ReportWire

Tag: high school track

  • Hard work pays off for Lowell’s Denzel Kisseka

    [ad_1]

    BOSTON — A year ago, Denzel Kisseka finished 19th in the 300 meter dash at the MIAA Division 1 State Championship meet.

    That didn’t sit well with him.

    So he did what elite athletes are known to do —di work tirelessly to get better. He trained, he hit the weight room and got bigger, faster and stronger while gaining better endurance and more confidence.

    Fast forward to Sunday afternoon and all of his offseason workouts paid off when the senior finished second in the 600  with a season-best time of 1:20.96 during the state meet held at the Track at New Balance.

    “I trained all summer and lifted a lot of weights and that helped me so much,” he said. “I used to be a 300-runner but moved up to the 600 and knew I could (have success).”

    Kisseka was disappointed with his start but was ecstatic with his finish.

    Lowell High’s Denzel Kisseka finished second in the 600 at Sunday’s Division State Championship meet. (Courtesy Lowell High Athletics(

    “I got out slow and should’ve pushed harder in the beginning. I wanted to stay behind (Brookline’s Harry Flint, the winner), but I just couldn’t keep up because I didn’t get out too fast enough,” said Kisseka. “It means a lot to me to take second place. I finished with a personal record, so I’m just getting better every day. I’m looking forward to next week’s Meet of Champions.”

    His performance helped lead the Red Raiders to a sixth place finish.

    Beside Kisseka, Jordan Oge placed third in the 300 (35.44) and fifth in the long jump (20-10.50). He was also a part of the fifth-place 4×200 relay team (1:32.07) joining Jermaine Sherwood, James Njonde and Juanito DeLaCruz.

    Parris Mbeca added a fifth place in the high jump (6-2).

    The 4×800 relay team of Samuel De Souza, Jayden Ferreras, Timothy Schribman and Charles Mirabel finished fourth with a time of 8:16.74.

    Central Catholic finished fourth as a team. Carlos Quintana won the high jump (6-6) with teammates Peter Thomas (6-4) and Max Lightfoot (6-2) placing third and sixth, respectively. Amado Ysalguez was second in the shot put (52-5), Quintana was fourth in the 55-meter hurdles (7.83) and Jeremiah Mateo Mora was seventh in the same event with a time of 7.92.

    The Central 4×200 relay team of Jordan Baez, Mateo Mora, Yosuhar Diaz and Quintana finished sixth in 1:32.36.

    The Lowell High girls team was led by Esther Ofodile, who placed third in the 55-meter dash (8.79) and sixth in the long jump (16-7.25). Ella Machado (3:03.73 in the 1,000), Keelyn Grady (4-10 in the high jump) and Stella Agyemang (16-5.25 in the long jump) picked up an eighth place.

    The Red Raiders 4×200 relay team was fourth in 1:47.47 behind the efforts of Kelsey Malcolm, Agyemang, Ofodile and Cindy Soth, and the 4×800 relay team of Kadiatu Jalloh, Anna Samel, Sophia Aspilcueta and Ella Machado finished eighth in 10:12.79.

    Central Catholic finished second as a team. The Raiders were led by freshman Avery Strickler, who won the long jump (17-7), was third in the 300 (41.04) and capped off her busy day as the anchor leg of the winning 4×400 relay team joining Lowell resident Kyla Breslin, Emma Finch and Leighton Hickey, who had a combined time of 4:01.44.

    Arianna DiPetro was third in the long jump (17-4.25), which came after taking second in the 55-meter hurdles (8.28). In the 300, Finch was third (1:38.94) and Hickey was seventh (1:40.48), while Lowell Breslin picked up a seventh place in the mile (5:11.27).

    Finally, the 4×200 relay team of Katelyn Renald, Finch, Addison Brosnihan and Lily McCarthy finished seventh with a combined time of 1:48.84.

    [ad_2]

    James Albert

    Source link

  • Lawsuit: NCS denied hardship transfer waiver after antisemitism at SF high school

    [ad_1]

    A two-sport student-athlete encountered antisemitism at University High School in San Francisco and, upon transferring to another school in Marin County, was wrongly denied a hardship exemption that cost her critical time in tennis and track and field, a lawsuit filed last month in Marin Superior Court alleges.

    In the case set to be heard Dec. 1, the athlete’s father, Bart Schachter, is seeking a temporary injunction that would reverse North Coast Section commissioner Pat Cruickshank’s decision to deny the waiver and allow his daughter, a 15-year-old sophomore at The Branson School in Ross, to compete without restrictions in the spring track season, which begins in February. She was already required to sit out half of the fall tennis season.

