BACKERT ROARING TO VICTORY IN THE 600 HIGHLIGHTS ALL-STATES FOR LHS
Meet Information
MIAA Auerbach All-State Championships
February 22, 2020
Reggie Lewis Track & Field Center - Boston, MA.
RESULTS
BOSTON, MA - Saturday The Minutemen competed against the best the Bay State had to offer at the All-State Championships. Unlike in many MIAA sports, Track & Field is one of the few where the entire Commonwealth competes for the right to call themselves Massachusetts State Champions. As was the case last year for the boys, Lowell High School took home the title by edging out Wellesley. The Minutemen showed very well by scoring 27 points en route to a fourth place finish in the team competition. On the girls side it was the ladies from Concord-Carlisle who took home the trophy with 22 points in an extremely tight race that saw the top 10 teams separated by a mere 7 points. Woburn, Newton North, and Austin Prep all earned a share of the second place trophy by scoring 21 points each. After their tremendous performance last week, LHS faltered on Saturday only managing 3 points and a 47th place finish overall.
The highlight of the day for The Minutemen was undoubtedly turned in by senior Josh Backert. Going into the meet as the top seed in the boys 600m, Backert knew he would be pushed to the limit by Weston senior Peter Diebold who had run the fastest time in Massachusetts this season. After a near false start by the Weston's top harrier the field was reset, the gun was fired, and the race was on. Diebold charged out to the lead and after going through the 400 split in 51.6 unofficially, Backert found himself behind Diebold as well as Newton South sophomore Justin Levy. The two appeared to be pulling away from Backert on the backstretch before he found one more gear that propelled him to pull even with his two competitors as the three boys turned for home. With a final push, Backert thundered down the homestretch and roared to victory with a US #3 time of 1:20.19. That time bested his own Lexington High School record by nearly a second and qualifying him for the National Championships in March.
Other Highlights from the Track
Final Boys Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Lowell - 46.50
2. Wellesley - 42
3. Newton North - 35
4. Lexington - 27
5. Acton-Boxborough - 21.50
6. Stoughton - 21
7. Franklin - 19
7. Lawrence - 19
9. King Philip - 16
10. Xaverian Brothers - 15
Final Girls Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Concord-Carlisle - 22
2. Woburn - 21
2. Newton North - 21
2. Austin Prep - 21
5. Newton South - 20
6. Peabody - 19
7. Wellesley - 18
8. Wachusett - 17
9. North Andover - 16
10. Shepherd Hill - 15
47. Lexington - 3
Up Next
Members of the LHS boys and girls teams will be competing in the USATF New England Indoor Championships tomorrow at the Gordon Indoor Track on the campus of Harvard University. The meet begins at 9:30am.
MIAA Auerbach All-State Championships
February 22, 2020
Reggie Lewis Track & Field Center - Boston, MA.
RESULTS
BOSTON, MA - Saturday The Minutemen competed against the best the Bay State had to offer at the All-State Championships. Unlike in many MIAA sports, Track & Field is one of the few where the entire Commonwealth competes for the right to call themselves Massachusetts State Champions. As was the case last year for the boys, Lowell High School took home the title by edging out Wellesley. The Minutemen showed very well by scoring 27 points en route to a fourth place finish in the team competition. On the girls side it was the ladies from Concord-Carlisle who took home the trophy with 22 points in an extremely tight race that saw the top 10 teams separated by a mere 7 points. Woburn, Newton North, and Austin Prep all earned a share of the second place trophy by scoring 21 points each. After their tremendous performance last week, LHS faltered on Saturday only managing 3 points and a 47th place finish overall.
The highlight of the day for The Minutemen was undoubtedly turned in by senior Josh Backert. Going into the meet as the top seed in the boys 600m, Backert knew he would be pushed to the limit by Weston senior Peter Diebold who had run the fastest time in Massachusetts this season. After a near false start by the Weston's top harrier the field was reset, the gun was fired, and the race was on. Diebold charged out to the lead and after going through the 400 split in 51.6 unofficially, Backert found himself behind Diebold as well as Newton South sophomore Justin Levy. The two appeared to be pulling away from Backert on the backstretch before he found one more gear that propelled him to pull even with his two competitors as the three boys turned for home. With a final push, Backert thundered down the homestretch and roared to victory with a US #3 time of 1:20.19. That time bested his own Lexington High School record by nearly a second and qualifying him for the National Championships in March.
Other Highlights from the Track
- The 4x800m Relay of Selvin Backert, Evan Eberle, Josh Backert, and Andrew McGovern missed the title by one-hundredth of a second, finishing second and breaking their own school record with a time of 7:58.35.
- McGovern placed fourth in the 1000m with a big PR of 2:32.26.
- Senior Micah Benson ran a gutsy 2 Mile PR of 9:27.96 to place fifth in his specialty. His time also qualified him for the 5000m at Nationals.
- Representing the LHS "Bomb Squad" was senior Micahel Gupta, who's best throw in the Shot Put traveled 48'6.50" and landed him 10th overall.
- In the 300m, senior Colin Breen finished 15th with a time of 36.93.
- The 4x400m Relay of Breen, McGovern, and the Backert brothers finished 17th in a time of 3:34.02.
- Aleia Gisolfi-McCready placed sixth for the girls in the 300m with a time of 41.12 seconds.
- Freshman Ava Criniti (5:14.55) and senior captain Pauline Steines (5:18.76) finished 11th and 12th respectively in the Mile.
- Senior captain Lily Sheth was 16th in the 600m with a time of 1:40.05.
- The 4x200m Relay of senior captain Keena Gao, sophomore Mari McBride, junior Eileen Cannon, and Gisolfi-McCready finished 16th in 1:48.95.
Final Boys Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Lowell - 46.50
2. Wellesley - 42
3. Newton North - 35
4. Lexington - 27
5. Acton-Boxborough - 21.50
6. Stoughton - 21
7. Franklin - 19
7. Lawrence - 19
9. King Philip - 16
10. Xaverian Brothers - 15
Final Girls Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Concord-Carlisle - 22
2. Woburn - 21
2. Newton North - 21
2. Austin Prep - 21
5. Newton South - 20
6. Peabody - 19
7. Wellesley - 18
8. Wachusett - 17
9. North Andover - 16
10. Shepherd Hill - 15
47. Lexington - 3
Up Next
Members of the LHS boys and girls teams will be competing in the USATF New England Indoor Championships tomorrow at the Gordon Indoor Track on the campus of Harvard University. The meet begins at 9:30am.