Warrior girls’ indoor track team places five in M.L. Championship Meet

Published in the February 7, 2017 edition.

BOSTON — The Wakefield Memorial High girls’ indoor track team, the Middlesex League Freedom division champion, didn’t win the M.L. championship meet, but it still had some very good performances including a record breaking one by senior captain Abby Harrington.

Harrington broke the WMHS record in the 600 meter to top the Warrior contingent last night in the showcase at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.

Harrington placed fourth overall in the 600 meter run as she clocked in at 1:40.28. The time is a new school record which had been held by Ella Merullo at 1:40.5. The senior also holds the school record in the 400 meter hurdles in outdoor track.

Harrington wasn’t the only Warrior that placed and scored points in the meet. Wakefield had four more athletes place as well. Wakefield finished eighth overall in the team scoring with 17 points.

In the 1000 meter run, Olivia Lucey, a freshman, scored a point with an eighth place finish. Lucey posted a time of 3:14.47 among the 29 runners.

Olivia Fetherston, a freshman, had a personal best height of 4-10 in the high jump and placed fifth overall among the 12 jumpers.

Wakefield had two athletes place in the shot put field of 33 throwers. Julia Brown, a junior, finished fifth with a state qualifying distance of 31-8 1/2. Eadeen Beck, a sophomore, finished sixth with a throw of 31-3 1/2.

There were also good performances and even some personal best times among the Warrior athletes that didn’t place and score points in the meet.

In the 55 meter dash, junior Ana Lucas and senior captain Taylor Messina finished in 11th and 19th place in the preliminaries which included 34 runners. They clocked in at 7.98 seconds and 8.12 seconds. Messina’s time was a personal best.

There were two more Warriors entered in the 32 runner 600 meter field. Freshman Abigail Mondello and sophomore Jennifer Summers finished 22nd and 28th with personal best times of 1:53.60 and 1:58.42.

Cassie Lucci, a senior captain, and Meghan O’Rourke, a freshman, placed 10th and 26th in the 1000 meter run with times of 3:20.89 and 3:37.31.

The Warriors had three runners entered in the mile. There were 32 runners in the event. Gillian Russell, a junior, placed 10th with a personal best time of 5:50.02. Also running the event were junior Yvonne Lucas (17th, 6:03.67) and sophomore Isabella Kehoe (22nd, 6:12.02).

Maeve Conway, a senior, and Retta Carroll, a freshman, were among the 25 runners in the two mile. Conway took 18th at 14:04.68 and Carroll finished 20th at 14:14.73.

Wakefield had three runners entered in the 55 meter hurdles among the 34 hurdler field. Marissa Hoffman, a senior, ran a personal best time and claimed 13th at 10.48 seconds. Christina Freni, a senior captain, and Theresa Fallon, a senior, took 15th and 28th with times of 10.52 seconds and 11.17 seconds.

Samantha Nimblett, a junior, also competed in the shot put and finished 18th with a throw of 26-9.

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The girls’ indoor track team had four athletes that competed in the Last Chance to Qualify Meet which was held on Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Center.

Harrington placed 12th in the long jump with a state qualifying distance of 15-8. There were 70 long jumpers in the meet.

The senior also competed in the 300 meter dash ann claimed 17th place among the 77 runners in a time of 44.42 seconds.

Ana Lucas ran the 55 meter dash and finished 27th among 109 sprinters with a time of 7.82 seconds. It was a personal best time for the junior.

Lucci ran the 1000 meter run and posted a time of 3:23.80 as she finished 32nd among 67 runners.

Brown competed among the 50 shot putters. She took 15th with a throw of 29-7.

Wakefield will now get ready for the Div. 4 championship meet which will be held Thursday, Feb. 16 at 4:30 p.m. at the Lewis Center.