MEDFORD — The conditions were perfect Thursday on the track.
A mild afternoon was just what the doctor ordered for Ryan Kyle.
The Westford Academy star shattered his own state record in the boys 400-meter hurdles, placing first overall with a time of 52.12 seconds to kick-start this year’s Div. 1 outdoor track and field championships in style at Tufts University.
“I didn’t know it was possible that I could go quicker,” said Kyle. “But my goal is just to win. This is the meet that I had circled on my calendar for the last year, since last Divs. So, I didn’t care about the time. Whether it was 48 (seconds), or 57, I just wanted to win.”
As the evening wore on, Brookline began to build a lead in the boys rankings, accumulating a team-high 44 points. The Warriors won two major events, including the 800-meter run as UMass (Amherst) commit Altamo Aschkenasy placed first out of the second heat with a stunning time of 1:52.76. His teammate Harry Flint clocked in second during the final heat at 1:54.54.
“I didn’t run as well as I could have last week at the Bay State Conference meet,” Aschkenasy said. “So I just had to come here, run in the slow heat, and show the boys what’s up.”
Later in the night, Brookline registered another victory in the two mile competition, as Theodore Butty pulled away in the final lap to place first with a time of 9:05.17.
“Last year, I was kind of in the same situation,” Butty said. “I hit a big PR at the end of my outdoor season. But what I learned from last year was to keep going with the training. Trust the training. That was the biggest part. I think it was perfectly tuned to the racing (today).”
Led by a 1-2 finish in the girls discus throw, Lexington was able to construct a lead in the girls rankings, accruing 44 points as a team. During the event, Ainsley Cuthbertson placed first with a distance of 130 feet, eight inches. Evelyn Radcliffe finished second (120-06 feet).
The Div. 1 outdoor track and field championships are set to resume Saturday.
During one of the final events of the evening, Greta Hammer sprinted to her latest win, placing first in the girls two-mile for Needham with a mark of 10:36.47. The junior outpaced Lexington star Jane Conrad for the crown by 2.15 seconds.
“I went into it kind of nervous,” said Hammer. “I’m always kind of nervous, but I had a pretty good plan. I was just going to hit even-splits throughout the race. Tried to execute that as well as possible.”