    “What we thought would be a fairly routine transfer turned out not to be so,” said Bart Schachter, who filed the suit anonymously through his attorney and requested that his daughter’s name not be used. “That is the greatest hardship endured in this whole thing.”

    Schachter’s daughter, who competes at the varsity level in both sports, enrolled at the private college preparatory academy in the Presidio Heights neighborhood as a freshman for the 2024-25 school year and, he said, “pretty quickly” began to experience a string of antisemitic incidents.

    Schachter brought the issues to administrators at UHS and later provided the documentation to the NCS in the hardship application. When the section contacted the school to verify the information, however, administrators disputed the characterization of the allegations, and the application was denied.

    In a correspondence to the family provided to this news organization, Cruickshank wrote that the girl was denied the “student safety hardship waiver based upon no documentation from UHS of any student safety incidents while enrolled there.” Cruickshank declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

    UHS Head of School Nasif Iskander denied the allegations of antisemitism at the school to this news organization but added: “We’ve never objected to the CIF granting this student a waiver to play sports at a new school. … We explicitly supported her desire to play sports.”

    Regardless of the court’s decision, Schachter’s daughter will have two years of eligibility remaining in both sports, but the father said, “It’s emotionally challenging to show up at a new school as a transfer. You make friends through sports. It’s hard to sit on the sidelines when you’re a star player.”

    The lawsuit alleges that the Schachters and other Jewish families submitted “dozens” of documented safety incidents to UHS over the course of the 2024-25 school year and prior. Iskander said, “We strongly disagree with the allegations … and we have robust and effective programs and policies to provide students an uplifting learning environment that is free of antisemitism and other discrimination.”

    Schachter disagreed, telling this news organization that “the fact pattern would indicate” systemic issues with antisemitism at UHS, “(and) if you’re asking about the root cause, that certainly plays a role. Normally we would move on and find a better pasture, but we hit this sports issue and it’s not over.”

    In one instance described in the lawsuit, Schachter’s daughter was in the same class as two boys who repeatedly practiced the Nazi salute and “mock(ed) the physical characteristics of Jews.” A few months later, she was “pressured” to attend a meeting on the Israel-Palestine conflict “where Jewish students were mocked for their perspectives … with no meaningful response from UHS administration despite complaints.”

    According to the lawsuit, that led Jewish parents to formally submit a complaint regarding “bullying and harassing environment for Jewish students” at the school. The CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council also weighed in, informing UHS that it faced “some of the most serious antisemitism issues reported among independent schools in the Bay Area.”

    [ad_2]

    Evan Webeck

    Source link

  • Prep roundup: Leigh, Valley Christian, Monta Vista capture CCS boys volleyball titles

    Prep roundup: Leigh, Valley Christian, Monta Vista capture CCS boys volleyball titles

    [ad_1]

    Boys volleyball

    Leigh 3, Bellarmine 2

    Leigh defeated Bellarmine 25-20, 21-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-8 to take home the CCS Division I title. 

    After going down 2-1, coach Jeff Argabright said Cooper Smith, Liam Popejoy and Xace Leem “got going and put a lot of out of system balls away.”

    Leigh middles Jeremy Choi and Connor Chiu then got blocks late in the fourth and fifth sets to help secure the CCS title for the Longhorns. Setter Eric Wu also had a fantastic match. 

    “I could not be prouder of the guys,” Argabright said in an email to the Bay Area News Group. 

    Top-seeded Leigh defeated fellow Blossom Valley Athletic League teams Evergreen Valley and Branham in the previous two rounds to reach the final. No. 2 Bellarmine defeated Los Altos and Cupertino to set up the matchup of No. 1 vs. No. 2. 

    Leigh improved to 26-7, while Bellarmine dropped to 17-18. 

    Valley Christian 3, Santa Cruz 1

    The Warriors took down Santa Cruz 21-25, 25-19, 26-24, 25-19 to capture the CCS Open Division championship.

    Tyler Alden led the way with 19 kills, three blocks and two aces, while teammate Elan Taylor had 17 kills for Valley Christian. After getting 10 digs in the semifinal victory over Leigh, Andy Xu had a whopping 47 assists against Santa Cruz.

