×100-meter relay team, composed of Doben, sophomore Suzy Opalka, junior Heather Flokos, and Hunter, sprinted to a second-place finish in a very competitive race.
In the 4x400m relay, the team, which consisted of Kennedy, eighth-grader Nina Sklar, freshman Grace Turnbull, and eighth-grader Alex Saganich, out-kicked their Maynard competition in the last straightaway of the race to place fifth.
A close race
The 4x800m relay team had an even closer race. The team of sophomore Kate Toll, freshman Talbot Chipman, Sclar, and Steele stayed close with their competition throughout the race. Going into the final lap, Steele was about 20 meters behind the Sutton relay team. As the race progressed, the gap began to close until both runners were on the final straightaway. In an astonishing burst of speed, Steele sprinted past her Sutton competitor to bring the team to a fourth-place finish.
Despite having only nine athletes competing at the meet, the Bromfield boys pulled off a seventh-place overall finish. The Trojans scored in only four events, but their solid finishes provided them with the points they needed to secure seventh place.
The Trojans placed sixth in the 4x400m relay and second in the 4x800m relay. The 4×400 team consisted of junior Nick Norcross, junior Matt Polimou, senior Sam Dyer, and junior Hunter Ashley. The 4×800 team was composed of sophomore Nick Steele, freshman Will Day, Polimou, and junior Price Day.
In the pole vault Dyer tied for second place, further adding to the team’s score.
A new record
In the meet’s most exciting race, Day and Steele placed first and second in the one-mile, with Day setting a new school record at 4 minutes, 30.42 seconds. The record was formerly 4:31.37 and held by Nick Kronauer.
The race did not start out well for Day. When the gun went off, Steele’s explosive start moved him to the front of the pack, whereas Day got boxed in. Steele led for the majority of the race, with Day slowly closing in. In the last 50-meter push for the finish line, Day sprinted past Steele, who finished less than a second after him, running a time of 4:30.84.
“Going into the race I was hoping to get a personal best, but I knew that the school record wasn’t out of reach,” Day told the Press. “I felt better in the last 50 meters than in the rest of the race, but right after I finished my legs hurt a lot.”
Girls results
- 100-meter dash–4, Amy Hunter, 13.27 seconds
- 200m dash–5, Sarah Doben, 27.85
- 400m hurdles–3, Deirdre Kennedy, 1 minute 10.39 seconds, 5, Maddie Steele, 1:11.12
- Discus–1, Brianna Harte, 109 feet 2 inches
- Pole vault–1, Carlisle Ferguson, 9-0, 3, Arielle Sclar, 7-9
- Shot put–2, Brianna Harte, 30-5.5
- Triple jump–1, Amy Hunter, 35-7
- 4x100m relay–2, Bromfield, Sarah Doben, Suzy Opalka, Heather Flokos, Amy Hunter, 52.67
- 4x400m relay–5, Bromfield, Deirdre Kennedy, Nina Sklar, Grace Turnbull, Alex Saganich, 4:39.44
- 4x800m relay–4, Bromfield, Kate Toll, Talbot Chipman, Arielle Sclar, Maddie Steele, 11:06.63
Boys Results
- 1-mile–1, Price Day, 4:30.42, 2, Nick Steele, 4:30.84
- Pole vault–2, Sam Dyer, 11-0
- 4x400m relay–6, Bromfield, Nick Norcross, Matt Polimou, Sam Dyer, Hunter Ashley, 3:51.61
- 4x800m relay–2, Bromfield, Nick Steele, Will Day, Matt Polimou, Price Day, 8:53.14
Carlisle Ferguson is a sophomore at the Bromfield School and a member of the girls’ track and field team.
