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Triton girls continue quest for CAL title

Friday, April, 11 By John Shimer
Staff writer

With wins over previously undefeated Hamilton-Wenham (93-52) and a talented North Reading squad (80-65), the still-undefeated Triton girls track team (5-0) has now reached the halfway point to its season goal | a Cape Ann League championship.

On the unusually warm early April day in Byfield, the wind coming in off the marsh may have helped two Triton athletes | Nicki Wurdeman (122-7) in the discus and Michelle Bashaw (121-4) in the javelin | to record throws. Wurdeman once again beat her own school record in the discus, and Bashaw qualified for nationals.

"I was definitely not expecting to throw so well this early in the season, and I was much better today than I was against Newburyport," said Wurdeman, who added the shoulder injury she sustained at the beginning of the basketball season was still tender this past week in practice. "Hopefully because it is so early in the season I can continue to improve and keep breaking that record."

Bashaw, who was pleased to make nationals, said the wind may have actually adversely affected her throws.

"I think the wind may have held up my first two throws a little because we were throwing into it. But all that really mattered to me was getting the points for our team because we want to be CAL champs," Bashaw stated. "This was probably one of the biggest wins of the season because North Reading has an incredible running program, but I think we were able to take advantage of them in the field events."

For coach Joe Colbert, the sweep was part of developing a finisher's mentality.

"I told the girls today that we need to develop that killer instinct and to come out the way we did against a very talented North Reading team, and I couldn't be more proud," Colbert said. "Our stars may have carried us, but as a team I think we are exceeding some of our expectations. I knew we would be good, I just didn't know we would be this good this early in the season."

For the meet the Vikings had first-place finishes by Keely Maguire in both the mile (5:17) and 2-mile (11:20), Deanna Latham in the long jump (16-10) and triple jump (33-6), Nicki Wurdeman in the discus and shot put (36-0), Michelle Bashaw in the javelin, Ashley Matthews in the pole vault (8-0), and Devin Haddock in the 110 hurdles (18.0).

On the boys side, Triton wound up with a split decision, defeating North Reading soundly 100-45, but losing to Hamilton-Wenham 98-47 to move to 3-2 on the season.

The Triton boys had first-place finishes by Peter Rock in long jump (21-2), high jump (5-8), and 400 (52.8), Nate Allard in the shot put (39-3), Tom Graham in the javelin (127), Harley Cox in the pole vault (10), Billy Tindle in the 110 hurdles (15.6), Jared White in the 100 (11.9) and 200 (24.4), Andrew Goodwin in the mile (4:57), and Kyle Devenish in the triple jump (43-4).