Reading Track Gears Up for Middlesex League Championships
This article was written by resident Tom Grant, a parent of a student-athlete.
(8-10 minute read)
The Middlesex League is tough and deep in every sport, and track and field is no exception. Despite their winning records in dual meets this season, both the boys and the girls will have to bring their best to the Middlesex League Championships on Wednesday, May 20th, to place among the top three teams. In 2025, the girls finished 3rd while the boys finished 7th, demonstrating how challenging the Championships can be. Then again, it is also possible that some runners could either sit out the Championships or just take on a smaller load of events, and instead gear up for the Division 3 state championships next week. One reason the Rockets may shift their focus to the state championships is that Lexington presents a formidable challenge in the League Championships, but it will not be at the Division 3 state championships because it is in Division 1.
Either way, here is a rundown of the events and how Reading potentially stacks up. The rankings represent the top three times in that event so far this season in the Middlesex League. Note that the Middlesex League Championships have qualifying times for participation. More Reading runners qualified for the Championships than are mentioned below. In addition, some athletes are mentioned even if their time or distance did not meet the qualification standard. This is because they put up Reading’s best performance in that event this year. A Reading athlete whose performance has met the qualifying standard has his or her time/distance noted with an asterisk. Best of luck to all who are participating.
Girls Middlesex League Championships Preview
100m
Kamryn Encarnacao has only been beaten once in a dual meet this season in the 100m, and it was against Lexington. Since then, Encarnacao has been delivering faster and faster times. At this point, she ranks only two hundredths of a second behind Lexington’s Aubrey Deardorf. This will be one of the closest and most exciting events on Wednesday.
Aubrey Deardorf - 12.50 - Lexington
Kamryn Encarnacao - 12.52* - Reading
Sabina Green - 12.88 - Lexington
200m
In a similar story to the 100m, Kamryn Encarnacao has posted improving times all season long in the 200m, but still ranks a close second behind a Lexington runner. While we will not know which event(s) Encarnacao will run until entries are posted on Wednesday, be it the 100m or the 200m (or both), she is likely to be battling all the way to the end with a Lexington sprinter.
Felice Haverly - 26.09 - Lexington
Kamryn Encarnacao - 26.20* - Reading
Sabina Green - 26.40 - Lexington
400m
Reading’s 4x400 team will look for a podium finish at the Division 3 championships on May 3, 2026. Photo by Tom Grant.
Tessa Rock and Hannah Kenton lead Reading into the 400m, as both have exactly the same best time during the season at 1:02.61*. While it will be tough to get a top-three finish given the impressive times Lexington’s runners have been able to put up, placing in the top eight and scoring points for Reading is definitely a possibility for Rock and Kenton.
Felice Haverly - 58.50 - Lexington
Amelia Whorton - 59.68 - Lexington
Zara Zaidi - 59.85 - Lexington
800m
Freshman sensation Stella McLean has been Reading’s top 800m runner all year, and looks to have the best shot of placing in the 800m at the Championships. Her best this season is a 2:30.16*, but this is a deep field, as a number of teams besides Lexington have fast times this year, including Winchester, Belmont, and Melrose.
Amelia Whorton - 2:12.64 - Lexington
Julia Ramsey - 2:18.06 - Winchester
Jane Conrad - 2:22.41 - Lexington
1 mile
Another freshman - Eva Kirkwood - has been putting up top times for the Rockets in the mile this season. Kirkwood has seen her times improve at every meet, leading to a personal best of 5:40.70 against Woburn. However, when it comes to the distance events, Lexington sets a high standard.
Amelia Whorton - 4:57.21 - Lexington
Jane Conrad - 4:59.74 - Lexington
Callie Glenn - 5:09.07 - Lexington
2 mile
Senior Allison Juffre has recorded the best two-mile time this year for Reading at 13:07.02. However, just like the one-mile, Lexington’s distance team is unmatched in Massachusetts.
