COACHES INVITE SEES NOONAN GO US #3 IN THE MILE & DEARDORF TURN HEADS
Meet Information
MSTCA Coaches Invitational
January 27, 2024
Reggie Lewis Center - Boston, MA
RESULTS
BOSTON, MA - The Minutemen were back at Reggie Lewis on Saturday for the annual MSTCA Coaches Invitational. With Championship Season on the horizon, this meet offered LHS's student-athletes one final chance to get in some solid competition and improve their seeds before they prepare to lay it all on the line for their teams at the Middlesex and MIAA Division 1 Championships in February.
Perhaps the highlight of the day for The Minutemen came from freshman sensation Patrick Noonan. One of the nation's best distance runners during his debut Cross Country season, the young harrier has had a slow start to his Indoor Track & Field career. However, after Saturday's performance, it is clear he has come back to form at just the right time. Noonan raced the Mile, and through the opening 800m he sat dead last in the seeded section. However, he calmly moved his way up through the crowded field, and with 200m to go made a swift move that carried him to a seventh place finish in a time of 4:25.37. In addition to a new personal best that time now ranks Noonan US #3 among freshman in the Mile, just a half-second off of the national lead held by Landon Harris (MO). Along with Noonan's big day, the other half of Lexington's dynamic distance duo - senior captain Joey "The Candyman" Ryan - took care of business in the 2 Mile. After the seeded section went out in a pedestrian 4:52, the Candyman took over and controlled the race the rest of the way. He moved away from a talented field over the final eight laps and won going away with a new PR of 9:32.82. In a day filled with success for The Minutemen, the Candyman had Lexington's only golden ticket on the day.
The story of the day for the Lex Girls started and finished with sophomore sensation Aubrey Deardorf. New spikes in hand, Deardorf blasted out of the blocks in and ran her way to a new PR of 7.38 seconds in the prelims of the 55m Dash. She would go on to earn a sixth place medal in the finals with a time of 7.44. Her preliminary performance now ranks her MA #15. Long Jump was the final event of the day, and Deardorf was back to compete in the event that put her on the map as a freshman when she placed fourth at the MIAA Division 1 Championships last spring. While she has struggled to find her form on the Long Jump runway this winter, Saturday it all came together. Deardorf matched her PR from Outdoor with a mark of 17'4.75" to place fifth overall, and flew over 17-feet on three of her six attempts. If Coaches was a sign of things to come for the star sophomore, then LHS could very well be watching its next great sprinter/jumper develop before its eyes. While Deardorf was dynamic inside the oval, it was Lucy Kontos who continued her breakout season on the track. The junior toed the line in the unseeded section of the 1000m, and was off to a conservative start through 400m. Then she began to move up through the crowded field, seemingly picking up speed with each strike of the ground. A furious final 200 saw Kontos cross the line with a huge PR of 3:06.36. She then put an exclamation point on her day, as she doubled back on the 4x800m Relay along with senior Samara McVey, freshman Callie Glenn, and sophomore Rose Neely. Her unofficial split of 2:23.7 on the second leg helped her team earn a sixth place medal with a season best time of 9:55.72.
Other Highlights for the Boys
Other Highlights for the Girls
Up Next
The Middlesex League Championships are scheduled for next Monday, February 5th at 4pm at The Track at New Balance. It will be an especially tough test for the Lex Girls after Woburn routed them just two weeks ago in the final dual meet of the season. However, despite a couple early season losses last year, Lexington took home both titles in February after the Boys and Girls Teams competed their hearts out against the best the Middlesex League could throw at them. Action from the 2024 edition of the Championships can be followed live HERE.
MSTCA Coaches Invitational
January 27, 2024
Reggie Lewis Center - Boston, MA
RESULTS
BOSTON, MA - The Minutemen were back at Reggie Lewis on Saturday for the annual MSTCA Coaches Invitational. With Championship Season on the horizon, this meet offered LHS's student-athletes one final chance to get in some solid competition and improve their seeds before they prepare to lay it all on the line for their teams at the Middlesex and MIAA Division 1 Championships in February.
