THE NRHS girls’ indoor track and field team won their second straight state championship on Feb. 14 at the Reggie Lewis Center, taking the D5 crown by scoring 47.5 points. (Eric Evans Photo)
Hornet girls’ indoor track takes D5 state title
BOSTON — The North Reading High girls’ indoor track and field made history on Feb. 14 at the Reggie Lewis Center by winning Back to Back state championships. Last year, the Hornets won the Div. 4 championship and this year, they won the Div. 5 championship. Divisional alignments are based on school enrollment.
The Hornets scored 47.5 points which was just ahead of runner-up Lunenburg (40 points) and followed closely by Weston (36), Norwell (31), Pentucket (29), Medway (28.5), Dennis-Yarmouth (26) Ayer-Shirley (21) and Littleton and Murdock (18 points) to round out the top 10 finishes.
In total, there were over 70 teams in attendance with nearly 40 teams scoring points at the meet.
Giuliana Ligor continued her historic season, scoring 28 points at the meet, winning the 600 Meters and Long Jump and taking 2nd in the 300 Meters. Her victory in the 600 meters in 1:35.41 lowered her own school record by over a full second (1:36.59) and currently ranks her No. 1 in Massachusetts and No. 27 in the country. Her 2nd place finish in the 300 meters in 40.11 seconds set a new school record, breaking Shannon Conway’s record of 40.66 which was set in 2008. The time is currently ranked No. 3 in the state and No. 56 in the nation. Ligor’s long jump victory with a leap of 17’4.25” was off of her best mark which is closer to 18’ but understandable considering the event began minutes after she completed the 300 meters, which itself was contested only 20 minutes after her tremendous performance in the 600 meters. This was the third time Ligor has pulled off this triple over the last month and will be the last, as she focuses her attention on the 600 meters going into the Meet of Champions (after press time) and the Pentathlon at the National Championships.
GIULIANA LIGOR stood atop the podium in the 600 meters and the long jump while also taking 2nd in the 300 meters to lead the Hornets to a Div. 5 state indoor championship. (Eric Evans Photo)
Hayden MacLellan scored a valuable 9 points with her 2nd place in the 55 Meter Hurdles (8.63) and 8th place in the Long Jump (16’ .5”). Her time in the hurdles – a new personal best – ranks her No. 11 in the state and is just .01 off of the national championship automatic qualifying mark.
Abigail Lilley chipped in another 8.5 points with her 2nd place finish in the Shot Put (33’ 4.5”) and 8th place tie in the High Jump (5’ 0”). Callie MacLellan added the final 2 points for the Hornets with her 7th place in the High Jump (5’ 0”), placing her ahead of Lilley based on misses at heights.
The Hornets had an additional group of athletes competing at the meet. Jacquelyn Genzler was 21st in the Shot Put (26’ 11”). Georgia Robarts hit a personal best mark in the 55 Meter Dash (7.65) for 10th place.
In the mid-distance events, three Hornets qualified for the championship. Quinlan Kelly took 14th in the 1000 Meters (3:20.89), Callie MacLellan was 13th in the One Mile (5:51.14) and Ava Collins was 19th in the Two Mile (13:32.38).
Callie and Quinlan came back in the 4×800 Meter Relay along with Adelyn Kelly and Abigail Meier as they lowered their season best to 10:57.37, finishing in 11th.
The 4×200 Meter Relay made up of Georgia Robarts, Julia DeAngelis, Julia Scammon and Hayden MacLellan (1:52.05) just missed scoring, finishing in 9th place.
The Hornet title marks the 4th in school history (2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2022-2023, 2023-2024), all happening within the last six seasons (there was no 2021 meet due to Covid-19 cancellations).
“The entire track and field program, parents, fans and coaches are tremendously impressed and proud of the team’s accomplishments this season,” said head coach Sotirios Pintzopoulos. “We had 30 girls on our roster and 17 girls on the state roster, which is a smaller group then we have had in previous years but we had an impressive percentage of qualifiers, showcasing the work ethnic and dedication of the team.
“The North Reading Hornets have clearly presented themselves as a perennial favorite and we hope to continue with this success for years to come.”
THE CAPTAINS led the Hornets to another historic season including their second straight state championship. Pictured from left to right with the championship trophy is Sabrina Mini, Madison Vant, Abigail Lilley, Georgia Robarts and Julia DeAngelis. (Eric Evans Photo)