Jane Conrad - 10:50.94 - Lexington
Ella Tyson - 11:16.26 - Lexington
Ella Ferrell - 11:32.36 - Wakefield
100H
Isabelle Lightbody has had an impressive season on both the track and in the jumps. Whether she chooses to run hurdles or focus on the jumps, Lightbody has an excellent chance of bringing home multiple podium finishes.
Abigail Kohut - 15.42 - Lexington
Isabelle Lightbody - 15.84* - Reading
Amelia Kelley - 16.01 - Melrose
400H
Annabelle Shanley has posted the top time for Reading in the 400H this season at 1:17.20. There is a lot of depth in this event in the Middlesex League, meaning this should be a tight race to get into the top three finishers. It is also one of the few events where Lexington is not the favorite heading in.
Julia Ramsey - 1:08.31 - Winchester
Felice Haverly - 1:09.01 - Lexington
Sarojini Nath - 1:09.15 - Lexington
4x100
Reading’s sprinters have both top-end speed with Encarnacao and depth throughout their ranks, just what a 4x100 team needs to post fast times. Reading has put up the second-fastest time in the Middlesex League this year, with a 50.59* run by Alexa DeMarco, Danielle Bowers, Rachel Grady, and Kamryn Encarnacao. Watch out for this squad to pull an upset on Lexington at the Championships (assuming they run; final entries are not posted as of this writing)
4x400
While Lexington and Arlington have battled back and forth all season for top honors in the 4x400, one cannot count out Reading’s relay team of Hannah Kenton, Stella McLean, Samantha Lake, and Tessa Rock, whose time of 4:19.24* at the Woburn meet puts them only a couple of seconds off the best times in the league. On their best day, this team can run with anyone (assuming they run; final entries are not posted as of this writing).
4x800
Reading placed 17th in the Division 3 Relays in early May with a time of 11:20.53*. However, this is a very strong event for Melrose and Lexington, who each ran sub-ten minutes, as well as for Arlington, whose team ran a 10:02.94. Assuming Reading enters a team (final entries are not posted as of this writing), placing in this relay is a tough ask.
Shot Put
Junior Sarah Gustavsen has the longest throw of the season for Reading, at 24-11.75. Shot put is another event where Lexington has an athlete who is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the field. Her name is Ainsley Cuthbertson, and she regularly competes at the national level in discus and hammer.
Ainsley Cuthbertson - 41' 3.5" - Lexington
Emeline Boyer - 39' 1.5" - Melrose
Tasianna Benjamin - 34' 9.75" - Woburn
Discus
Reading freshman Kathleen Wong has the team’s longest throw of the discus this year at 73-06.00. Discus is another throwing event where it would be a shock if Cuthbertson of Lexington did not bring home the win.
Ainsley Cuthbertson - 146' 3" - Lexington
Emeline Boyer - 122' 9.25" - Melrose
Evelyn Radcliffe - 113' 10" - Lexington
Javelin
Javelin is the first (and only) event in which Lexington has no top-three performers in the league this year. Sophomore Maya Beaulieu has been Reading’s top athlete in the javelin for the past three meets, hitting a best of 81-09.00 against Arlington.
Aisling Donegan - 116' 2" - Melrose
Jessica Leehan - 110' 8" - Woburn
Viviana Cella - 106' 2" - Winchester
High Jump
Annabelle Repucci wins the high jump at home against Woburn on May 12, 2026. Photo by Tom Grant.
The top jumpers in the league are all very close in their best heights, so that anyone could take this title on Wednesday. Reading has top performers and good depth, so the Rockets have a chance to pull an upset. Not listed in the top three below are Isabelle Lightbody (4-11.75*) and Katherine Savio (4-10.25*), who are fourth and fifth in the league, respectively, and definitely in the mix for the podium.
Felice Haverly - 5' 2" - Lexington
Ella Radoslovich - 5' 0" - Arlington
Annabelle Repucci - 5' 0"* - Reading
Long Jump
Repucci and Lightbody lead a top-flight long jump team into the Championships. While the league’s top jumper, Aubrey Deardorf of Lexington, will be tough to match, never count out Reading’s jumps team.
