A total of 20 relay teams from North Shore schools won gold medals at the six Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association relay meets held over the last three days. Hamilton-Wenham had the most of those with seven (4 girls, 3 boys), while seven different schools won at least one state title.
St. John’s Prep defended its team title in Division 1, winning the meet for the fifth straight year. Peabody High’s boys were edged out by North Andover by a singe point to finish as runners-up in Division 2.
In all, hundreds of athletes with local ties earned medals. Highlights, listed by Division, follow:
Division 1
Wit 81 points, the Eagles were again the class of the state. St. John’s Prep won three gold medals and scored points in all 14 events, with the sprinters setting the tone by winning both the sprint medley (Ahmir Hykel, Dayvian Sullivan, Doug Clement and Daniel Padley, 3:31.78) and the 4×100 (Hykel, Sullivan, Aaron Radke and Andrew McManmon, 41.89).
Led by individual winner Anthony Ragosa, the Prep’s shot put relay also came in first with Gael Garcia placing fifth overall. The Eagles got bronze medal efforts from the 4×200 (1:29.23) and the 4×400 (3:23.09), a fifth from the shuttle hurdles, a sixth from the 4×1600 and sevenths from the DMR and 4×800.
The Eagles also gained five points each from the triple jump, long jump, high jump and discus teams. Andrew Bertucci cleared 6-2 in the high jump and Kye McClory threw the javelin 165-07 to highlight the day.
Division 2
The most dramatic of Peabody’s four state titles Friday night was the 4×400, the last running event of the meet. Henry Sawyer, Omar Mishal, Brian Stevens and Dorlyn Morel won gold in 3:25.77, outperforming their seed and putting the team within striking distance of North Andover until the very last event was scored.
The most dominant of the gold medals was again paced by Alex Jackson and the throws team. Jackson, Areno Saint Victor and Jackson O’Brien broke a 28-year-old meet record in the shot put by combining for 157-feet-2 1/2 inches. Jackson’s toss is 191-feet-2-inches was the best ever in Massachusetts by a public school boy, while the 457-feet-8-inches he combined for with Saint Victor and O’Brien broke a 15-year-old meet record by over 30 feet.
The Tanners also won gold in the sprint as Sawyer, Tyler Rappold, Morel and Declan Smith ran 3:34.94. Peabody scored 18 points in that event as their second foursome of Chris Jeune, Peyton Smith, Omar Mishal, Mohamed Lhassouani was second overall in 3:38.
Taking home silver medals for Peabody were the distance medley (Lhassouani, Peyton Smith, Osama Mishal and Declan Smith) as well as high jumpers Iago Pecheco, Riley Michaud and Declan Smith. Peabody also scored in the long jump (eighth) and 4×100 (eighth).
Captain Alessandra Forgione’s meet best throw of 128-feet-4-inches helped Peabody break a 35-year-old meet record in the discus relay by 16 feet, good for second place behind Arlington who also smashed the record. Madison Holleran (114-9) and Ava Gonzales rounded out the trio.
That same threesome won the silver medal in the shot put while the Tanners also took second in the triple jump (Makayla Kokonezis, Tanairi Cassiano and Brooklyn Green) and the 4×200 (Tamara Kemagisha, Avan Ingham, Avery Marcus and Lauren Foley). Coming in tied for fifth as a team, Peabody also scored in the sprint medley (fifth), 4×400 (sixth), 4×100 (seventh) and sprint medley (eighth).
Elsewhere in Division 2, Essex Tech’s boys 4×800 relay set a school record of 9:05.96 (16th place) while the girls 4×800 placed seventh in 10:49.
Division 6
Hamilton-Wenham won four different events Friday night — and set meet records in all four. The distance medley of Asa Labell, Annaliese Albers, Charlotte Madden and Grace Rich won in a meet record of 13:22.83, Caroline Monahan, Annie Moynihan, Nikhita Pillai and Georgia Wilson won in a meet record 4:17.92 in the 4×400, Labell, Madden Pillai and Rich won the 4×800 in a meet record of 10:17.94 and Labell, Talia Labell, Albers and Rich won the 4×1600 in a record time of 23:02.
The Generals would up third in the team standings with the girls 4×100 (fourth, 52.97), 4×200 (second) and sprint medley (fifth) also placing.
