GIRLS THRILLING 2ND PLACE FINISH AND BACKERT'S LHS RECORD HIGHLIGHT DIVISIONALS
Meet Information
MIAA Division 1 Championships
February 12, 2020
Reggie Lewis Track & Field Center - Boston, MA.
RESULTS
BOSTON, MA - Wednesday night The Minutemen went up against the best large schools in the state at the Division 1 Championships. Lexington's girls placed third last year and were poised to make another run at the title this time around. After four hours of action packed competition The Minutemen sat in first place by .12 points over Brookline and, as all great track meets do, it all came down to the 4x400m Relay. LHS's relay of sophomore Elana Sabin, juniors Aylin Bruce and Catherine Movesessian, as well as senior captain Lily Sheth had the lead going into the final 100m of the race before Brookline junior Jamie Chamerlain (55m High Hurdle & Long Jump Champion) burst to the lead, edging Sheth by less than a second to take the team title. Despite the disappointing finish, on her third race of the meet, Sheth ran a personal best split of 59.8 seconds. The relay ran 4:08.68, one of the 11 season or personal bests turned in en route to their best finish at Divisionals since 2013. In the boys meet The Minutemen jumped seven places from their disappointing 11th place finish in 2019 by scoring 43 points to place fourth overall; while the boys from Lowell High School made it a three-peat, winning the title with 84 points.
On their way to the second place trophy the Lex girls were led by junior Aleia Gisolfi-McCready. The superstar sprinter began her day with a silver medal by running a PR of 40.80 in the 300m, just missing the school record by one-tenth of a second. She then came back to anchor the 4x200m Relay of senior captain Keena Gao, sophomore Mari McBride, and fellow classmate Eileen Cannon with a 25.3 second split. Just edging Brookline by one-hundredth of a second (1:46.73), earning her second silver medal of the night and another season best for LHS. The junior finished off her night by leading off the 4x800m Relay in 2:30.3. Her relay mates - senior captain Pauline Steines, Sheth, and freshman Ava Criniti - then took over and brought the team to a fourth place finish with another season best time of 9:48.18. Along with Gisolfi-McCready's big day, LHS's freshman phenom turned in a dynamite performance of her own. Before her run in the 4x8, Criniti unleashed a blistering 32 second final 200m, to cross the line with a ten second PR of 5:10.92 in the Mile. That time earned her a silver medal and now ranks her US #11 among freshman Milers.
On the boys side, The Minutemen were led by the Middlesex League's MVP senior Josh Backert. Entering the 600m as the top seed, Backert blasted away from the field by going through the 400m in 52 seconds. He then was able to hold on in the final lap to run a win the race in a personal best and new school record time of 1:21.16. Backert's time ranks him US #8 and breaks the 14 year old record of former LHS 07' superstar and NCAA All-American Meikle Paschal - who still has his name on seven other LHS records. After the 600, Backert came back less than 30 minutes later to finish 14th in the 300m before anchoring the 4x400m Relay of seniors Colin Breen, Selvin Backert, and Andrew McGovern in 50.1. That run gave the boys a fourth place finish in a time of 3:28.79.
Other Highlights for the Girls
Final Girls Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Brookline - 62
2. Lexington - 60.12
3. Newton North - 55.20
4. Wachusett - 42
5. Peabody - 37
6. Newton South - 33.50
7. Brockton - 31
8. Andover - 25.20
9. Boston Latin.- 21
10. Franklin - 19
Other Highlights for the Boys
Final Boys Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Lowell - 84
2. Newton North - 64
3. Acton-Boxborough - 44
4. Lexington - 43
5. Saint John's Prep - 30
6. Lawrence - 28
7. Brockton - 24
8. Xaverian Brothers - 22
8. Franklin - 22
8. Brookline - 22
Up Next
The Minutemen will be represented at the 10th Massachusetts Weight Throw Invitational by defending champion Michael Gupta. The meet - at Reggie Lewis - is Wednesday February 18th at 11:00am.
MIAA Division 1 Championships
February 12, 2020
Reggie Lewis Track & Field Center - Boston, MA.
RESULTS
BOSTON, MA - Wednesday night The Minutemen went up against the best large schools in the state at the Division 1 Championships. Lexington's girls placed third last year and were poised to make another run at the title this time around. After four hours of action packed competition The Minutemen sat in first place by .12 points over Brookline and, as all great track meets do, it all came down to the 4x400m Relay. LHS's relay of sophomore Elana Sabin, juniors Aylin Bruce and Catherine Movesessian, as well as senior captain Lily Sheth had the lead going into the final 100m of the race before Brookline junior Jamie Chamerlain (55m High Hurdle & Long Jump Champion) burst to the lead, edging Sheth by less than a second to take the team title. Despite the disappointing finish, on her third race of the meet, Sheth ran a personal best split of 59.8 seconds. The relay ran 4:08.68, one of the 11 season or personal bests turned in en route to their best finish at Divisionals since 2013. In the boys meet The Minutemen jumped seven places from their disappointing 11th place finish in 2019 by scoring 43 points to place fourth overall; while the boys from Lowell High School made it a three-peat, winning the title with 84 points.