    “We faltered a few times but fought back against the mental challenges that came with the nerves and excitement of the moment,” VC coach Moni Tautu told BANG in an email. “I’m proud of the adjustments that we made that worked in our favor.”

    Seeded No. 3 in the top bracket, Valley Christian defeated Carlmont and then upset No. 2 St. Francis to reach the section title match. 

    The final pitted the Warriors against Santa Cruz for the fourth time this season, Valley Christian only winning one of the first three. Valley Christian’s two victories against Santa Cruz are the Cardinals’ only losses of the season. 

    Valley Christian improved 31-10, and Santa Cruz slipped to 38-2. 

    Monta Vista 3, Aragon 0

    Monta Vista swept Aragon 25-16, 25-19, 25-19 as the Cupertino school won the CCS Division II title, the program’s second section championship in three years. 

    Praneel Shah led the team with 36 assists, and Elijah Kang and Henry Hu used those setups to combine for 25 kills. 

    Varchas Athreya had four solo blocks, and Rahul Pothenini had 10 digs for the Matadors.  

    “Team played one of our best all-around matches of the year – serving, serve receive and hitting,” coach Paul Chiu told BANG. “Probably one of our best blocking games of the year.”

    The top-seeded Matadors went the entire playoffs without dropping a set, sweeping Burlingame and Carmel before dispatching Aragon. No. 2 Aragon easily beat Saratoga in quarterfinals before squeaking by Monterey 3-2 to advance to the championship. 

    Monta Vista improved to 19-13 and Aragon dropped to 31-4. 

    [ad_2]

    Joseph Dycus

    Source link

  • Greater Lowell Tech’s Dennis Mowatt flexes muscles in the shot put

    Greater Lowell Tech’s Dennis Mowatt flexes muscles in the shot put

    [ad_1]

    TYNGSBORO – A couple of injuries. A change of heart. A stranger. And a will to win.

    All of those things have added up to Greater Lowell Tech senior Dennis Mowatt becoming the school’s greatest shot put thrower, a Division 3 indoor state champion and a soon-to-be Division 1 college athlete.

    “Dennis worked closely with all the coaches so he would get better along with making his teammates better,” said head track coach Butch Dion. “Every year and every season, he got a little better until this indoor season when he broke the school record for indoor shot put. In fact, he broke his own record four times that season. He also made it to New Balance Indoor Nationals. The first meet of this spring season, he broke the shot put and discus records and I expect he will break them again before the end of the season.”

    During his freshmen and sophomore years, Mowatt, a Lowell resident whose father was born in Jamaica, was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and outdoor track. He was a sprinter for the outdoor track team, running the 100 and 200, and was a member of the 4×100 relay team, but a hip flexor and hamstring injuries disrupted those seasons.

    That’s when the 5-11, 265-pound Mowatt retired as a sprinter and worked his way over to the throwing events.

    He started to learn the tricks of the shot put, but the injury bug stayed with him. In the fall of 2022, playing tight end for the football team, he jumped in the air attempting to make a touchdown grab in a game against Shawsheen Tech. He landed awkwardly and tore the meniscus in his knee.

    He put off surgery so he could throw for both seasons of track, all the while putting the basketball away for good. Last spring, he finished second at the state vocational meet, throwing a season-best 44 feet, 7.25 inches, which was two feet better than his eighth-place finish at the Division 3 state meet.

    A month later, he underwent surgery, which kept him out of this past football season. He was back healthy for the indoor track season, except he had to change his shot put throwing style, going from the glide to the spin, because “it was really tough to crunch down into the glide position. It definitely hurt.”

    After watching some of his own videos, he started to correct some mistakes and gradually improved. He set the school record and then threw a gem of 51-10 to become the Division 3 state champion.

    Two meets later, at New Englands, his shot put throwing career went to a whole different level.

    “I watched a video of this one shot put thrower, and I don’t know who he is, and he said to me, ‘This is how you fix your form.’ I saw his video, I changed up my form just a little bit and all of a sudden I threw 55 feet,” explained Mowatt. “And I was like, ‘I have no idea how I did that.’ It wasn’t just one lucky throw. I followed up with another 55 and then a 54 and then another 55. I didn’t think that was possible for me. It was really a surreal moment.”

    In one calendar year, he went from finishing eighth at the Division 3 state meet and throwing 44-7.25 to sixth in New England and throwing 55-8.50.