It was also a gold rush for the H-W boys with three state titles and meet records. James Regan, Cole Regan, Jack Creislen and Ben Rich ran a record 11:10 to win the DMR, while both Regans, Seth Glidden and Rich won the 4×800 in 8:34 and three Regans, James, Cole and Ryan, teamed with Rich to win the 4×1600 in a record 18:47.
H-W also scored in the 4×400 (fifth) and was fourth as a team.
The top placing for the Ipswich boys was a second place in the sprint medley (3:46) and the Tigers were also third in both the shuttle hurdles and 4×1600. Ipswich’s girls won the Division 6 title in the sprint medley (4:39) while gaining second in the 4×400, fourth in the 4×200 and fifth in the shuttle hurdles.
Division 4
The Danvers boys took home two state titles as the distance medley of J.J. Rooney, Michael Rinella, Chuck Garlin and Will Conklin defended the program’s title in a time of 10:30.59. With Zach Cotter and Luke Tirella both clearing 6-foot-2 to tie for first overall, Danvers also won the high jump relay as Julian Capece rounded out the trio with a top ten showing of his own.
The 4×100 of Owen Shanbar, Josh Downey, Zach Dunn and Mike Albano placed third (44.95) and the shuttle hurdle relay was seventh to put the Falcons sixth in the team standings.
For the Danvers girls, Tess Ryan, Flavia Locilento, Maddie Hanas, and Sabina Sturgeon took home a silver medal in the 4×200 with a personal best time of 1:48.25. Ryan, Scarlet Chung, Lociltneo and Maddie Hanas were third in the 4×100 (51.78) and the DMR of
The 4×100 relay of Tess Ryan, Scarlet Chung, Flavia Locilento, and Maddie Hanas placed 3rd with a PR of 51.78 Addie Lamar (1200), Dani Scarpaci (400), Ava Patch (800), and Grace Conklin (1600) placed sixth with a time of 13:27.71.
Division 3
It was a record breaking day for the Masconomet boys and girls, with the gentlemen setting several school records and the ladies finishing fifth as a team and placing in 10 of the 12 events they entered.
Behind Sami Lalikos, Tori Jones and Ella Winchell, the Chieftains won the D3 discus relay title while the 4×400 ream of Piper Testa, Mara Siewko, Savannah Stevens and Amanda Schneider earned second overall in a school record time of 4:01.51.
Also scoring for the Chieftain girls were the 4×800 (seventh), the shuttle hurdles (sixth), the 4×200 (fourth), the 4×100 (fifth) and the sprint medley (fourth).
Masco’s boys 4×200 of Arbri Halilaj, Tim Lull, Adam Staffier and Robbie Connelly established a new school record of 1:29.74 while winning the state title. Meanwhile, the 4x400m team Staffier, Tyson Arnold, Halilaj and Tim Lull ran 3:22.95 for a school record and second place overall. The 4×800 also placed fourth and Hunter Rossi helped lead both the high jump and shot put relays to podium finishes. Adam Toleos helped the javelin relay earn silver as well.
Superstar Nate Assa helped pace Marblehead’s boys DMR to a Division 3 state title in 10:30.17. The Magicians also placed sixth in both the shuttle hurdles and 4×1600, eighth in the 4×200, third in the javelin and second in the high jump, good for eighth place in the team standings.
For the Marblehead girls, the 4×1600 relay placed fifth, the distance medley was seventh, the discus relay placed fourth, and the long jump relay placed sixth.
Division 5
Swampscott grabbed the top local medal in Sunday’s D5 meet with a silver in the high jump with Jace Davilla (6-feet) and Keylan Davis (5-10) each finishing in the top ten and George Hosking contributing. The 4×800 also placed fourth (8:32) with the distance medley in seventh (11:58).
The Big Blue’s girls were third in the DMR (13:27) and also ninth in the SMR (4:36)
The top placing for Bishop Fenwick’s boys was a sixth place by the shuttle hurdles (1:13.93) while Mari Kay, Olivia Rowe, Addie Sweetman and Annie Swanson earned bronze in the girls 4×800 (10:34.62). Fenwick placed fourth in the girls DMR (13:48) and seventh in the shuttle hurdles.