AN INSTANT CLASSIC SEES LHS BOYS FALL TO THE ROCKETS; GIRLS ROLL TO 5-0
Meet Information
Reading Dual Meet
January 12, 2026
the TRACK at New Balance - Boston, MA
RESULTS
BOSTON, MA - On Monday The Minutemen traveled to the TRACK at New Balance for the last Middlesex League dual meet of the season. The meet also signified the final time Lexington High School's full squad competed together this winter. And what a competition it was. The boys and girls who lined up for Lexington left their hearts out there against rival Reading. In the boys meet, as all great track & field meets do, it all came down to the relays in what was a sensationally dramatic finish. Unfortunately, LHS fell short in both relays, and took their first dual meet loss of the season by a score of 46-54. Meanwhile, the Lex girls continued their dominant season, as they stormed their way to victory by a score of 77-23. To put in perspective how impressive their undefeated regular season has been, in dual meets there are 100 points on the line, which means scoring 51 points guarantees victory. Lexington's average margin of victory in their 5 dual meets has been an incredible 54 points.
Back to the boys, where things went pretty much according to expectations in the first two events of the meet. Senior captains Simon Tandeih (7.73), and Aidan Raney (8.41) placed 1st and 3rd in the 55m hurdles to score 6 points. Reading countered with their best, reigning state champion in the 400m, Ryan Pulpi, in the 55m dash, and the Rockets scored 6 points of their own. Lexington junior Cayden Chambers (6.69) was able to pick up 3 points with his 2nd place finish, and the meet was all knotted at 9. After the straightaway events wrapped up, eyes turned towards the throws area where the first fireworks of the night came out. LHS senior Christian Brown has always used the glide technique in the shot put. However, he quietly had been working with his teammate to develop a spin that would hopefully produce better results. To the surprise of everyone, on his first attempt he whirled around the circle, and dropped a 41-foot mark on his first competition throw with the new technique. That mark was a foot farther than his lifetime best. After a foul on his second throw, Brown then unleashed a 43'7.50" heave of the 12-pound ball that secured 2nd place behind the man who taught him how to spin, fellow classmate Franz Schroeder (45'7.75"). While the seniors did their job, Reading's Jamie Dudley rose to the occasion. With a 3-foot PR of his own on his final attempt, Dudley snatched 3rd place and 1 point in the event, and the score stood at 17-10.
Lexington's boys fought hard, but struggled through the middle distance events. Reading's Max King used a 30-second final 200m to run away with the mile. Junior Owen Ross (4:39.05), and senior Will Parker (4:41.27) were 2nd and 3rd. The Minutemen were swept out of the 600m, despite a 3-second season best of 1:29.74 by junior Eli Selsky. And, the Rockets' Cameron Gigler dropped a 29-second final lap, which bested juniors Arjun Raha (2:42.96) and Eric House (2:44.28) in the 1000m. That 19-8 margin of victory would have put Reading back in the lead, if not for the tremendous efforts of The Minutemen's jump squad.
Senior Cleavon Manor Jr battled injuries and illness throughout the winter, but was able to get himself out to 20'6.25" on his first attempt in the long jump. That mark was enough on Monday to win the event for The Minutemen, because both Reading's best jumper, and Tandeih simply could not find the board on their first two attempts. On his final attempt, Reading junior Michael Caraco, who's PR is over 21-feet, was able to make it out to 20'3.25". That put him in 2nd place with only Tandeih left for The Minutemen. With the pressure firmly on his shoulders, the captain charged down the runway, and landed right near Caraco's mark. When the official read out the distance of 20'5", the Lexington contingent breathed a sigh of relief, as they scored 8 points, and clung to a 33-30 lead. That lead quickly vanished, however, as Pulpi set the track on fire in the 300m. He stormed his way to a US #15 time of 34.04 seconds to win the event. To his credit, Chambers again did his best against a truly elite athlete. He ran a PR of 36.02 seconds to earn 2nd place. Reading picked up 3rd place in the event, and the meet was once again all tied, 36 points each. While the 2 mile was running on the oval, the pivotal event in the meet - to that point - was on the infield, as once again Tandeih and Manor Jr faced off against Caraco. This time, in the high jump. Manor Jr has been fairly consistent at 5'8" this season, but Tandeih had only jumped once in competition during the winter, and could not get over 5'10". Lexington's athletes are both elite competitors with championship pedigrees, but Caraco's PR of 6'2" made him a worthy opponent. After a pair of misses at a low height, Manor Jr was over 5'8" on his first attempt. That would be his best jump of the night, and guaranteed at least 1 point for LHS. Meanwhile, Tandeih failed to get over the bar at 5'8" on his first jump. Caraco cleared with ease, so there was no reason for Tandeih to jump again at the height, as in the event of a tie, it is the number of misses at each height that decides the winner. Lexington's jumps coach, Sam Anderson, took the gamble, and it paid off, as Tandeih soared over 5'10" on his first attempt. To his credit, Caraco matched Tandeih again with a first attempt clearance. And so the bar went up to 6'0", where Caraco again made the height on his first attempt. After The Minutemen's captain was twice unsuccessful to match Caraco's mark of 6 feet, a decision needed to be made. With only one final attempt left, the coaches decided to pass to 6'2", and see if Tandeih could do something special. Tandeih toed his mark on the apron, and singled the crowded to begin a slow clap as he prepared for his final attempt. The captain rounded the turn of his approach, and exploded off the ground and over the bar as the field house erupted in cheer! Now the pressure was firmly on the shoulders of Caraco, and he was unable to deliver. He missed his first attempt, and Tandeih took the lead in the event. In the end, the Reading junior was unable to make it over 6'2", which meant The Minutemen had earned 6 points, and the score was now 42-39.
