NEW BEDFORD — Central Catholic coach Katie Andrade could feel it in the pit of her stomach.
Natick needed to win the final event, the 4x400 relay, and if the Raiders didn’t score, it would be co-champs in the Eastern Mass. Division 2 track meet.
“For awhile, Natick was leading,” said Andrade. “In 2007, I think it was a similar situation and our last leg pulled up lame and didn’t finish. That’s all I was thinking about ... anything can happen.”
What happened, though, is Emily Carmichael, Julia Worden, Julia Jankowski and Victoria Moda placed seventh and Natick ended up third. That was enough for the Raiders to win their third EMass. D2 title in Andrade’s nine years as head coach.
The Central boys rode a familiar game plan to their fifth title in 11 years under Mike Leal.
Use versatile, clutch football talent to show the way then fill in the gaps with distance guys and other multi-sport athletes.
Scholarship football players senior David Onyemem (Bryant defensive back) and junior Brett Edwards (UNH quarterback) helped lead the way as the Raiders, like their football brethren, showed no mercy. They rolled up 92.5 points to cruise past runner-ups North Andover and Woburn with 67 points each.
Carmichael, Nault shine
There were a slew of girl heroes to choose from. Carmichael won the 400 hurdles and Janessa Nault was a double-distance placer.
Andrade said, “Emily was surprising. She’s always been the bridesmaid. It was fitting after graduation Thursday to do it.
“Janessa wasn’t seeded high. Definitely not seeded to place. It was a personal best.”
Nault, one of the school’s top sophomore scholars, was fifth in the 2-mile and ran on the runner-up 4x800 team which “turned it around for us,” said Andrade.
“They ran a personal best by 15 seconds,” she said. “Sarah Freeman ran an excellent lead, which we expect. Every time they were passed, they fought like hell.”
Amanda Fay was only fourth in the shot and she was not pleased. She came back and took second in the javelin with a personal best.
Andrade insisted this was far from a slam dunk.
She said, “This is huge. I really, really didn’t see it coming. We were in good position because of the pole vault and pentathlon (earlier in the week). We had those 15 points coming in. We just had a good day. We scored way more points than we expected.”
The ‘amazing’ Onyemem
Leal, who is also a longtime assistant football coach at his alma mater, called Onyemem “amazing.” He added, “He was the big surprise of the meet.”
The senior went 6-4 for second in the high jump and 43-5 for third in the triple jump. The 43-5 was nearly a two-foot personal best and he only high jumped 6-2 for the first time last week.
A couple other returning starters in football, sophomore defensive back Joe Howshan and junior offensive lineman Ryan Burns, rose to the occasion.
Burns won the discus with a 134-5 heave and Howshan broke his own school record to win the 400 hurdles in 55.55.
Sam Wall starred with a second in the pole vault while Edwards grabbed thirds in the high jump and pentathlon.
More Duffy heroics
North Andover sensation Erick Duffy, coming off one of the great doubles in area history last week, again strutted his stuff.
The Harvard recruit won the pole vault with yet another massive effort (16-0) and took the 110 hurdles in 14.51. Teammate Matthew Manteiga won the long jump.
EMass. Division 2 Boys Meet
Team scores (31 scored): 1. Central Catholic 92.5, 2.tie North Andover and Woburn 67, 4. Marshfield 48
Area placers (top 8 place):
Pole vault: 1. Erick Duffy (NA) 16-0, 2. Sam Wall (CC) 13-6, 3. Jack Perry (NA) 12-0, 4. Pietro Fina (CC) 12-0, 5. Desrosiers (CC) 11-6, 6. Gavin O’Sullivan (NA) 11-6, 8. Trevor Nassar (NA) 10-0; Shot put: 2. Kalvin Guillermo (CC) 50-3, 7. Osho Omoyeni (CC) 44-6; Discus: 1. Ryan Burns (CC) 134-5, 4. Samir Perez (CC) 127-3; Long jump: 1. Matthew Manteiga (NA) 21-2.5, 3. Jon Cooperstein (NA) 20-6.25; Triple jump: 3. David Onyemem (CC) 43-5;
High jump: 2. Onyemem (CC) 6-4, 4. Bret Edwards (CC) 6-0, 6. Connor Grant (NA) 6-0; 110 hurdles: 1. Duffy (NA) 14.51; 100 meters: 7. John Kenney (CC) 11.54, 8. Edward Lundy (CC) 11.67; 4x100 relay: 3. Central (Lundy, Fina, Kenney, Mathias Villafane) 44.00, 6. North Andover (Manteiga, Tyler Glendon, Nassar, Patrick Quinn) 44.45; 400: 8. Noah Olsen (NA) 52.13;
Pentathlon: 3. Edwards (CC) 2,934; 6. Grant (NA) 2,801; 400 hurdles: 1. Joe Howshan (CC) 55.55, 6. Gregory Desrosiers (CC) 57.92; 4x800 relay: 6. North Andover (Stephen Stabile, Brian Voke, Luke DiSalvo, Patrick Kitchen) 8:29.04; 4x400 relay: 2. North Andover (Manteiga, Peter Coufos, Cooperstein, Duffy) 3:27.49, 6. Central (Howshan, Kyle Gildea, Desrosiers, Lukas Blythe) 3:30.74
EMass. Division 2 Girls Meet
Team scores (25 teams): 1. Central Catholic 78, 2. Natick 74, 3. Wellesley 67; 15. North Andover 16
Area placers (top 8 score):
Pole vault: 2. Kate Hasenstab (CC) 9-6, 7. Julia Bonanno (CC) 8-6, 8. Ruth Mahoney (CC) 8-6; Shot put: 4. Amanda Fay (CC) 35-6; Discus: 5. Sarah Brown (CC) 99-5; Javelin: 2. Fay (CC) 113-3, 6. Emily DeMinico (CC) 105-11; Long jump: 4. Emma Martin (NA) 16-8; Triple jump: 3. Julia Worden (CC) 35-0;
High jump: 6. Sarah Lavery (NA) 5-0, 7. Paige Dunleavy (CC) 5-0; Mile: 4. Sarah Freeman (CC) 5:19.94; 4x100 relay: 5. North Andover 50.60; 400: 5. Taylor Crane (NA) 59.58;
400 hurdles: 1. Emily Carmichael (CC) 1:07.41, 3. Grace McDowell 1:08.53; 2-mile: 5. Janessa Nault (CC) 11:47.35; Pentathlon: 5. McDowell (CC) 2,417; 4x400 relay: 7. Central (Carmichael, Julia Worden, Julia Jankowski, Victoria Moda) 4:10.42; 4x800 relay: 2. Central (Freeman, Kathryn Montgomery, Nault, Helen Connolly) 9:50.21
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Girls Track and Field, 05/27/17 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
MERRIMACK, N.H. — Ever the soft-spoken type, Pinkerton’s Jadyn Ruimwijk does his best to avoid singing his own praise, no matter the accomplishment.