    “It was not what I had expected. I came out of my surgery and I had lost hope. I didn’t think I could continue to do anything in sports,” he said. “I’m not going to lie, as I didn’t even tell my doctor this, but during my recovery time, I was practicing (throwing the shot put) a little bit – even with the pain I was practicing. It was beneficial and it did work out for me in the end.”

    That success has carried over to this spring season as well as the next four years as he has committed to throw for Division 1 Appalachian State in Boone, N.C.

    Mowatt said it’s just a matter of time before he meets his next goal of throwing 60 feet.

    “I’ve been about a foot away from 60 feet at practice and I hit 58 feet in one of the meets this season. I’m getting there and I know I can hit 60 feet in a meet. With the proper training, I’m hoping (in a couple of weeks at) our league meet, that I can hit 60 feet,” he said.

    Greater Lowell Tech senior Dennis Mowatt, front center, signs his National Letter of Intent to attend Appalachian State. Supporting him in the big moment were, front, from left, his mother, Shari, and his father, Dennis. Brother Isaiah stands behind him. (Courtesy photo)
    Dennis Mowatt (Courtesy photo)
    Dennis Mowatt (Courtesy photo)

    [ad_2]

    James Albert

    Source link

  • CCS Top 8: Mountain View runner sets record and Mitty, Bellarmine, Los Altos, Wilcox standouts shine

    CCS Top 8: Mountain View runner sets record and Mitty, Bellarmine, Los Altos, Wilcox standouts shine

    [ad_1]

    LOS GATOS — Mountain View junior Hannah Rutherford set two meet records Saturday at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet at Los Gatos High.

    Rutherford won the 400 meters in a sizzling 53.77 seconds, shattering the previous meet record of 55.29, set by Leigh’s Hawa Kamara in 2018. Rutherford came back to win the 200 in 23.88, breaking a 35-year-old meet record of 24.17, set by Carlmont’s Annette Coleman in 1989.

    Both winning times were personal bests by a significant margin for the Mountain View standout.

    Her 400 time is the fourth-fastest in CCS history

    “I never could have imagined this,” Rutherford said after the 400. “My fastest time this year was 55.05, so I just wanted to maybe PR and get under 55. The weight training I’ve started doing has really helped.”

    Her 200 time ranks No. 8 on the all-time CCS list.

    Hannah Rutherford of Mountain View sets a meet record of 53.77 seconds in the 400 meter at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 

    Archbishop Mitty’s Laniah Simpson was the top points earner in the meet, winning both hurdles races as well as placing second in the 100, to lead the Monarchs to the girls team title. 

    She won the 100 hurdles in 14.50. Los Altos sophomore Daniela Hughes took second (14.68), followed by Mitty’s Taylor Oden and Tiana Osuna.

    “My goal this year is to run 14.0.maybe 13.9,” Simpson said. “I’ve been training real hard. It’s nice having both my teammates right next to me because they push me to run faster.”

    Hughes nosed out Simpson in the 100 with a winning time of 12.31.

    Prospect’s Kylie Hoorvaert is the lone girl from the CCS to crack 2:10 in the 800 this season, clocking a time of 2:09.91 at Arcadia. She ran the 1,600 Saturday and pushed the pace, leading until the final straightaway when Palo Alto’s Kinga Czajkowska kicked past her to win in 4:51.03. Hoornaert’s time was 4:51.43. A terrific race by both runners.

    Czajkowska was asked if she felt she could run faster.

    “I really hope I do,” she said. “I’ve been ramping up my training, my cross training, and have set really big goals for myself . And I hope I can hit them.” 

    Monta Vista sophomore Lelani Laruelle won the high jump at 5-8, which equals the best mark in the state thus far this season. Not bad for a girl in just her third year of high jumping. Her best as a freshman was 5-2.

    “I want to get better and improve my form and maybe reach 5-10,” she said. “My coaches and my friends have been a big help.”

    St. Ignatius sophomore Ellie McCuskey-Hay won the long jump (18-8 ¾) and anchored the winning 4×100 relay team, but scratched from the 100 and 200.

    Other winners in the girls meet included Los Gatos’ Taylor Chesarek in the 3,200 (11:03.30), Suraya Newman of St. Ignatius in the triple jump (36-6), Savannah Filios of St. Francis in the shot put (36-2 ¼) and Silver Creek’s Brielle Mosley in the discus (136-2). Los Gatos won the 4×400 relay (3:57.1) and St. Francis took the 4×800 relay (9:52.72)).

