Published March 17, 2021
By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
LYNNFIELD — Last season was a memorable one for the Lynnfield High girls’ indoor track and field team. The Pioneers tied Ipswich for first place in the Cape Ann League Baker division going 5-1 overall and 4-1 in the CAL Baker.
It was the first league title for the team since 1984.
Five seniors from that team gradated but rookie head coach Adam Dell’Aria welcomed back nearly 30 veterans when practice started back on Feb. 22.
Of those veterans, five of them are this year’s captains: April Luders (long jump, hurdles and relay), Lauren Braconnier (distance and relays), Madison Murphy (55 meters and relays), Bella Scala ( 55 meters, relay and high jump) and Jasmine Rose (55 meter-hurdles and relay).
Luders was a CAL All-Star last winter in the 55-meter hurdles as she broke the school record in that event.
With the exception of Rose, who is a junior, the other four captains are all seniors.
“They are the core of the team,” stated Dell’Aria. “All of them are relay runners and the meet can often come down to the relay and I have a lot of trust in them.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was moved from the winter to the Fall 2 season and it will take place outdoors.
Lynnfield will have a long preseason as the first regular season meet isn’t slated until March 29. The Pioneers will either have four or five meets as she schedule has still not been decided yet.
They will take on the four other CAL Baker division opponents, Manchester-Essex, Ipswich, Amesbury and Essex Tech. If they have another meet, it will be a crossover against a CAL Kinney Division team.
Due to COVID-19 protocols, the athletes must wear masks. Also, the high jump mat, baton and shot put must be sanitized. The sprinters will be put in every other lane for social distancing purposes and the distance runners will have more staggered starts.
The team started practice at the high school the first week and a half before moving to the middle school.
“It has been going well,” said Dell’Aria, about the preseason. “It is nice to get to practice at our track after that first week although the weather has been very cold.”
Lynnfield will compete in a scrimmage at North Reading on March 25 at 3:30 p.m.
“It will be nice to finally face some competition,” acknowledged Dell’Aria, who teaches English at Lynnfield High. “If things go well for us, I feel that we can finish at 3-1 or 3-2 if we have five meets.”
There also has been some talk about having a league meet the final week of the season which will end on April 25.