MHS FRESHMAN Caleb Barnes competed in the freshman 1 mile race at New Balance Nationals at the Armory Track in downtown New York City last weekend. He qualified after a very successful indoor season for Melrose High. (courtesy photo)
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—One of Melrose’s most promising freshman athletes represented Melrose High School on the national stage after qualifying to compete at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in New York City.
Caleb Barnes, a MHS freshman, represented the school in the freshman 1 mile race after qualifying earlier in his MIAA indoor winter season for Melrose High. The event was held on Friday, March 11 at the famous Armory Track in downtown New York City. There, he competed among the best freshmen in the country and while there, ran a great race and achieved a PR of 4:46.5 minutes.
Previously, Barnes had qualified for Nationals by running 4:48.19 at the Middlesex League Meet on Feb. 2 at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. He bested that time at Nationals running 4:46.5.
He had lots of support from his high school teammates, who tuned in to the live race on a screen in the MHS Learning Commons, cheering for him from afar.
Barnes spoke about his effort there, and how unique running is in Melrose. “I’ve grown up running in Melrose and it was great to be there to showcase our running town.”
Racing is about a full time job for Barnes, who begins cross country training in the summer and continues his running through the winter track season. “I’ve been running with the cross country team since the summer and they’ve really helped me improve over the last several months. My teammates really pushed me during workouts and races which allowed me to run a qualifying time.”
Though his MHS indoor track season had come to an end, he was more than prepared to take the trek with his family to NYC. He says, “Coach Mike [Cotugno] gave me a training plan to get ready.”
And ready he was. “It was an honor to represent Melrose,” he says.