Perhaps the highlight of the day for The Minutemen came from freshman sensation Patrick Noonan. One of the nation's best distance runners during his debut Cross Country season, the young harrier has had a slow start to his Indoor Track & Field career. However, after Saturday's performance, it is clear he has come back to form at just the right time. Noonan raced the Mile, and through the opening 800m he sat dead last in the seeded section. However, he calmly moved his way up through the crowded field, and with 200m to go made a swift move that carried him to a seventh place finish in a time of 4:25.37. In addition to a new personal best that time now ranks Noonan US #3 among freshman in the Mile, just a half-second off of the national lead held by Landon Harris (MO). Along with Noonan's big day, the other half of Lexington's dynamic distance duo - senior captain Joey "The Candyman" Ryan - took care of business in the 2 Mile. After the seeded section went out in a pedestrian 4:52, the Candyman took over and controlled the race the rest of the way. He moved away from a talented field over the final eight laps and won going away with a new PR of 9:32.82. In a day filled with success for The Minutemen, the Candyman had Lexington's only golden ticket on the day.
The story of the day for the Lex Girls started and finished with sophomore sensation Aubrey Deardorf. New spikes in hand, Deardorf blasted out of the blocks in and ran her way to a new PR of 7.38 seconds in the prelims of the 55m Dash. She would go on to earn a sixth place medal in the finals with a time of 7.44. Her preliminary performance now ranks her MA #15. Long Jump was the final event of the day, and Deardorf was back to compete in the event that put her on the map as a freshman when she placed fourth at the MIAA Division 1 Championships last spring. While she has struggled to find her form on the Long Jump runway this winter, Saturday it all came together. Deardorf matched her PR from Outdoor with a mark of 17'4.75" to place fifth overall, and flew over 17-feet on three of her six attempts. If Coaches was a sign of things to come for the star sophomore, then LHS could very well be watching its next great sprinter/jumper develop before its eyes. While Deardorf was dynamic inside the oval, it was Lucy Kontos who continued her breakout season on the track. The junior toed the line in the unseeded section of the 1000m, and was off to a conservative start through 400m. Then she began to move up through the crowded field, seemingly picking up speed with each strike of the ground. A furious final 200 saw Kontos cross the line with a huge PR of 3:06.36. She then put an exclamation point on her day, as she doubled back on the 4x800m Relay along with senior Samara McVey, freshman Callie Glenn, and sophomore Rose Neely. Her unofficial split of 2:23.7 on the second leg helped her team earn a sixth place medal with a season best time of 9:55.72.
Other Highlights for the Boys
- Senior Victor Yu had a massive day in the 55m Dash as he ran a personal best of 6.69 in the prelims, and placed 10th overall; junior Tim George finished 33rd with a PR of 6.84 seconds.
- Not to be overlooked, freshman Owen Ross quietly continued his stellar freshman campaign with yet another PR of 4:43.12, which ranks him US #24 in his class in the Mile.
Other Highlights for the Girls
- The Girls Mile saw freshman Callie Glenn race from the back early on before she made the move up to seventh place overall with a new personal best of 5:20.81.
- Alyssa McKee achieved the Freshman Division standard at New Balance Indoor Nationals in the 55m Dash with a PR of 7.83 seconds; sophomore Anika Steinbrecher (7.93) ran a PR of her own.
- Sophomore Rose Neely finished 13th overall in the 600m with a new PR of 1:43.52; junior Caroline Kvaal turned in a season best of 1:46.29.
- In the 300m, senior captain Jada Solomon dipped under 45-seconds for the first time as she crossed the line in 44.86 seconds.
- The Long Jump saw Bruguers Sagues turned in a personal best leap of 15'4.50".
Up Next
The Middlesex League Championships are scheduled for next Monday, February 5th at 4pm at The Track at New Balance. It will be an especially tough test for the Lex Girls after Woburn routed them just two weeks ago in the final dual meet of the season. However, despite a couple early season losses last year, Lexington took home both titles in February after the Boys and Girls Teams competed their hearts out against the best the Middlesex League could throw at them. Action from the 2024 edition of the Championships can be followed live HERE.