NEW BEDFORD – St. John’s Prep kept its dynastic run going Sunday, winning its fifth consecutive MSTCA Div. 1 boys track and field relay title at New Bedford High School.
In track and field, depth can make a world of difference.
“Our team is definitely built for this type of meet,” said St. John’s Prep coach Zach Lankow. “It’s a measure of depth, which we view as huge for a team meet. This is one of the three meets we circle – the conference championships which we just had Wednesday, this one, and the Div. 1 meet in a week and a half. This is a true team event, especially the field events. Nice for them to get a little more ‘relay feel’. But it’s a volume event too.”
The Eagles accumulated 81 points as a group – 20 more than runner-up Lexington. They captured three wins en route to bringing home the Div. 1 crown, including the 4×100-meter relay. Ahmir Hykel, Dayvian Sullivan, Aaron Radke and Andrew McManmon combined to set a meet record in the event (41.89 seconds), unseating the prior mark set last year by Catholic Conference rival Xaverian. Hykel and Sullivan also joined Doug Clement and Daniel Padley during a win for the Eagles in the 1600 SMR (3:31.78).
Led by Anthony Ragosa, Gael Garcia and Nick Sideridis, St. John’s Prep also placed first in the boys shot put relay (44.63 meters).
Among the girls teams, Newton North kept its own successful run going by winning the Div. 1 crown for a second straight year, placing first with 82 points. The Tigers dominated from start to finish, capturing five events while sprinkling in top-tier results the rest of the day. Kara Tsai, Hava Shenkman, Audrey Welstead and Ciara Evans propelled their group to a win in the 1600 SMR (4:08.30). Shenkman, Evans and Welstead also teamed up with Lila Anapolle for a victory in the 4×400 (4:02.35).
Meanwhile, Sophie Finkelstein, Mia Mescher, Isabella Mangada and Brooke Bennett helped the Tigers set a school record time in the 4×200 (1:43.95).
In the field events, Finkelstein, Blake MacNeal and Aleena Parker carried Newton North to a first place finish with a combined distance of 15.46 meters during the long jump relay. MacNeal and Parker also played vital roles during the winning triple jump relay for the Tigers (31.94 meters), joining Mescher to accomplish the feat. In a heated chase for the crown, Newton North bested runner-up Lexington by eight points in the standings.
“Obviously, we’re deep,” said Newton North coach Mike Travers. “We have a deep roster of jumpers and sprinters, and they all performed to expectation today. We practiced hard for the last 10 days. They knew what they wanted to do, and they did it. They performed.”
A few other schools made headlines during Sunday’s Div. 1 relays, including BC High, which shattered two meet records as the showcase progressed. Owen Geagan, Greg McGrath, John Wilson and Shamus Larnard blazed to a stunning time of 7:53.04 in the boys 4×800. Wilson, Geagan and McGrath also teamed up with Theo Weiss to set a new highwater mark in the 4×1600 (17:47.58).
Reese Connors, Alex Hofman, Logan Smith and Juan Talisayon combined to set a meet record in the boys 4×200 (1:27.44) for Newton North.