    Kinga Czajkowska of Palo Alto beats Kylie Hoornaert of Prospect to the finish line in the 1600 meter at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
    Kinga Czajkowska of Palo Alto beats Kylie Hoornaert of Prospect to the finish line in the 1600 meter at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 

     In the boys portion of the meet, Bellarmine’s James Buellesbach won the 110 high hurdles in a personal best and CCS-leading 14.09, helping the Bells to the boys team title. Buellesbach took second in the high hurdles last year as a junior at the CCS finals.

    “The school record at my school is 13.91, I’ve had my sights set on that all year,” he said.

    Pioneer junior Carson Hedlund opened some eyes earlier this season, running the 1,600 in 4:07.36 at Arcadia. He won the 800 Saturday in a thrilling battle down the home stretch with Carmel’s Mack Aldi. Hedlund ran 1:54.14 to Aldi’s 1:54.16.

    “Like every race I tried to stay calm, focused in the moment,” Hedlund said. “I knew he was going to try to slingshot me on the outside, which is what I would’ve tried to do. He ran a great race. With 50 or 60 left he pulled up on my shoulder. I was lucky I had that extra gear.”

    Los Altos’ Nathaniel Guillory was a double winner in the 100 (10.64) and 200 (21.30).

    “I’ve been lifting every day and it’s just a matter of executing at that point,” Guillory said. “The work has been put in, now it’s just a matter of staying positive.”

    Tyson Bonilla, better known as the quarterback of the Wilcox football team, won the long jump at 22-5 ½. He has a CCS-best of 23-6 this year.

    “End of the season I’m hoping to break the 24-foot mark,” Bonilla said. “If I can do 24 I might get some interest from D-I, D-II schools. If not I’ll play football at (College of) San Mateo.”

    Tyson Bonilla of Wilcox wins the long jump at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
    Tyson Bonilla of Wilcox wins the long jump at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 

    Benjamin Bouie of Crystal Springs Uplands won the boys 1,600 (4:11.16). He had a small lead heading into the final lap and then turned it on, pulling away.

    “Being able to find the gears, to kick off a fast pace when you’re hurting, that’s what I’ve been working on, and it came together in this race,” Bouie said.

    Other winning performances in the boys meet were turned in by Monta Vista’s Denny Dong, who leaned at the finish to win the 400 in 48.82, just ahead of St. Francis’ Sean Walsh (48.85), Thomas Zang of St. Ignatius in the 300 hurdles (38.53), Tarik Baker of Crystal Springs Uplands in the 3,200 (9:28.99), Bellarmine’s Kenneth Tucker in the triple jump (45-7 ¾), Serra’s Luke Lewis in the shot put (55-5 ¼), Branham’s Kazu Kimura, in the high jump at 6-6, as well as placing third in the long jump, and Gunn’s Owen Koehler in the discus (159-6). Mitty won the 4×100 relay (41.92) and Bellarmine took the 4×400 (3:24.82).  

    Denny Dong of Monta Vista, right, smiles after hearing he beat out Sean Walsh of St. Francis, left by three-hundredth of a second in the 400 meter at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
    Denny Dong of Monta Vista, right, smiles after hearing he beat out Sean Walsh of St. Francis, left by three-hundredth of a second in the 400 meter at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 
    Denny Dong of Monta Vista, left, edges out Sean Walsh of St. Francis by three-hundredth of a second in the 400 meter at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
    Denny Dong of Monta Vista, left, edges out Sean Walsh of St. Francis by three-hundredth of a second in the 400 meter at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 
    Kylie Hoornaert of Prospect sets the pace in the 1600 meter ahead of Anna Salter of Crystal and eventual race winner Kinga Czajkowska of Palo Alto at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
    Kylie Hoornaert of Prospect sets the pace in the 1600 meter ahead of Anna Salter of Crystal and eventual race winner Kinga Czajkowska of Palo Alto at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 
    Kinga Czajkowska of Palo Alto wins the 1600 meter at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
    Kinga Czajkowska of Palo Alto wins the 1600 meter at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 
    Jeovanni Henley of Serra cruises to victory in his seeded 400 meter race at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
    Jeovanni Henley of Serra cruises to victory in his seeded 400 meter race at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet, Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 

    [ad_2]

    Glenn Reeves

    Source link

  • High school co-ed track preview: Greater Lowell Tech, Pelham eyeing strong seasons

    High school co-ed track preview: Greater Lowell Tech, Pelham eyeing strong seasons

    [ad_1]

    Greater Lowell

    League: CAC

    Last season: boys 4-1; girls 3-2

    Captains: Elvin Ramirez, sr., spr; Edward Yeboah, jr., dist/jumps; Dennis Mowatt, sr., throws; Yazmin Jenkins, jr., throws; Melanie Reyes, sr., dist; Joyce Philippe, sr., jumps.

