JIANG MAKES HIS MARK AT NEW ENGLANDS; BREAKS 47 YEAR OLD SCHOOL RECORD
Meet Information
New England Championships
March 4, 2023
Reggie Lewis Center - Boston, MA
RESULTS
BOSTON, MA - For the final time of the 2023-2023 Indoor Track & Field season, The Minutemen were at the Reggie Lewis Center. Competing at the New England Championships for the Boys after their top six finishes last week at the MIAA Meet of Champions were seniors Jayden Bai and Michael Gerfen in the 55m Hurdles, the 4x200m Relay of Bai, and fellow classmates Jake Wheaton, Branndon Uda-Thach, and Alexios Kontothanassis, and Allen Jiang in the Shot Put. The lone female athlete for The Minutemen was senior Uma Sanker who competed in the 1000m. While across the board the LHS athletes had a strong day, the story of the meet for The Minutemen was the performance of Jiang
The senior has had a tremendous winter campaign that saw him be all but unbeatable in Middlesex League action, which included breaking the championship record at the Middlesex League Meet in early February with a then personal best of 51'5.75". Jiang then raised his level at the Division 1 Championships, where he led an LHS sweep of the Shot Put podium with a throw of 52'1.50" to grab gold. Last week at the Meet of Champions, he again raised the bar, eclipsing the 53-foot mark for the first time with a throw of 53'2.50" to earn the bronze medal. That all brought us to Saturday, where he came to Reggie Lewis with two goals. Achieve the New Balance Indoor Nationals standard of 54'0", and break Bill Stewart's (LHS '76) school record of 54'0.75" that has stood since the Bicentennial. Jiang got off to a slow start with his first throw travelling just over 48-feet. However, he found his form on his second throw that landed 51'8.50" and put him in position to make the finals going into the last round of throws in the prelims. It was in that round that he found what he was looking for. Jiang unleashed the 12-pound ball from the circle, and let out a massive roar when it landed well beyond the 50-foot line in the sector. From there, he anxiously waited for officials to determine the measurement. When they finally called out the distance of 54'7", it was official. He was the new king of the Shot Put at Lexington High School. Jiang had two more solid throws in the finals, before adding the cherry on top of his historic day with his final throw. With the crowd fully engaged in a slow clap, the new LHS record holder uncorked the Shot 54'7.25" to cement his record and earn the bronze medal in the event with a top 100 performance in the country.
Other Highlights from the Track
Up Next
The Minutemen will now return to The Track at New Balance for the New Balance Indoor Nationals. On the Boys' side, the four day long championships will feature freshmen Andrew Gu (60m Dash) and Colin Smith (800m) competing against the best ninth graders in the nation. The Minutemen also have three relays competing, as the Shuttle Hurdle, 4x200m, and 4x400m squads have all qualified. As for individuals, the Bomb Squad will be well represented with Jiang, captain Jack Ngo, and senior Kaden "the Sundance Kid" Cassidy in the Weight Throw; Jiang will also compete in the Shot Put. Additionally, Uda-Thach will be in the 200m. The Lex Girls' hurdle crew will also be competing in the Shuttle Relay, and the team also qualified a DMR. LHS senior captain Ava Criniti will toe the line in the 2 Mile. Also representing Lexington is an athlete from LHS Girls Head Coach Emmett O'Brien's Diamond Middle School program. 14-year old Patrick Noonan will compete in the Middle School Mile on Thursday night. All events can be streamed live for free HERE beginning Thursday.
New England Championships
March 4, 2023
Reggie Lewis Center - Boston, MA
RESULTS
BOSTON, MA - For the final time of the 2023-2023 Indoor Track & Field season, The Minutemen were at the Reggie Lewis Center. Competing at the New England Championships for the Boys after their top six finishes last week at the MIAA Meet of Champions were seniors Jayden Bai and Michael Gerfen in the 55m Hurdles, the 4x200m Relay of Bai, and fellow classmates Jake Wheaton, Branndon Uda-Thach, and Alexios Kontothanassis, and Allen Jiang in the Shot Put. The lone female athlete for The Minutemen was senior Uma Sanker who competed in the 1000m. While across the board the LHS athletes had a strong day, the story of the meet for The Minutemen was the performance of Jiang
The senior has had a tremendous winter campaign that saw him be all but unbeatable in Middlesex League action, which included breaking the championship record at the Middlesex League Meet in early February with a then personal best of 51'5.75". Jiang then raised his level at the Division 1 Championships, where he led an LHS sweep of the Shot Put podium with a throw of 52'1.50" to grab gold. Last week at the Meet of Champions, he again raised the bar, eclipsing the 53-foot mark for the first time with a throw of 53'2.50" to earn the bronze medal. That all brought us to Saturday, where he came to Reggie Lewis with two goals. Achieve the New Balance Indoor Nationals standard of 54'0", and break Bill Stewart's (LHS '76) school record of 54'0.75" that has stood since the Bicentennial. Jiang got off to a slow start with his first throw travelling just over 48-feet. However, he found his form on his second throw that landed 51'8.50" and put him in position to make the finals going into the last round of throws in the prelims. It was in that round that he found what he was looking for. Jiang unleashed the 12-pound ball from the circle, and let out a massive roar when it landed well beyond the 50-foot line in the sector. From there, he anxiously waited for officials to determine the measurement. When they finally called out the distance of 54'7", it was official. He was the new king of the Shot Put at Lexington High School. Jiang had two more solid throws in the finals, before adding the cherry on top of his historic day with his final throw. With the crowd fully engaged in a slow clap, the new LHS record holder uncorked the Shot 54'7.25" to cement his record and earn the bronze medal in the event with a top 100 performance in the country.
Other Highlights from the Track
- The 4x200m Relay ran a gutsy race to earn the silver medal with a time of 1:30.47.
- Bai placed fifth overall in the 55m Hurdles with a time of 7.81 seconds; Gerfen (7.88) turned in a PR in the final indoor hurdle race of his career to finish ninth in the field.
- In the 1000m it was Sanker who finished 12th with a time of 3:02.43.
Up Next
The Minutemen will now return to The Track at New Balance for the New Balance Indoor Nationals. On the Boys' side, the four day long championships will feature freshmen Andrew Gu (60m Dash) and Colin Smith (800m) competing against the best ninth graders in the nation. The Minutemen also have three relays competing, as the Shuttle Hurdle, 4x200m, and 4x400m squads have all qualified. As for individuals, the Bomb Squad will be well represented with Jiang, captain Jack Ngo, and senior Kaden "the Sundance Kid" Cassidy in the Weight Throw; Jiang will also compete in the Shot Put. Additionally, Uda-Thach will be in the 200m. The Lex Girls' hurdle crew will also be competing in the Shuttle Relay, and the team also qualified a DMR. LHS senior captain Ava Criniti will toe the line in the 2 Mile. Also representing Lexington is an athlete from LHS Girls Head Coach Emmett O'Brien's Diamond Middle School program. 14-year old Patrick Noonan will compete in the Middle School Mile on Thursday night. All events can be streamed live for free HERE beginning Thursday.