Day 1 of the MIAA Meet of Champions
This article was written by resident Tom Grant, a parent of a student-athlete.
(2-minute read)
Finn Johnson-Houlihan (4th from right) competing in the 2-mile event at the Division 3 Championships. Photo by Casey Johnson-Houlihan.
On a day when the temperatures were in the 90s, the top track and field athletes from around the state descended upon Merrimack College for the first day of the MIAA Meet of Champions on Thursday, June 4th. After day 1, Reading has a champion of champions and a new school record. Senior Ryan Pulpi beat all comers in all divisions and won the 200m in 21.06, the fastest time in the state in four years and a new school record. This is the second week in a row that Pulpi has set the school record in the 200m.
There was some concern for Pulpi in the preliminary rounds of the 200m, as the first heat had a very strong tailwind and ended up with three runners under 22 seconds. However, Pulpi did what he needed to do to make the final by winning his heat and qualifying in sixth (all heat winners plus the next four fastest times make the final). When the final went off, it was clear who the top runner was, and Pulpi won by 0.36 seconds.
Other first-day participants for Reading:
Isabelle Lightbody - triple jump (35-08.00; 18th)
Kamryn Encarnacao - 200m (25.66; 12th)
Finn Johnson-Houlihan - 2-mile (10:08.16; 30th)
Below is the Saturday lineup for Reading:
3:00 pm - Boys Javelin - Luke Rogerson
4:20 pm - Girls 100m - Kamryn Encarnacao
4:30 pm - Boys 100m - Zalen Puff
4:30 pm - Girls long jump - Annabelle Repucci and Isabelle Lightbody
4:30 pm - Boys high jump - Levi Emmanuel
5:20 pm - Boys 400m - Ryan Pulpi
6:10 pm - Boys 4x800 - Sebastian Orsini, Max King, Cam Gigler, Finn Johnson-Houlihan
6:30 pm - Girls 4x100 - Annabelle Repucci, Isabelle Lightbody, Rachel Grady, Kamryn Encarnacao
6:35 pm - Boys 4x100 - Brady LaMontagne, Zalen Puff, Matthew Dougherty, Domenic Pate
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