Aubrey Deardorf - 19' 1" - Lexington
Annabelle Repucci - 18' 0.5"* - Reading
(tie) Isabelle Lightbody - 17' 5"* - Reading
(tie) Abigail Kohut - 17' 5" - Lexington
Triple Jump
It is a similar story in the triple jump as in the long jump for Reading. Lightbody leads the way for the Rockets, but this time it is senior Danielle Bowers (35-04.25*) who provides the depth.
Aubrey Deardorf - 37' 4.5" - Lexington
Isabelle Lightbody - 37' 0"* - Reading
Abigail Kohut - 36' 4" - Lexington
Boys Middlesex League Championships Preview
100m
Reading’s school record-holder Ryan Pulpi (10.71*) is a heavy favorite coming into the Championships. The Rockets bring depth too, in the form of junior Zalen Puff (11.32*) and freshman Brady LaMontagne (11.36*), so look for multiple scoring opportunities for Reading in the 100m.
Ryan Pulpi - 10.71* - Reading
Amari Mow - 10.94 - Lexington
Bennett Siino - 11.10 - Lexington
200m
Ryan Pulpi (11), Austin Lee (5), and Declan Grant (6) against Belmont on April 16. Photo by Tom Grant
Pulpi (21.98*) again brings the best time into the Championships, with LaMontagne (22.97*) and Puff (23.09*) close behind. Several sprinters across the league have run right around 23 seconds, meaning every step will count in this race.
Ryan Pulpi - 21.98* - Reading
Bennett Siino - 22.17 - Lexington
Cayden Chambers - 22.50 - Lexington
400m
Pulpi, for the third time, is again the top sprinter in the league at this event with a 49.00*. Pulpi also recently participated in the BSR Elite Scholastic Meet, where he clocked an eye-popping 47.31, breaking his own school record and getting in range of the state record in the 400m. Times from that meet are not considered when qualifying for the Championships, but suffice it to say that Pulpi is the big favorite in the 400m, should he choose to run it.
Ryan Pulpi - 49.00* - Reading
Bennett Siino - 50.50 - Lexington
Joshua DeCastro - 50.94 - Arlington
800m
Juniors Finn Johnson-Houlihan (1:58.60*) and Sebastian Orsini (1:59.39*) are part of a deep field that has had many runners already break two minutes. Expect to see impressive times coming out of this event on Wednesday, as Nico Peukert of Arlington recently ran a 1:53.10 at the same BSR Elite Scholastic Meet mentioned above.
Adam Caldwell - 1:55.96 - Melrose
Nico Peukert - 1:56.61 - Arlington
Matteo Sanchez de Rojas - 1:57.35 - Lexington
1 mile
Johnson-Houlihan (4:23.60*) has posted the fastest time in the league this year, but several Arlington and Lexington runners are certainly eager to take that title away. This one will come down to the final few meters.
Finn Johnson-Houlihan - 4:23.60* - Reading
Daichi Collins - 4:26.34 - Arlington
Patrick Noonan - 4:26.67 - Lexington
2 mile
Again, Johnson-Houlihan (9:25.07*) has the best time for the Rockets this season. However, it is unlikely he will run all three distance events. It is far more likely he will focus on winning one of them. If he chooses the two-mile, he will face a stiff test from Lexington’s incredibly deep distance team. The fourth and fifth-best times in the league this season have also come from Lexington.
Patrick Noonan - 9:19.47 - Lexington
Finn Johnson-Houlihan - 9:25.07* - Reading
Trevor Stevens - 9:44.69 - Lexington
110H
The Middlesex League often shows particular depth in one event, and this year it could be the 110H. Simon Tandeih (14.43) of Lexington and Nahshon Lubowa of Woburn (14.76) have run the second- and sixth-fastest times in all of Massachusetts this year. Reading senior Karmani Mirville (15.80*) has improved by almost a second since the beginning of the year, but will face a fast field at the Championships.