Luckily for him, always talkative teammate Nico Buccieri is more than happy to heap honors on — and embarrass — his training partner.
“Jadyn is the best runner in the state, hands down,” said Buccieri. “Easily the best. He’s just amazing. He’s dynamic.”
Ruimwijk proved his friend correct in a big way, winning the 100, 200 and running on the winning 4x100 and 4x400 relays at the New Hampshire Division 1 Championship on Friday at Merrimack High School.
All four times were tops in the area this spring and all rank high all-time in our area.
Pinkerton dominated the field on the way to the boys team title. The Astros finished with 147 points, well ahead of No. 2 Nashua North (104) and nearly triple the points of No. 3 Bedford (50). The Astros girls were second as a team.
“Last year and again this winter we placed second as a team and it was very disappointing,” said Pinkerton boys coach Carol Quarles. “Everyone put in so much work to get everything out of their abilities and we are so super excited to take home the title.”
Ruimwijk started by winning the 100 in 11.02. The junior followed that by winning the 4x100 in a meet record 43.01.
“I came in fourth in the 100 last year and I was disappointed because I didn’t run well,” he said. “I came out kind of slow for the first 30 meters this year, then I started kicking in. It was big to get the win.”
Ruimwijk then added a run-away victory in the 200 in 22.05, which ranks him sixth all-time in the area. He finished off his day by running the third leg of the 4x400 that took gold in 3:23.92.
“Jadyn drives me crazy,” said Quarles with a laugh. “But he’s the real deal. When he puts some size on him, he’s going to come back and break some records. He has that kind of speed.”
Woodman making his name
At the start of the spring, many in the track scene still were unaware of Pinkerton junior Noah Woodman.
“I was running over 55 seconds in the 400 last year,” said Woodman, who tied Haverhill great Andy Alsup for fourth all-time in the area. “A lot of the announcers didn’t even know my name at the start of this season. So to come here and set a record feels pretty darn good.”
On Friday, everyone was talking about the speedster.
Woodman snapped a 19-year-old Division 1 meet record with a winning time of 48.74 in the 400, then ran the anchor led of the team’s winning 4x400 relay.
“It is just epic,” said Woodman. “I knew I needed to win for the team, and I really wanted to go sub-49 in the 400. I started a little slow, which is my trademark, then I just gave it everything I had.
“When I reached the 100 and no one had caught me I knew it was good, then I looked up and saw 45 seconds, and I knew I would get a new PR.”
It was a breakout day for Woodman, who had fans buzzing about his speed and bright red hair.
“Noah is a talent,” said Quarles. “He has come a long way this season. He has taken the sport seriously, worked so hard and he has a lot more in him.”
Three wins for Virga
As she entered the final turn of the 300 hurdles, Pinkerton’s Maria Virga could feel an opponent on her tail.
“I could feel her coming up behind me in the last 200 meters,” said Virga. “And I just thought, ‘No!’ I wanted it so much. I gave it a little extra oomph and I got it. My legs didn’t want to move at the end but I have it my all.”
Virga won the 300 hurdles (45.83, 12th all-time in area) and 100 hurdles (15.11, 9th all-time in area) and ran on the winning 4x400 relay (4:01.10, 11th all-time in area).
“Everything I have put into the sport is finally paying off,” she said, “I PRed (ran personal record) and got to help my team. I’m very excited and I would love to break 15 seconds next week.”
Virga ran the third leg of the 4x400, before handing off to anchor leg Amelia Graves to finish it off.
“I was amazing to win the relay,” said Graves. “We set a new PR and we wanted to win. We just had to run hard and keep passing people. By the I got the baton I just had to pick up my knees and finish the win off for my teammates.”
Jadyn Ruimwijk’s Day
Event Time Rank
100 11.02 tied 15th
200 22.05 6th
4x100 43.01 10th
4x400 3:23.92 14th
*Rank is all-time in area
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Girls Track and Field, 05/26/17 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
