Girls Elite Meet
55M Dash
This event was typical of the entire day – nothing you've done up to this point means a darn thing! Time to crank it up another notch. Kayla Comer (MN-SO) was a little off her PR and failed to advance but Samantha Smith (CT-SR) ran a lifetime PR in the semis (7.40) and was only .01 slower in the finals to place 4 th . The top-6 placements were seniors led my Molly O'Dea's convincing 7.26 rout of the field. She's clearly in a class of her own and Canton's Smith is right with the rest of the best.
55M Hurdles
Long jump winner Deanna Latham (SR-Triton) ran the fastest time of the day during trials at 8.32 but was off in the finals ending up bracketed by two sophomores. Vanessa Clerveaux (Brockton) edged Latham 8.377 to 8.379. Somerville's Nicole Genard was 3 rd at 8.41. The Hock's only entrant was Christy Deininger who made finals with an 8.81 then placed 7 th – never finding her rhythm at 8.96.
300M Top seed Emily Broyles (MN-JR) carries the weight of heavy expectations into every race. '09 State Champ in this event indoors and 400M champ outdoors means that nothing less than first is acceptable. This star-studded field cared nothing about that. Rebecca Robinson (Arlington-SO) sat in lane 6 with Broyles in 5. Broyles was out like a shot but Robinson still beat her to the break line. Broyles appeared to have a split second hesitation before cutting in. After that the race was over as Robinson sped to a #5 Mass all-time mark of 39.64. Broyles state winning time of '09 (40.46) wouldn't have been enough today. The challenge is on! Mansfield soph Jen Esposito continues her breakthrough year with a 41.62 – good for 8 th . Sharon senior Camille Henry was 20 th at 44.23.
600
This was touted as the race of the meet and didn't disappoint. State XC champ Andrea Keklak (L-Sudbury-JR junior) and 300M ace Rebecca Stabile (Haverhill-JR) took on returning state champ Natalia Paine (Northampton-SR). Hock soph star Kendal Knous (#2state @ 400M-'09) was in for a fight in what is a relatively new event for her. Knous went through in 30 and 62 and trying to hold onto a placement. Knous attacked the last 100M with a vengeance and it the event was 601 she would have caught Paine for 3 rd (1:35.93 to 1:35.94). This wasn't totally a surprise. Coach Travato had confided in me that 1:35 was possible and Knous didn't disappoint. Kecklak took it wire to wire and obliterated the field at 1:34.44. Stabile ran the race of her life grabbing 2 nd (1:35.84). All six placements fell into the top-6 times in the state this year.
1000M
An argument could be made that this race was even better than the 600! Feehan's Jen Thomas entered the meet with a state leading 2:58. Event after event that resume proved to be more onus than omen. Fast preliminary races set the stage. In the first heat Franklin soph Alexandria Geise (more known for the deuce) sat on the leader's shoulder (74-1:54-2:34) before busting it open in the last lap to win going away. Her 3:08.87 was a 4 second PR. Then, in the second heat Franklin freshman Laura Hagan (perhaps the top frosh talent in the Hock this year) was up. She was out quickly before settling in at 3 rd (70-1:48-2:28). Down by three seconds entering the last lap she
came roaring back to win at the wire in 3:06.11. That time placed a remarkable 8 th overall for the only 1000M freshman in the meet! How could you top that?
How about the finals? Top-seed Thomas took the early lead but Monica Addler (Beverly-SR) and Melanie Fineman (Newton South (SR) soon took over the race. Oliver Ames sophomore Emily Grotz was unfazed (isn't that the nice thing about sophomores who don't know better) hung with the pack going through with the following splits:
200-33-2nd
400-68-2nd
600-1:45-3rd
800-2:20-4th
Coming around the penultimate corner Grotz was tripped up and broke stride. Her forte is her large effortless strides so this could have been catastrophic. But it seemed to ignite her concentration and fire. Grotz ran down Melanie Fineman and Leanne Tucker while Jen Thomas closed fast to also catch Tucker. What happened up front? Monica Addler (Beverly-SR) ran a sparkling 2:54.84 and Grotz continued her dream season by grabbing 2 nd (2:56.15-eight second PR – School Record). Besides making Grotz the top soph (Geise is second) and Hagen the top frosh in the state, Grotz time is currently 3 rd nationally.
Mile
Well, sometimes history counts. Kathy O'Keefe (Newton South-JR) was the odds on favorite and she toasted the field. Lap by lap she pulled away and only the lack of competition kept her from breaking 5 minutes. Her 5:01.31 put her just under 100M ahead of Claire Arthur's 5:14.66 (Lincoln-Sudbury-SR). Arthur edged Waschusett sophomore Laura Williamson (SO-5:14.94). Sharon's Ali Kirsch (SR-5:20.18-11th) sent a message to the Hock – “I'm ready!”
Two Mile
Though not the most impressive event of the day, the deuce was perhaps the most inspirational – and depressing. First, the latter. Jenna Davidner (Oliver Ames-SR) injured her ankle during XC training and has been working hard to keep up her fitness during recovery. This was to be her comeback race. She spent the first 1000M bracketed by the two runners from Feehan During lap 6 it became clear that the ankle was starting to cause problems. She spent a few laps dropping back trying to decide what course of action to take. Eventually, discretion trumped valor and she dropped out. Senior years shouldn't be like this for someone who could be the top distance runner in the state, but that's a story for another
time.