Back on the oval, it was a familiar story for Lexington's distance squad. With the opportunity to secure at least a tie for their teams if they finished 1st and 2nd, senior Sam Finch (10:06.58) and senior captain Liam Singh (10:14.28) gave everything they had over the course of the race, but Reading's Andrew Princic had another gear in the final laps, and took the win. All of which led to the relays. With 5 points on the line in the 4x200m and the 4x400m, The Minutemen needed to win just one of the two in order to secure the victory. In the 4x2, sophomore Bennett Siino, junior Ben Alperovich, sophomore Yash Sankholkar, and Chambers got the call to try to beat Reading's team that had Pulpi on the anchor leg. Knowing they needed to give Chambers a big lead to hold off Reading's anchor, LHS's first three legs delivered strong legs, but the lead was not as wide as the team hoped. And, despite a 22.3-split by Chambers, he was caught just strides before the line by an electric leg from Pulpi. While there was drama littered throughout the 4x2, there was little in the 4x4. Lexington gave it their all, and ran a season best. However, it was not to be, as Reading ran an MA #7 time to win the relay, and earned a hard fought victory over The Minutemen.
The story of the meet for the Lex girls begins with the final performance of the night. No athlete on the LHS team has worked harder throughout their career than Ainsley Cuthbertson. She is a true 365 day a year athlete, who has been relentless in her preparation ahead of her senior campaign. A 30-foot thrower in the 20lb. weight throw as a freshman, that mark improved to 38-feet her sophomore year. It jumped up to 47-feet last winter. And, over the last 7 weeks, she has steadily climbed into the top 5 of the national rankings, with a PR of 56-feet. Monday, she achieved one of the goals she has chased over the last year. Cuthbertson had a bit of trouble putting it all together in the early rounds of competition. And yet, the ball was still flying well over 55 feet. When the superstar senior stepped into the ring for her 6th and final attempt of the night, she attacked the circle in a way she never has before. With a yell on her release, the ball screamed out into the sector, and crashed down well after the 17-meter line. As the laser measurement was being taken, the official was even shocked at the mark, as he had trouble getting the words out, "fifty-seven feet, nine, and three-quarter inches." That meant that Ainsley Cuthbertson had just delivered the #1 performance in the nation by nearly a foot. Along with her big day, fellow classmate Felice Haverly went toe-to-toe with Reading's Kamryn Encarnacao in the 300m. Encarnacao is a short sprint specialist who is explosive in the beginning of the race. The LHS senior knew she would need to hold off an early onslaught, if she was going to be able to get the win. She did just that. As Haverly approached the 100m mark, she felt the blitz of Encarnacao on her inside shoulder, and went to another gear. Haverly stayed strong around the final turn, and held on for the victory with new personal best of 41.78 seconds, which ranks her MA #6 in the event. It was a similar story in the 55m dash, as senior captain Aubrey Deardorf also was able to defeat Encarnacao. Deardorf burst out of the blocks, and charged her way to victory with a season best time of 7.35 seconds.
Other Highlights for the Boys
Other Highlights for the Girls
Up Next
This Sunday, January 18th, The Minutemen will get their first taste of action against the teams they will face at the Division 1 Championship in February, as they compete in the MSTCA Division 1 Relays. The meet is the ultimate test of depth, as each event is competed in a relay format, with a team title on the line. Action begins at the Reggie Lewis Center at 3pm.
