Hirsch, Morrison top contingent at recent Holiday Meet
Published in the January 8, 2016 edition
IT WAS a photo finish between Melrose’s Haley Moss (left) and her Wakefield rival Sarah Buckley in the 55 meter hurdles, but Moss came out on top last week at the Middlesex League dual meet. (Donna Larsson photo)
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The Melrose High School boys’ and girls’ indoor track teams are off and running. The teams have spent the last two weeks competing in dual meets and participating in the 2015 M.S.T.C.A. Winter Festival at the Reggie Lewis Center. To date, a handful of indoor track runners have made impressive strides, including Elizabeth Hirsch, Anne Morrison, Griffin Barriss, Adam Cook, Sean Conlan and Robbie Hanlon.
The boys team is coached by Kevin Allison, who has seen enormous success with his cross country team. This season a quartet of runners have transferred their terrain running skills to the track, with an impressive 4×800 relay team medaling in 5th among statewide competition at the Winter Festival on December 19 at the Reggie Lewis Center. Individually Barriss placed 4th in the 600 meter run, Conlan 7th in the 1000 meter run, and Adam Cook third in the 2 mile run.
Competing that day included: James Talbot, Nick Chan, Greg Leo, Greg Sampson, Matt Starek, Rayan Mussa and Liam Rittenburg (55 dash); Eddie Keenan, Andrew Fox, Ryan Sikkema, Ross Carroll, Ethan Peet and Zach Peet (300 meter); Will Hanlon and Ryan Nagle (600 meter); Kyle Thompson, Liam Gray (1000 meter); Robbie Hanlon, Steve Stromski and John Summersby (1 mile); Austin Smith and Ryan Hablitz (55 m hurdles), Liam Rittenburg and Greg Leo (high jump); Cameron Markt, Matt Starek and Joe Hamilton (shot put). Melrose competed three relay teams which included their 4×200 teams: (A) Griffin Bariss, Greg Leo, Eddie Keenan and Nick Chan, their (B) team: Andrew Fox, Joe Hamilton, Ryan Nagle, Liam Rittenburg; their 4×400 team of Liam Gray, Jerry Murphy, Gavin Rowe and Liam Rittenburg, and their 4×800 team of Conlan, Cook, Barriss and Hanlon.
On December 16, the team battled a dual meet against Wilmington. Despite falling 46-36 they enjoyed first place victories by Griffin Barriss, Sean Conlan, Robbie Hanlon, and Adam Cook and their 4×400 relay team.
On the girls’ side, Melrose – coached by Trevor Rudolph – saw some exceptional top performances at the event. Senior captain Elizabeth Hirsch swept her way to the top of the contingent in the two mile with a speedy first place finish of 11:35.80. Teammate Anne Morrison leaped her way to the top in the high jump with a first place finish in the long jump at 16-03.50. Competing for Melrose that day included: Emily Bertolaccini, Gabby McDonnell (55 dash); Anne Morrison and Erin Reardon (300 meter); Sarah Herron, Jackie Schwarz (600 meter) Haley Moss (55 hurdles and high jump) Alex McGuire (high jump); Sarah Herron, Emily Bertolaccini (long jump) and Bianca Jean (shot put).
The team competed in a dual meet against Wilmington on December 16 and fell 51-35 despite first place finishes by Elizabeth Hirsch (2 mile) and Haley Moss (high jump) and Hannah Butler (shot put)
