Published April 7, 2021
By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
LYNNFIELD — On Monday afternoon, the Lynnfield High girls’ indoor track and field team improved to 2-0 as they rolled over visiting Manchester-Essex 55-25 at Lynnfield Middle School (the meets are all outdoors due to the pandemic).
“It was a great win,” said Pioneers’ first-year head coach Adam Dell’Aria. “We came out aggressive and were able to get out to a good lead.”
Lynnfield posted six individual wins against the Hornets.
Madison Murphy was first in the 55-meter dash (7.6), while April Luders took home the 55-meter hurdles (8.75).
Other Pioneer winners were Keely Briggs in the mile (6:28), Katie Cash in the two mile (15:00), Ava Gamache in the high jump (4-2) and Riley Hallahan in the shot put (30-2).
Lynnfield captured seven second-place finishes, Luders in the shot put (26-8), Bella Scala in the 55-meters (8.1), Jasmine Rose in the 55-meter hurdles (9.3), Bianca Guarracino in the 300-meters (50.2), Julie Seelig in the two mile (15:11), Olivia Reska in the high jump 94-0) and Lauren Braconnier in the 1,000-meters (3:29).
In the season opener on April 1, also at home, the Pioneers edged Amesbury, 43.5- 42.5.
“Cash and Reska came through for us in the two mile and high jump so that it didn’t come down to the relay, which Amesbury won,” explained Dell’Aria.
Reska, a junior, placed third in the high jump at four feet and then just before the relay, freshman Cash placed second in the two mile at 14:44 to close the door on Amesbury.
Lynnfield had five winners that day, Luders in the 55-meter hurdles (8.8), Briggs in the 1,000-meters (3:44), Hallahan in the shot-put (29-7), Braconnier in the 600 (1:49.4) and freshman Olivia Goguen in the 300-meters (47.9).
Four other Pioneers, besides Cash, placed second: Murphy in the 55-meters (7.8), Rose in the 55-meter hurdles (9.1), Guarracino in the 300-meters (49.1) and Anna Radulski in the mile (7:10).
It was Dell’Aria’s first-ever win as a varsity coach in his opening meet.
“It felt great,” he stated, about notching that first win. “We had a very long preseason and I was proud of the way the kids performed.”
On Thursday (Apr. 8), the Pioneers host Ipswich at 4:30 p.m. They will then travel to Danvers next Monday (Apr. 12) as they take on Essex Tech. That meet will start at 3:30 p.m.