    Returning letterwinners: Halle Nouel, sr., multi; Hadassa Gianni, so., multi; Tshiabu Mutombo, so., sp; Immani Omorogbe, so., sp; Jason Berard, jr., jumps; Alex Domezil, so., spr; Kaleb Lopez, so., spr/jumps.

    Promising newcomers: Olivia Stack, fr., dist.; Cedaine Decosma, fr., spr/md; Lindsay Romelus, spr/jumps; Jesus Andrades, so., spr; Isaiah Gagne, so., md/dist; Andres Valle, so., spr.

    Coach Butch Dion (5th season): “We are being positive that we will have another successful year. All teams in our league this year have recruited more athletes, which will make our meet a little more challenging this year.”

    Lowell Catholic/Innovation Academy

    League: Independent

    Returning letterwinners: Jeremiah Cruz, sr., spr; Xavier Boateng, jr., spr/hurd; Tyler Ouellette , fr., md;  Nina Pierre, so., spr; Xavier Smay, so. spr; Brianna Amponsah, fr., spr; Soriya Un, 7th, spr; Jack Griffin, jr, dist.; Shane Nherrison.

    Promising newcomers: Meredith Morey, sr., spr; Olivia O’Connor, sr., hurd; Jayden Lopez, sr., spr/hurd; Dimitri Sime, sr., hurd; Andrew Kanakor, sr. spr; Tyrese Acevedo, jr., hurd; Divine Burroughs, so., spr/hurd; Erving Tavarez, jr., hurd; Sean Ouellette, so. md; James McGonigle, fr., dist; Marco Nthala, fr., dis;

    Nashoba Tech

    League: CAC

    Last season: 3-3

    Captains: Sam Hesketh, jr., dist/jumps; Damion Carey, sr., throws; Sydney Rokita, so., multi; Lidia David, jr., md/disc/

    Returning letterwinners: Adley Phillips, sr., multi; Nick Bresnick, sr., throws/spr; Zach Cover, sr., md; Keegan Strykowski, so., dist; Tristan McDermott, so., spr/jumps Doug Hall, sr., spr/jumps; Connor McCall, sr., spr/jumps; Jack Collins, sr., dist/jav; Josie Daisy, jr., dist/throws; Annabella Santana Berrio, so., spr; Jack Sinclair, so., hurd/throws.

    Promising newcomers: Jayden Jean, fr., spr/disc; Destanee Soba, fr., spr/jumps; Alessia Palmisano, fr., md; Luke Reynolds, fr., md/jav; Nathanial Phillips, so., spr/hurd; Jack Meadows, fr., dist; Seamus Peters, fr., dist; Jaxzon Gianangelo, fr., dist; Connor Takvorian, so., md/jav; Charles Soderstrom, fr., spr/hurd.

    Coach Bruce Sullivan (10th season): “This year feels very promising. Though we haven’t won the CAC since 2021, our combination of experience and youth makes this an exciting year. Though we graduated our top point scorer in Ian McDermott, we have added lots of depth at every position.”

    Pelham

    League: NHIAA Div. 3

    Last season: Boys second at D3 states; girls fifth at D3 states

    Captains: Reese Nicolosi, sr., hurd; Elise Sullivan, sr, spr; Jack Drouin, sr., md; Colby Crear, jr., hurd/jumps.

    Returning letterwinners: Bryanna Gosselin, sr., throws; Emily Vincent, sr., pv; Gabrielle Minuti, sr., pv; Molly Coakley, sr., pv; Ben Riordan, sr., md; Jakub Fredette, sr., throws; Kyle Elie, sr., spr; Logan Dumont, sr., md; Ryan LaPlant, sr., spr.

    Promising newcomers: Addison Martin, fr., spr; Emily Tetreault, fr., md; Hunter Demers, fr., md; Nick Louh, fr., spr.

    Coach Brandon Hannon (7th season): “We have the largest team in the history of the program with over 80 athletes. We are going after a state championship this season.”

    Nashoba Tech’s track captains this spring are, from left, Damion Carey, Sam Hesketh, Sydney Rokita and Lidia Davis. (Courtesy photo)

     

    [ad_2]

    James Albert

    Source link