Classical girls’ track ready to go

The Lynn Classical girls? outdoor track team will have a new but not unfamiliar face steering the ship this season, a year that has the potential to be a good one for the Rams.
Scott Fiore, who was the boys? indoor track coach this winter, takes the reins of a girls? outdoor team that hopes to ride the coattails of the indoor team?s outstanding season.
?I think that we have a real chance of making some noise,” Fiore said. “A lot of the girls have some real potential and I?m looking forward to coaching them.”
One of the pleasant surprises that Fiore found when he came to the first day of practice was the number of athletes that were ready to compete for spots in the lineup. More than 90 girls were there, giving Fiore plenty of reason to be excited — but with one small challenge, he admitted.
?I?m still learning everyone?s name,” Fiore said, with a laugh. “A lot of the girls who did sign up are underclassmen so that gives us a chance to build a strong program here. The majority of them want to be at practice and they?ve bought in to what we?re trying to do.”
The excitement of the successful indoor season has rubbed off on the outdoor team?s practices so far.
?All these girls want to do is run,” Fiore said. “I have to kick them out of the gym sometimes at night. But that?s one of those things coaches look forward to, having an athlete that is motivated and driven.”
Classical will be led by a quartet of runners who helped lead the Rams to a very competitive season in the Northeastern Conference/North during the winter.
Seniors Jen Gaudet and Devyn Astuccio along with sophomores Anna Wargo and Agnes Bangura were point-scoring machines individually during the winter. But it was when they teamed together in the 4×200-meter relay that the magic happened.
The quartet was nearly unbeatable during the regular season and then added a NEC championship to their resumes. But that was just a precursor to winning the relay in the Division 2 state championships, the program?s first title in recent memory.
?Those four girls can show the others how to do things,” Fiore said. “I couldn?t have asked for anything better in my first season than the core we have on this team. It makes my job so much easier. They help me out in practice and with a lot of the little things.”Astuccio also will be a hurdler for Classical with Bangura being a threat in the sprint distances. Gaudet is a middle-distance specialist.