Reading Track Posts Top Finishes in Division 3 State Relays
This article was written by resident Tom Grant, a parent of a student-athlete.
(6-8 minute read)
Girls finish 4th, Boys finish 2nd
Karmani Mirville leads the Rockets to a 6th place finish in the shuttle hurdles. Photo by Tom Grant.
Boys fall short by a mere four points, finishing 2nd out of 20 teams
Girls’ jumpers lead team to 4th place out of 24 teams
Multiple relay teams qualify for the Division 3 state championships
The Reading track teams drove down to Oliver Ames in Easton, MA on a cold, windy, and rainy day with big goals in mind. By the end of the day, both teams delivered impressive results, with the boys finishing second and the girls fourth. In addition to these strong results, each team was just a handful of points from moving up a spot in the rankings (four for the boys, one for the girls). Clearly, both teams will be targeting an even better outcome at the Division 3 state championships at the end of May.
Their next meet comes after only a day of rest as they take on a tough Arlington squad on Tuesday, May 5th.
Reading Girls’ Track Finishes Fourth with 41 points
Danielle Bowers explodes off the line in the 4x100 relay. Photo by Tom Grant.
Reading’s jumpers put on an incredible display, racking up 23 of the team’s 41 points. Led by senior star Isabelle Lightbody (7.66 points), who pulled off the incredible feat of scoring in all three jumping relays, the team finished first in the triple jump relay, tied for second in the high jump relay, and third in the long jump relay. Lightbody had the longest triple jump of any competitor in the entire field at 35-08. Senior Katherine Savio (5.66 points) did double duty in the high jump and triple jump, and logged the team’s top height in the high jump at 4-10.25. Sophomore Anabelle Repucci (4.33 points) also doubled up, putting up top ten overall efforts in both the high jump and the long jump.
The following table lists the field athletes who achieved personal bests this meet. Note runners cannot achieve personal bests in a relay event.
On the track, the 4x200 team put on a display, earning the team’s only other first-place finish with a time of 1:48.05. The relay squad of Anabelle Repucci, Danielle Bowers, Rachel Grady, and Kamryn Encarnacao took first by almost a full second. Other points from the runners came from the 4x100 (5th place), the 4x100H (7th), and the 4x400 (7th). Also notable was the 4x800 squad, which, despite not placing, still hit the qualifying time for the Division 3 state championships. Look for them to come back ready to crack the top eight at the end of May.
While the field teams did not reach the podium this year, two throwers hit personal bests. Freshman Kathleen Wong led the way in the discus with a personal best of 73-06, and senior Piper Martin was just behind in a personal best of 70’-11”.
Tess Weaver pushes for the finish, cheered on by teammates. Photo by Tom Grant.
Reading Boys’ Track Finishes a Close Second
Reading boys showed both their depth and top-end skill by placing in every event except one and winning three (4x200, 4x400, and 4x800). In the 4x200, the team of Zalen Puff, Ryan Pulpi, Matthew Dougherty, and Jamison Bentley pushed past second-place finisher (and eventual overall champion) Walpole by just 28 hundredths of a second in 1:31.30. The 4x400 team delivered a more comfortable victory, as the team beat Walpole by over four seconds in 3:28.01. This relay team, composed of Domenic Pate, Jack Millerick, Owen Sinclair, and Ryan Pulpi, set the 9th fastest time in the state this year. The winning 4x800 team of Cameron Gigler, Sebastian Orsini, Declan Grant, and Finn Johnson-Houlihan completed their two-mile race in 8:26.60, the 19th-fastest time in the state this year. Both the 4x400 and the 4x800 teams also qualified for the Division 3 State Championships.
The only slight disappointment of the meet was a missed handoff in the 4x100 by Reading’s “A” team. However, the “B” team of Matthew Dougherty, Jack Millerick, Jack Murphy, and Domenic Pate stepped up when needed and finished in sixth place, delivering an important three points.
Luke Rogerson launches his top throw en route to a second place in the Javelin relay. Photo by Tom Grant.
On the field, the throwers delivered a second place in the Javelin relay, and the jumpers hit second place in the triple, despite missing injured junior Michael Caraco. The javelin relay was led by Nationals-bound senior Luke Rogerson with a throw of 180-06. Per his usual, Rogerson led the rest of the field by over ten feet. However, because this is a relay, the Rockets needed other throwers to step up. Fortunately, Brody Ruggiero and Jared Wright were up to the challenge. Ruggiero’s toss of 130-04 and Wright’s personal best throw of 121-07 got Reading within 2.5 feet of first place, just behind Masconomet. In the triple jump, senior Matthew Forse led the way with a leap of 40-05.50, closely followed by sophomore Ryan Audley (38-09) and senior Tristan Jenkins (38-06). The team needed every inch of all those jumps, as they finished only three-quarters of an inch ahead of third-place Melrose.
Other Reading relay teams that placed at the meet.
The following table lists the field athletes who achieved personal bests this meet. Note runners cannot achieve personal bests in a relay event.