On their way to the second place trophy the Lex girls were led by junior Aleia Gisolfi-McCready. The superstar sprinter began her day with a silver medal by running a PR of 40.80 in the 300m, just missing the school record by one-tenth of a second. She then came back to anchor the 4x200m Relay of senior captain Keena Gao, sophomore Mari McBride, and fellow classmate Eileen Cannon with a 25.3 second split. Just edging Brookline by one-hundredth of a second (1:46.73), earning her second silver medal of the night and another season best for LHS. The junior finished off her night by leading off the 4x800m Relay in 2:30.3. Her relay mates - senior captain Pauline Steines, Sheth, and freshman Ava Criniti - then took over and brought the team to a fourth place finish with another season best time of 9:48.18. Along with Gisolfi-McCready's big day, LHS's freshman phenom turned in a dynamite performance of her own. Before her run in the 4x8, Criniti unleashed a blistering 32 second final 200m, to cross the line with a ten second PR of 5:10.92 in the Mile. That time earned her a silver medal and now ranks her US #11 among freshman Milers.
On the boys side, The Minutemen were led by the Middlesex League's MVP senior Josh Backert. Entering the 600m as the top seed, Backert blasted away from the field by going through the 400m in 52 seconds. He then was able to hold on in the final lap to run a win the race in a personal best and new school record time of 1:21.16. Backert's time ranks him US #8 and breaks the 14 year old record of former LHS 07' superstar and NCAA All-American Meikle Paschal - who still has his name on seven other LHS records. After the 600, Backert came back less than 30 minutes later to finish 14th in the 300m before anchoring the 4x400m Relay of seniors Colin Breen, Selvin Backert, and Andrew McGovern in 50.1. That run gave the boys a fourth place finish in a time of 3:28.79.
Other Highlights for the Girls
- Gao earned the bronze medal in the Long Jump by leaping 17'2"; prior to that, with one shoe untied she placed fifth with a PR of 7.58 in the 55m Dash.
- Perhaps the biggest surprise of the meet came from Chrisondra Awomah who's top throw (36'6.50") flew a foot and a half farther than her season best; the senior placed fourth overall.
- Another huge personal best was turned in by sophomore Clara Fu, who's 37 second final 200m led her to a 15 second PR (11:40.20) and a fifth place finish in the 2 Mile.
- The 4x400m ended up placing fifth overall in a season best time of 4:08.68.
- In the first race of her difficult triple - the 600m - Sheth placed sixth with a season best 1:38.93.
- Before her 2:24.6 split in the 4x8, Steines ran a PR of 5:17.03 to place sixth in the Mile.
- Senior captain Rachel Caldwell-Glixon was sixth in the Long Jump with a best of 16'7".
- McBride (4'10") finished in an eight-way tie for eighth place in the High Jump.
- Cannon ran a big PR of 43.66 in the 300m to finish 12th overall.
- Sophomore Carolyn Lane ran a PR of 9.61 in the 55m High Hurdles to finish 21st.
- Competing in her first Divisional meet, senior Isabel Siu-Zmuidzinas finished 15th, just off her PR, with a time of 3:17.79.
Final Girls Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Brookline - 62
2. Lexington - 60.12
3. Newton North - 55.20
4. Wachusett - 42
5. Peabody - 37
6. Newton South - 33.50
7. Brockton - 31
8. Andover - 25.20
9. Boston Latin.- 21
10. Franklin - 19
Other Highlights for the Boys
- Battling through an extremely physical 1000m, McGovern picked up the bronze medal with a PR of 2:34.55; sophomore Evan Eberle (2:35.79) was sixth with a PR of his own.
- Senior Micah Benson placed third in the 2 Mile with a time of 9:34.44.
- Also placing in the 600m was junior Stephen Joseph who ran a big PR of 1:23.90 to place fifth.
- Representing LHS's "Bomb Squad" was senior Michael Gupta who's throw of 48'11.25" in the Shot Put placed fifth overall.
- The 4x800m Relay of Eberle, sophomore Traver Smith III, Joseph, and McGovern ran 8:10.97 to place fifth.
- Breen ran a PR of 36.23 to place 8th in the 300m.
- Ian Richter turned in a personal best (8.11) and 11th place finish in the 55m Hurdles.
- Senior Jack Stevens (1:27.11) competed in his first individual race at Divisonals and ran just of his personal best in the 600m.
Final Boys Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Lowell - 84
2. Newton North - 64
3. Acton-Boxborough - 44
4. Lexington - 43
5. Saint John's Prep - 30
6. Lawrence - 28
7. Brockton - 24
8. Xaverian Brothers - 22
8. Franklin - 22
8. Brookline - 22
Up Next
The Minutemen will be represented at the 10th Massachusetts Weight Throw Invitational by defending champion Michael Gupta. The meet - at Reggie Lewis - is Wednesday February 18th at 11:00am.