Anisa Arsenault (Feehan-SR) and Erin Murphy (Feehan-SR) did the heavy lifting early in the race. Around lap 7 Molly Martorella (Murdock-SR-9 th in DII XC finals-15 th indoor states '09 @ 11:39.84) made a brash move and sprinted to the lead group. At 8:34 Martorella took the lead and no one could hang with her. She ended up the winner by 12 seconds at 11:06.98. Behind her was mayhem. The Feehan runners started to drop while Beverly's Millie Chapman and the Franklin's Mary Cole made their moves. Entering the last lap it was Martorella, Chapman, Arsenault, Murphy and Cole. Cole and Murphy put on one of the best (fast and gutsiest) 200M finishes you could picture. They caught Aresenault who was re-ignited to out kick them then Chapman to gain second place by less than a – second. Murphy was .8 behind Chapman and Cole another .14 behind. The only non-senior to place was Julie Solomine (Haverhill-JR-11:26.29). Cole's time (11:20.23) broke Kate Rizzolo's school record of 11:30.83 ('05). Franklin junior Megan Ross was only two seconds off the record placing 9 th in 11:32.91.
High Jump
Moira Cronin (Andover-JR) was list leader at 5”10 but never put together the timing. At 5'7 she sat 2 nd on misses to Janelle Clarkson's (Seekonk_SR) lifetime PR. Although only Cronin had good cracks at 5'9 (Catching it with her heel twice) she had to settle for second place. The Hock's only entrant Samantha Smith (Canton-SR) cleared the same 5'3 of places 3-6 but finished 7 th on the count-back of misses. Nine of the twenty entrants no-heighted at the 5'1” opening standard.
Long Jump
My exact phrase from the preview was “If she (Deanna Latham) doesn't jump 18' she could lose.” Truer words was (gm) never spoke. Berkeley Hall (Pembroke-SR) jumped 17'11.75”. Latham (Triton-SR) won at 18' 0.25”. That, coupled with a second place in the hurdles gained her the Outstanding Athlete of the Meet Award. She looked pleased. It wasn't a great day of jumping because 16'10.5 placed – a good but not great effort. Mansfield's Nina Monestime (SR) beat her seed by one spot placing 10 th at 16'2.75”.
Shot Put
Top seed Silvia Cabrera (Durfee-JR) couldn't find her rhythm, which allowed Krista Chauvin (Seekonk-SR) an easy win (37'9”) with a seasonal PR. She became the second second-seeded Seekonk girl to win a field event with a PR. Jessica Massey (Somerville-SR) popped a solid 36'00” to place second by .75”. Canton's Chidimma Nwankwo (JR) grabbed 3 rd at 35'11.25”. Oliver Ames sophomore Laura Daley was 7 th at 34'5” – just two inches from a medal. King Philip senior Katie Kelleher was 9 th at 34'0” just 1/2” ahead of Canton senior Amarachi Njoku.
4X200M
It was all Boston Latin with a meet record 1:43.65. The team was star-studded. Alexandra Williams (SR-2 nd -55M-7.36), Emma Rice (JR-5 th -300M-41.41) and Meisha Brooks (SR-5 th -600M-1:36.62) were joined by senior Tamika Reed (21 st -300M-44.95) to set the new mark. Andover placed 2 nd (1:46.46) even though only Kayla Baldwin (SR-6 th -55M-7.46) placed in another event. If that doesn't impress you as a team in which the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, consider the effort of Sharon. They placed third at 1:47.66. Their highest individual placement was by miler Ali Kirsch (mile-11 th -5:20.18). Their only other Elite Meet participant was Camille Henry who was 20 th in the 200M. Yet, they put it together and placed out of an unseeded heat using a miler for an anchor leg. It probably gained them a spot because Kirsch ran with the fear of sprinters on her tail and pushed through the line. They edged Canton by less than .01 and it appeared anchor Samantha Smith may have let up ever so slightly before the line. That won't happen again. Franklin placed 5 th at 1:48.62. The bookends were Kendal Knous and senior Kristen Walker. The meat of the story were Sarah Soloman and Karen Anselmi. These three out-sped perennial 4X2 Hock power North Attleboro (8 th -1:49.95) despite a good leadoff by Samantha Kroll and sub 27 split by Kristy Deininger. Mansfield was 13 th at 1:50.94. Their 1:45 team from a week ago was sacrificed to run a 4X400 but should be back in action against Latin in the state meet. Oliver Ames was 17 th in 1:52.36 due to baton issues.
4 X 800M
It was never really in doubt as Newton South (9:39.36) already had the lead before handing off to mile champ Kathy O'Keefe. Weymouth hung tough for a while but succumbed despite running 9:46.99. Oliver Ames was 4 th. After trailing early soph Shannon Hickey got things close enough that Emily Grotz could win the unseeded heat. Their 9:54.87 far exceeded their seed time. Cassie Olson anchored Mansfield to 8 th at 10:09.82. Franklin was 11 th at 10:13.98.
4X400
Waschusett looked on pace to go sub-4 until the third leg but still brought it home in 4:01.10 a two-second margin over runner-up Marblehead (4:03.37). Mansfield cleared out their state relay 1:45 4X2 to get a decent mile relay. It turned out more than decent. They grabbed third at 4:07.11. It might not have been that good but Emily Broyles put on one of the best shows of the meet. She got the baton over 30M back but within 100M she was on the shoulder of the leader. She grabbed the lead coming off the penultimate corner and won her heat handily. It was one of those races when the crowd goes OMG. North Attleboro (19 th -4:24.45), Canton (20 th -4:28.27) and Franklin (4:29.83) also competed.