GARRETT ARDEN won the javelin at the Weston Twilight Invitational with a national qualifying throw of 177’1”, one inch off his school record. (NRHS Track Photo)

 


Post publication update: North Reading falls to Newburyport 74-71 (May 10)

 

Published May 11, 20223

 

WEST NEWBURY — Behind Senior Captain Nathan Miller’s three event victories (200, 400 and Long Jump), Senior Captain Garrett Arden’s two event victories (Shot Put, Javelin) and Senior Michael Hemme’s two event victories (1 Mile, 800), the Hornets took care of Pentucket with an 87-58 victory on May 3 to move to 3-0 on the season and it sets up a “winner take all” matchup on Wednesday, May 10 with Newburyport for the Kinney Division title. The Hornets had tremendous days across the board as they won 11 events and swept 4 events in the process.

Miller continued his dominance as he won the Long Jump in 20′ 11″, 400 in 51.98 and the 200 in 22.47 to give the Hornets 15 points. He is still undefeated on the season in any event. Arden tossed the Javelin 147′ 8″ and the Shot Put 41′ 4″ to claim victories in both events. Hemme continued his streak of season bests as he won the mile in 4:36.96 and the 800 in 2:04.42. His effort in the 1 Mile was the 6th fastest in NRHS history.

“These three have been our tone setters all season,” said Hornets Head Coach Ryan Spinney. “They are the heartbeat of the program and they lead by example. It is awesome to watch them compete every single meet.”

Junior Noah Schifano won the Triple Jump in 42′ 0.75 and took second in the Long Jump in 19′ 10.5″ and Sophomore Kieran Miller took 3rd in the Long Jump with a mark of 19′ 1″. Senior Rocco Tammaro took second in the 400 Meter Hurdles in a time of 62.28, which is 10th all time in NRHS history. He, along with Senior Vincent Pastore and Sophomore Nico Johnson swept the Pole Vault with each clearing 9′ 0″ to take the event. Sophomore Kaio Pancini won the 110 Meter Hurdles in 17.79 and Johnson was right behind in 18.04 for second.

Freshman Leo Romanski scored his first varsity victory as he placed first in the Discus with a toss of 118′ 1″. Senior Kyle McCormack and Senior Trevor Miller followed right behind him to take second and third with tosses of 107′ 1″ and 105′ 5″ respectively. Senior Brady Miller took second in Javelin with a toss of 120′ 7″. Senior Owen Delano and Freshman Otto Indelicato followed Arden in the Shot Put as they took second and third with tosses of 39′ 1″ and 38′ 1″, respectively. Senior Captain Jacob Duval took second in the High Jump with a height of 5′ 6″. Senior Brodie Mann took third in the 400 meters as he ran 54.16. Senior Captain Nick Fabrizio took second in the 2 Mile in a time of 11:12.44 to round out the point scorers for the Hornets.

The Hornets’ younger members took their talents to Ipswich and dominated the Freshman Sophomore Invitational with a total of 125 points. Leading the way for the Hornets was two-event winner Nico Johnson, as he took home the wins in the Pole Vault (10′ 6″) and 400 Meter Hurdles (64.30), Kaio Pancini with his win in the 110 Meter Hurdles (17.20 and 17.34) and Nikolas Laverdiere with his win in the Javelin (113′ 2″). Seth Evans took 2nd in the 100 Meter Dash with a Freshman National Standard Qualifying time of 11.809, Leo Romanski took 2nd in the Discus with a toss of 111′ 7″ and many Hornets had season bests along the way.

“The future of our program is extremely bright,” said Hornets Head Coach Ryan Spinney. “These meets give the athletes a glimpse of the future and they all stepped up big. We had kids scoring in my events and had lots of personal bests. That’s all you can hope for and they look so happy competing at the same time.”

At the Weston Twilight Meet over the weekend, the Hornets sent one relay and one individual athlete to compete in the contest. Both the relay and individual competitor came home with gold medals.

The Sprint Medley team of Caleb Sands (200), Brodie Mann (200), Nathan Miller (400) and Michael Hemme (800), dominated the field as they won in a school record and national qualifying time of 3:36.01.

“This team was determined to get the time, they also grabbed gold in the process,” said Spinney. “They never cease to amaze us. They really wanted it and we couldn’t be happier for them to get the mark they needed to go to Philadelphia in June.” Garrett Arden continued the party for the Hornets as he took the gold in the Javelin with his toss of 177′ 1″, one inch off his school record and a national qualifier for him as well.

“Garrett is the class of the event in the state of Massachusetts and New England,” said Spinney. “He wants to be the very best he can be and approaches each opportunity to compete with that mindset. He is a true talent and a great competitor.”