It was a marathon of a day for St. Mary’s track and field program, featuring a rare doubleheader.
Saturday morning, the team traveled south to Braintree for the Catholic Central League’s annual Middle School, Freshman, and Sophomore Meet, in which only 10th graders and below were allowed to compete from the nine CCL schools.
It was a positive day under the sun for the Spartans, with the boys taking first place and girls taking second.
“I think we can see that the future of the program is bright,” said St. Mary’s Coach Tristan Smith.
The boys finished with 176 points, narrowly beating out runner-up Archbishop Williams (168).
Key performances came from Kevin Cahill (first place, 400m hurdles), Jackson Chevalier (first place, long jump), Josiah Madden (second place, 400m hurdles), Collin Spates (second place, 400m), and Will Potter (third place, 800m).
Freshman Isaiah Balaba took second in high jump in his first-ever time competing in the event, and eighth-grader Lucian Paula took second in the 200m in his first meet competing in the event as well. Eighth grader Matthew Melanson threw a personal best in the discus, smashing his previous best by 50 feet.
Smith held special praise for sophomore Will Potter, who walked off a win as the anchor of the 4x400m relay, the final event of the day that sealed the win.
“This meet is always about seeing the future leaders of the program, and Will certainly stepped up to motivate the team to pull together and win,” Smith said.
On the girls’ side, the Spartans were one of only two teams to crack 100 points, scoring 120 to be the runners-up behind Cardinal Spellman’s 144 points. Key performances included first-place finishes from Daniella Leo (800m), Andrea Basta (400m), and double-winner Kelsey Kwiatek (2-mile, mile). There were strong showings from Lea Deronja in the 100m, 200m, and high jump, Sarah Terrien in the 400m hurdles and 2-mile, and a first-place finish from the 4x400m relay team of Nina Lopes, Angelys Toro, Andrea Basta, and Mia Tatis. Toro stepped up last minute when a teammate was unable to compete, helping bring home the win.
“The girls team pulled together and everyone stepped up big time. I am particularly impressed with the role models we have in sophomores Daniella Leo and Kelsey Kwiatek,” Smith said.
From there, the upperclassmen continued south to the Greater New Bedford Vocational Technical Twilight Invitational, where the temperature cooled, but hot performances kept coming.
It started with a bang as junior Justin Jennings threw a school record 132-7 in the discus.
“Justin picked up discus just this season for the first time and has shattered expectations,” Smith said.
Brandon Cruz also broke a school record – his own – in the shot put with a heave of 45-0.5.
Jillian Roberts and Jazmin Rodriguez tied for sixth in the high jump, both jumping 4-8. Tina Amin also impressed, taking third place in the long jump.
Jacobi James and Damion Smith both ran state-qualifying times in the 400m hurdles. Nicholas Fusco ran a 10:37 in the 2-mile – good for a fifth-place medal.
The relays closed out the day under the lights, with the boys 4×100 team of Jason Perry, Devin Duval, Mehdi Khemmich, and Dylan Njika taking second, while the girls 4×100 team of Princess-Kailyn Njika, Tina Amin, Jillian Roberts, and Mia DeLeon took ninth.
Overall, Smith was happy with the day.
“It’s a long day, but the competition at this meet is worth it,” he said. “I’m so proud to say that St. Mary’s really represented well here in front of some of the top talent in The Commonwealth.”
The Spartans continue with a meet against host Bishop Feehan, Bishop Stang, and Cathedral Tuesday.
