Published in the February 10, 2016 edition
A CHAMPIONSHIP stride earned Lynnfield’s 4x800m relay team the Cape Ann League championship title in 10:29.11 and qualified team members (from left): Lexi Yannone, Kate Mitchell, Lilly DiPietro and Meryl Braconnier for the Div. 5 state meet to be held this Saturday. (Courtesy Photo)
By MAUREEN DOHERTY
BOSTON — They may be small but they sure are mighty. Lynnfield’s indoor girls’ track team took home not one but two event league titles in the 2016 Cape Ann League Championships Feb. 2 at the Reggie Lewis Center.
Sophomore Kate Mitchell won an individual CAL title in the 600-meter run, pacing herself in the field of 13 competitors to victory in 1:40.87 and picking up 10 points for the team. She beat her nearest competitor, Pentucket’s Ellison Seymour, also a sophomore (1:42.69), by 1.82 seconds while improving upon her own personal best mark in the event.
Mitchell’s time at CALs was also fast enough to qualify her for the national silver standard in the event, which for high school girls is 1:43. Expect to see more spirited competitions between Mitchell, Seymour and third-place finisher Jade Cromwell (1:42.9), a Manchester-Essex freshman, at meets over the next few years as these three athletes were among just seven female competitors to meet the national silver standard in any of the 13 events at CALs.
THE PIONEER duo of Liz Reed (left) and Kate Mitchell scored points for the LHS girls’ indoor track team at the CAL Championships Feb 2. Reed took fourth in the 300m (44.11) while Mitchell won the 600m CAL title (1:40.87) and anchored the championship 4x800m team. (Courtesy Photo)
The team’s second CAL title was won by the Pioneers’ 4x800m relay team. Their elated head coach, Liane Cook, commented, “Kate (Mitchell) also anchored the first-place 4x800m team! The team of Lexi Yannone, Meryl Braconnier and Lilly DiPietro and Kate ran a 10:29.11, which shatters the 11:00 qualifying standard for states.”
The foursome beat out the Newburyport Clippers (10:32.98) for the top spot by 3.87 seconds and another 10 points for Lynnfield. Their time earned them a sixth-place seed at the state Division 5 meet out of 17 teams.
Rounding out the scoring at the meet for the Pioneers was Liz Reed, who placed fourth in the 300-meter dash and earned four points for the team. “She ran a one-second personal record with a time of 44.11,” Cook said.
Reed will be joined at the Division 5 state meet with teammate Lilli Patterson, a junior, who ran a qualifying time for the state meet in the 300m with a time of 46.84 seconds, placing 19th overall out of 26 runners. Reed is seeded 16th out of 62 qualifiers in Div. 5.
Although they did not place, Cook said the 4x200m relay of Gracie Sperling, Lilli Patterson, Liz Reed and Courtney Shinnick also ran a good time of 1:59.
Mitchell has earned a fifth-place seed out of 25 runners in the 600m with her CAL championship time. She also earned a seventh place seed out of 35 runners in the 1000m run (3:10.02) previously this season. Lexi Yannone (1:47) is seeded 20th in the 600m at states.
It was “great night for Lynnfield,” Cook said.
The Pioneers finished the meet in ninth place overall out of 11 teams with 24 points. North Reading won the meet with 63 points followed by Pentucket (61), Ipswich (60), Manchester-Essex (48), Newburyport (39), Triton (36), Hamilton-Wenham (35), Masconomet (26) in second through eight places. Amesbury (10) and Essex Tech (1) finished 10th and 11th.
The Division 5 state championship meet will be held this Saturday, Feb. 13 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston.
