Matt Greatorex breaks school record in mile
Published in the February 8, 2017 edition
BOSTON — The Warrior boys’ indoor track team captured the Middlesex League Freedom division title this winter and proved that it is one of the top clubs in the league. So it should come as no surprise that Wakefield had a strong showing at the M.L. Championship Meet which was held on Monday night at the Reggie Lewis Track Center.
The Warriors placed fourth overall with 51.5 points as they had nine individual athletes and two relay teams place in the meet which included all 12 schools in the league.
Woburn won the meet with 111.50 points followed by Burlington and Lexington with 68 points and 67 points, respectively.
While Wakefield crowned no champions, it did have a number of second place finishes highlighted by the record setting performance of Matt Greatorex, a junior.
Greatorex set a new WMHS record in the indoor mile as he clocked in at 4:24.25 breaking the standard of 4:25.44 set in 2012 by Stephen Robertson. Greatorex pushed the champ, Melrose’s Kevin Wheelock, the entire race which resulted in his record setting time. Wheelock won the event at 4:23.76.
Wakefield also had second places in the 600 meter run, 1000 meter run, and shot put.
Ryan Sullivan, a senior, secured second place in the 600 meter run as he timed in at 1:28.80. Burlington’s Ben Margarlit, a senior, posted a winning time of 1:26.77 in a very close finish. There were 28 runners total.
The Warriors also had a second place finish in the 1000. Adam Roberto, a senior, was the runner-up as he clocked in at 2:38.63. Taking first among the 30 runner field was Lexington junior Tom Lingard at 2:30.82.
Cole Mottl, a senior, captured second in the shot put as he had a throw of 48-2. Woburn senior Travis Hunt won the event with a distance of 49-11.
The Warriors certainly made their presence known with seven more point scoring performances.
Dan Sallade, a senior, came in seventh overall in the 55 meter dash as he posted a time of 6.90 seconds in the final. Sallade ran a time of 6.88 seconds in the preliminaries and finished sixth to advance to the final.
In addition to Greatorex, Wakefield had two more runners place in the mile. Senior Nick McGee and sophomore Carter Margolis grabbed fifth and eighth place with times of 4:45.71 and 4:52.45.
The 4×200 relay team earned a sixth place finish with a time of 1:39.63. The four runners included Sallade, senior TJ Sellers, freshman Ryan Obear, and junior Henry Stikeman.
The Warriors also had a fourth place finish in the 4×400 relay with a time of 3:34.61. The four runners were sophomore Brian Smith, senior Dan Summers, Sullivan, and Roberto.
Marc Biennestin, a junior, claimed fifth place in the high jump as he cleared 5-9. There were 16 jumpers that made opening height.
Wakefield had another shot putter score points in the event. Patrick Redmond, a junior, took fifth among the 32 throwers with a distance of 44-6.
“We had another successful meet against the best in the league. Matt Greatorex started us off with a school record in the mile,” said head coach Ruben Reinoso. “Coach (Perry) Pappas knew it was going to be a good time when Matt was able to stay with one of the best milers in the state. Kevin Wheelock. Matt broke Steve Robertson’s time of 4:25.44 set in 2012. Matt is very good competitor, and on any given day, he can compete with just about anyone. Adam Roberto also had a PR in 1000 meters and he was second.”
Wakefield also had athletes that performed well, but didn’t place in the top eight in the meet to score points.
Stikeman and Ben Clark, a junior and senior, placed 13th and 20th in the 34 runner preliminaries of the 55 meter dash. They ran times of 7.11 seconds and 7.22 seconds.
The Warriors had three runners compete in the field of 31 sprinters in the 300 meter dash. Summers, Sellers, and junior Jared Hurley placed 11th, 17th, and 21st with times of 38.66 seconds, 39.29 seconds, and 40.10 seconds.
In the 600, two runners just missed placing. Smith and Tanner Jellison, a freshman, finished in ninth and 10th place with times of 1:28.93 and 1:29.42.
Seniors Jack Stevens and Mike Frezza took 21st and 26th in the 1000 with times of 2:53.36 and 3:00.19.
In the two mile, junior Tom Lucey, sophomore Billy Stevens, and sophomore Casey Brackett finished ninth, 12th, and 16th among the 30 runners. They posted times of 10:34.26, 10:53.45, and 11:08.56.
Sam Morey, Jordan Fauci, and Brendan Coughlin, all juniors, were among the 34 entrants in the 55 meter hurdles preliminaries. They placed 16th, 19th, and 26th with times of 9.20 seconds, 9.53 seconds, and 9.98 seconds.
Senior Carmen Sorrentino finished 15th in the high jump as he cleared 5-7.
In the shot put, Alex Joly, a junior, placed 11th with a throw of 40-3.
“Sam Morey and Jordan Fauci both had PRs in the hurdles. Henry Stikeman had a PR in dash. Alex Joly also had a PR in the shot put,” said Reinoso. “Now we prepare for the D4 championship next Thursday where we are hoping to make a lot of noise.”
The Div. 4 championship meet is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 16 at 4:30 p.m. at the Reggie Lewis Center.
