MARBLEHEAD — The WindWard Track and Field program, with a goal of “empowering the next generation,” has been around for five years now, and is helping to produce some of the top competitors in the country.
“I came on as a team manager three seasons ago to help the team,” said Marblehead’s Ryan Megenedy. “The organization is a good cause, helping the athletes better themselves and running at the same time.”
More than 30 young athletes, ages 7 to 18, celebrated the end of a successful season this week. Many qualified for the national (Texas) and regional (New York City) USA Track & Field Junior Olympic Championships.
At Texas A&M this past week, Marblehead’s Maeve Korgie, 12, medaled 8th in the 800-meter race against 50 of the country’s top runners. She qualified for the championship after placing second (2:28) in New York City.
Six WindWard runners, all from Marblehead, qualified for regionals in New York: Claire McClure (age 8) in the women’s mini javelin; Wren Firestone (8) in the men’s long jump, Nathan Megenedy (11) in the men’s 400-meter race and aero javelin; Madeline Risoldi (12) in women’s shot put; Korgie in the women’s 200-, 400-, and 800-meter races; and Dylan Boland (12) in the men’s 3,000-meter race.
In the 400-meter race, Nathan Megenedy recorded a personal-best time of 1:13, which was good enough for 11th place. In the aero javelin, he recorded a throw of 9.01 meters. Also in the field was Risoldi, who recorded her best throw of 5.63 meters, earning her 10th place.
“It’s inspiring to see these young athletes on the track through the spring – rain or shine – enjoying the sport and connecting with new and old friends,” said coach Jason Matulewicz. “They train hard while having fun, and it’s rewarding to see them compete at the regional and national USATF Junior Olympic levels.”
During the season, WindWard competes in races to build up to the New England Championships.
“The way it works is that there are a bunch of meets in the New England region that lead up to Region 1, which is New York and New England. If the athletes do well, then they get to go to nationals,” Ryan Megenedy said. “We had five local meets, then the New England championship, where we had six athletes compete.”
WindWard will be back in the fall with the cross country season. For more information, head to its website: https://www.windwardtf.com