Simon Tandeih - 14.43 - Lexington
Nahshon Lubowa - 14.76 - Woburn
Leon Sekandi - 15.47 - Burlington
400H
Jamison Bentley (59.65*) has been Reading’s top hurdler in the 400H and broke the 60-second barrier in his final home meet. He will look to go even lower in the Championships, as he has to contend with a strong field.
Dawit Kulubya - 55.94 - Woburn
Evan Buonopane-Cohen - 57.89 - Wakefield
Breno Lousada - 57.94 - Stoneham
4x100
Reading has the fourth-best time in the league at 44.01* this year, but that was without star sprinter Ryan Pulpi. If both Reading and Lexington (42.53) put their best sprinters in this event, it will be decided by inches.
4x400
Reading posted the top time in the league with a run of 3:28.01*. Reading has the depth to win this event, but the teams with the second- and third-fastest times (Wakefield and Lexington) recorded times within a second of the Rockets. This one likely comes down to which team puts in their “A” relay squad.
4x800
Reading’s time of 8:26.60* is second in the league, well ahead of Wakefield (8:34.86) in third, but also well behind Lexington in first at 8:08.16. This event is tricky in a one-day competition, as the distance runners can only compete in one or two events, and a long relay like the 4x800 makes it that much more difficult to field your best team.
Shot Put and Discus
The previews for the shot put and the discus are one and the same - Thomas Wood of Stoneham and Franz Schroeder of Lexington are going to have two epic battles. Schroeder is a nationally competitive hammer thrower, but Wood has come out on top in the shot and the discus. If you are a fan of the throwing events, be sure to check these out on Wednesday. Junior Jamie Dudley’s best of 43-9.25* has him in the shot put and looking to finish in the top eight.
Shot Put
Thomas Wood - 56' 9.5" - Stoneham
Franz Schroeder - 51' 11.25" - Lexington
Perkins Augustin - 49' 6.25" - Burlington
Discus
Thomas Wood - 163' 5" - Stoneham
Franz Schroeder - 145' 8" - Lexington
Ethan Tedesco - 144' 1" - Burlington
Javelin
Reading’s Luke Rogerson (201-5.00*) is coming off a school record and his first throw over 200 feet. He is likely to take this event by a significant margin. Junior Brody Ruggiero (142-7.00*) had a big personal best at the Woburn meet and will look to see if he can break into the top eight at the league meet.
Luke Rogerson launches his top throw en route to a second place in the Javelin relay at Division 3 Relays on May 3, 2026. Photo by Tom Grant.
Luke Rogerson - 201' 5"* - Reading
Carter Jefferson - 169' 1" - Wakefield
Ryan Brooks - 168' 2" - Burlington
High Jump
Senior Levi Emmanuel (6-4.00*) is certainly making his presence felt in his first and only season of track. He has cleared six feet at each of the last five meets, winning two of them. He has put himself in the running for a podium finish as he currently ranks fifth in the league.
Weston Bunnell - 6' 7" - Stoneham
(tie) JaMauri Belmer - 6' 6" - Wakefield
(tie) Cleavon Manor Jr - 6' 6" - Lexington
Long Jump
Long jump is another event where the Middlesex League is very deep this year, with three different jumpers who have all hit 23 feet. Sophomore Ryan Audley (20-07.00*) will have to be at his best.
Simon Tandeih - 23' 10.5" - Lexington
JaMauri Belmer - 23' 2.75" - Wakefield
Amari Mow - 23' 0" - Lexington
Triple Jump
Audley (43-02.50*) represents Reading against another stacked field, but his best in this case is within range of the other top jumpers. Look for Audley to sneak into the top eight in the triple jump.
Malcom Were 46' 3.25" - Belmont
JaMauri Belmer - 45' 9.5" - Wakefield
Cleavon Manor Jr - 45' 1.75" - Lexington
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