Published in the January 25, 2018 edition
THE NRHS Girls’ Track and Field team brought home the gold from the 2018 Div. 4 Massachusetts State Relay Meet. The Hornets had 48 total points, 18 higher than 2nd-place Pentucket.
By JERLIN KAITHAMATTAM
BOSTON — On Saturday January 20, the North Reading girls’ track and field team accomplished an outstanding feat, winning the Division 4 Indoor State Relay Championship. Earning points in nearly every single event ensured a victory with a total of 48 points, an impressive 18 points ahead of the second place team, Pentucket.
This is the second year in a row that the girls’ team has taken home the championship trophy from the MSTCA James Kalperis Indoor State Relays. The only difference? This year, the girls moved up a division. Last year they won the Div. 5 relays, and moving up a division did not phase them one bit as they clinched yet another victory in the Div. 4 relays.
The relay meet is quite a unique one in that, unlike a regular season meet, the top six placing teams gain points from 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, or 1 point(s). The girls team scored enough points in the first four events to win the entire meet, but they wouldn’t know this until the conclusion of the meet. With a 1st place finish in long jump, two 4th place finishes in both high jump and the 4x50m Hurdles, and 2nd & 3rd place finishes by both the A and B teams in the 4x50m dash, the girls had amassed 32 points, enough to win the meet, as the second place team of Pentucket ended the meet with 30 points. The girls however, did not pay attention to the team score, but were determined throughout the meet to perform their very best, going forward to place and earn points in numerous other events.
The long jump relay team, consisting of Megan Lawlor, Kaitlyn Shevlin, and Juliette Nadeau, set a new school record which was less than 3” shy of a meet record. Placing 1st at the meet, these girls brought in 10 valuable points for the team. The high jump relay of Julia Thorstad, Kerry O’Brien, and Lauren Gulbicki also broke a school record, placing 4th overall, and bringing in four points for the team’s overall score.
Also making an impact was the 4x50m Hurdles team of Katelyn Gorgenyi, Maggie McCarthy, Lauren Gulbicki, and Jerlin Kaithamattam who placed 4th overall bringing in four points for the team. The B team for the hurdles consisted of Julia Thorstad, Alyssa Prusik, Alex Richards, and Eva Jolie Femia.
The girls in the 4x50m Dash made a huge statement as both the A and B teams placed, and earned 14 crucial points for the overall team score. The B team made up of Katelyn Gorgenyi, Emily Davis, Kaitlyn Shevlin and Megan Lawlor placed 3rd earning 6 points. The A team of made up of Nicole Bruzzese, Sophia Casciano, Juliette Nadeau and Rachel Hill placed 2nd, losing to the 1st place team only by a thousandth of a second! This team broke yet another school record.
The Sprint and Distance Medley Relays are unique as they feature four runners, who run various distances. The sprint medley relay featured an 800m runner (Meredith Griffin), two 200m runners (Jerlin Kaithamattam and Juliette Nadeau), and a 400m runner (Kirsten Bradley). This team placed 3rd overall and brought in six points for their team. The B team for the SMR consisted of Alex Richards, Abby Griffin, Meredith Martin, and Gabby Barker. The distance medley relay featured a 1200m runner (Meredith Griffin), a 400m runner (Jerlin Kaithamattam), an 800m runner (Grace Hadley), and a 1600m runner (Lindsay MacLellan). This team finished 7th overall.
Also bringing in points was the 4x200m relay team of Katelyn Gorgenyi, Emily Davis, Nicole Bruzzese, and Sophia Casciano placing 5th and bringing in two points. Competing for the 4x200m B team was Analise Gonzalez, Abby Andre, Sydney Corsetti and Megan Lawlor.
Coach Pintzopoulos often says this is a team of depth and this is true as the girls’ team was able to put athletes in every single event, and some events even had B teams. Competing in the Shot Put Relay were Kelly Bratton, Ryan Hunter, and Kaitlyn Shevlin. Competing in the 4×800 relay was Caitlin Raimo, Grace Hadley, Meghan Griffin and Olivia Esposito. Competing in the B team of the 4×400 were Analise Gonzalez, Julia Thorstad, Lauren Keough, and Julia Tatone.
By the time the last event on the track, the 4x400m came around, the Hornets had already won the meet. Regardless of the outcome of the 4×400, the Girl’s would be taking home the trophy; but this did not stop the relay team of Emily Davis, Grace Hadley, Meredith Griffin and Kirsten Bradley from delivering an outstanding performance. With the mindset of performing their absolute best in hopes of qualifying for the state meet later this season, the girls went out and ran a time that is now 4th place in school history. This mentality of working hard no matter the outcome, and giving it your all to the very end, is what drives NRHS girls’ track.
With outstanding performances for both the girls’ and boys’ teams, this was undeniably an incredible weekend for the NRHS track and field program.
Next, the girls’ track team has their sights set on winning yet another state title, this time at the Div. 4 State Meet which will take place on Feb. 14.
“We are one of the smallest schools in this division…but we won’t let this hold us back. We’re excited to be here, meet new teams, and fight to win the title once again,” said Head Coach Sotirios Pintzopoulos.
Good luck to both the boys’ and girls’ track and field teams as they wrap up their winter seasons!
