The biggest date on the Massachusetts high school indoor track calendar has arrived. and Eagle-Tribune area athletes are ready to shine.
Many of the region’s best will suit up for the Massachusetts Meet of Champions track meet on Saturday (9:30 a.m.) at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury.
And with the likes of Haverhill’s Natanael Vigo Catala, Methuen’s Lauren Quarm, Andover’s Harvey Lys and Central Catholic’s Madeline Courtemanche leading the charge, local stars have the chance to make some major noise.
Haverhill’s Vigo Catala the favorite
Perhaps no athlete enters Saturday’s meet with bigger expectations than Haverhill’s Natanael Vigo Catala.
The senior is the top seed in the 300-meter with the 34.25 that earned him the Division 1 title a week ago. That’s the No. 9 time in the entire USA and the best in New England this winter.
A win would give Vigo Catala his second straight Meet of Champions crown.
“Nata’s looking to defend his state championship in the 300 and would like to break 34 seconds,” said Haverhill coach Mike Maguire. “He tightened up last week and was not able to run the (4×400) relay, and we hope he will be able to run the relay this week. That relay, which includes Joel Ishiimwe, Stephane Fevry and Hannon Wipff, had run the fastest time (3:26.57) in Massachusetts up until last week.”
Haverhill also has three top-ranked throwers. Maddie Goncalves (40-9.5) is seeded No. 2 for the girls, while on the boys side Myles Robertson is seeded sixth (52-03.25) and Division 1 champion Connor Chmieleski (52.2.25) is No. 7.
“I have very high expectations for myself,” said Chmieleski. “I know that I need to build off my throw at D1s. That’s my main goal. There’s a lot more competition at this meet, so I have to perform at the best of my ability in order to place. My teammates and I have been performing very good at practice this week so we all hope to put on a show in the circle.”
Other top-10 seeds for the Hillies include Keith Korir, who is fifth in the mile (4:22.31), Lauren Downer eighth in the 1,000 (2:58.35), and the Division 1 champion 4×800 relay (9:44.48) of Downer, Brenna Corcoran, Madison Croft, and Emmalyn Proia, which is No. 6.
“Lauren is in a great field in the 1,000 and hopes to improve on her Haverhill High record time,” said Maguire. “The 4×800 last week ran 20 seconds faster than their seed time to win D1s.”
Methuen’s Quarm hungry for title
Methuen super sophomore Lauren Quarm may have set a new Rangers school record in the 55-meter dash last week (7.08), but she was far from content after finishing second at Division 1s.
She now enters Meet of Champions as the No. 2 seed, behind just Abby Desmarais of Framingham (7.03).
“This week Lauren has been very focused,” said Methuen girls and sprints coach Brittany Carpio. “She was disappointed after coming in second at the Division 1 meet even though she continues to improve. She has high expectations for herself, and wants to win so her focus has been stronger this week knowing that the field is the toughest she’s seen this season. She’s continuing to get stronger in her racing abilities, so it’s still just one step at a time for her.”
Andover’s Lys thinking history
Andover senior high jumper Harvey Lys has big dreams for Saturday.
Not only would he love to take home a Meet of Champions title, but he has his eyes set on the Golden Warriors’ 40-year-old indoor track record of 6-8. He’s seeded third after jumping a PR of 6-6 at Division 1s.
“I want 6-8 at All-States!” said Lys. “I’m second all-time for Andover. Now I know I have 6-8 in my grasp, so I’m ready to get it. Hopefully I can do it on Saturday.”
Also for Andover, Jason DeJesus is seeded fourth in the 55 hurdles (6.46).
Central ready to shine
Nine days after taking home the Division 1 team title, the Central Catholic girls send an impressive crew to Meet of Champions.
“My team and I are excited and confident to be competing against the best of the best,” said Raider Rayniah Mercedat. “We’re looking forward to seeing some good PRs and time. Things went very well at (Division 1s) for us, so we’re happy to keep the season going!”
Leading the way for Central is Madeline Courtemanche, who is seeded third in the 2-mile (11:03.75).
Macy Daigle is seeded fourth in the high jump (5-6), just behind top-seeded Charlotte DiRocco of Concord-Carlisle (5-6.25).
Other top-10 seeds include Veralie Perrier fifth in the long jump (17-10.75), Anya Neira eighth in the 300 (40.55), Mercedat tenth in the 300 (41.37) and Laura Fennessy eighth in the 600 (1:37.46).
The Raiders’ 4×400 is ranked third (4:02.22) and 4×200 is seventh (1:46.78).
Knights ready to shine
Leading the way for North Andover is Erika Wojcik, who is seeded fourth in the 1,000 (2:55.24). In the shot put Makenna Dube is seeded seventh (38-0.75) and Elif Altunkilic is eighth (37-7.5).
On the boys side, Dylan Cote is seventh in the 1,000 (2:33.50). Mickey Valentino is 12th in the shot put (50-9).
Lawrence’s Carrasquillo looks to surprise
Lawrence High’s Jeromi Carrasquillo has his focus set on shocking the field.
The Lancer senior is seeded No. 16 in the hurdles (7.79), after taking eighth at Division 1.
“I’m excited to see how I match up against such a talented field,” said Carrasquillo. “I’m feeling real good. I’ve been working on my technique and speed all weekend and I’m feeling prepared.”
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