Reading Dual Meet
January 12, 2026
the TRACK at New Balance - Boston, MA
RESULTS
BOSTON, MA - On Monday The Minutemen traveled to the TRACK at New Balance for the last Middlesex League dual meet of the season. The meet also signified the final time Lexington High School's full squad competed together this winter. And what a competition it was. The boys and girls who lined up for Lexington left their hearts out there against rival Reading. In the boys meet, as all great track & field meets do, it all came down to the relays in what was a sensationally dramatic finish. Unfortunately, LHS fell short in both relays, and took their first dual meet loss of the season by a score of 46-54. Meanwhile, the Lex girls continued their dominant season, as they stormed their way to victory by a score of 77-23. To put in perspective how impressive their undefeated regular season has been, in dual meets there are 100 points on the line, which means scoring 51 points guarantees victory. Lexington's average margin of victory in their 5 dual meets has been an incredible 54 points.
Back to the boys, where things went pretty much according to expectations in the first two events of the meet. Senior captains Simon Tandeih (7.73), and Aidan Raney (8.41) placed 1st and 3rd in the 55m hurdles to score 6 points. Reading countered with their best, reigning state champion in the 400m, Ryan Pulpi, in the 55m dash, and the Rockets scored 6 points of their own. Lexington junior Cayden Chambers (6.69) was able to pick up 3 points with his 2nd place finish, and the meet was all knotted at 9. After the straightaway events wrapped up, eyes turned towards the throws area where the first fireworks of the night came out. LHS senior Christian Brown has always used the glide technique in the shot put. However, he quietly had been working with his teammate to develop a spin that would hopefully produce better results. To the surprise of everyone, on his first attempt he whirled around the circle, and dropped a 41-foot mark on his first competition throw with the new technique. That mark was a foot farther than his lifetime best. After a foul on his second throw, Brown then unleashed a 43'7.50" heave of the 12-pound ball that secured 2nd place behind the man who taught him how to spin, fellow classmate Franz Schroeder (45'7.75"). While the seniors did their job, Reading's Jamie Dudley rose to the occasion. With a 3-foot PR of his own on his final attempt, Dudley snatched 3rd place and 1 point in the event, and the score stood at 17-10.
Lexington's boys fought hard, but struggled through the middle distance events. Reading's Max King used a 30-second final 200m to run away with the mile. Junior Owen Ross (4:39.05), and senior Will Parker (4:41.27) were 2nd and 3rd. The Minutemen were swept out of the 600m, despite a 3-second season best of 1:29.74 by junior Eli Selsky. And, the Rockets' Cameron Gigler dropped a 29-second final lap, which bested juniors Arjun Raha (2:42.96) and Eric House (2:44.28) in the 1000m. That 19-8 margin of victory would have put Reading back in the lead, if not for the tremendous efforts of The Minutemen's jump squad.
Senior Cleavon Manor Jr battled injuries and illness throughout the winter, but was able to get himself out to 20'6.25" on his first attempt in the long jump. That mark was enough on Monday to win the event for The Minutemen, because both Reading's best jumper, and Tandeih simply could not find the board on their first two attempts. On his final attempt, Reading junior Michael Caraco, who's PR is over 21-feet, was able to make it out to 20'3.25". That put him in 2nd place with only Tandeih left for The Minutemen. With the pressure firmly on his shoulders, the captain charged down the runway, and landed right near Caraco's mark. When the official read out the distance of 20'5", the Lexington contingent breathed a sigh of relief, as they scored 8 points, and clung to a 33-30 lead. That lead quickly vanished, however, as Pulpi set the track on fire in the 300m. He stormed his way to a US #15 time of 34.04 seconds to win the event. To his credit, Chambers again did his best against a truly elite athlete. He ran a PR of 36.02 seconds to earn 2nd place. Reading picked up 3rd place in the event, and the meet was once again all tied, 36 points each. While the 2 mile was running on the oval, the pivotal event in the meet - to that point - was on the infield, as once again Tandeih and Manor Jr faced off against Caraco. This time, in the high jump. Manor Jr has been fairly consistent at 5'8" this season, but Tandeih had only jumped once in competition during the winter, and could not get over 5'10". Lexington's athletes are both elite competitors with championship pedigrees, but Caraco's PR of 6'2" made him a worthy opponent. After a pair of misses at a low height, Manor Jr was over 5'8" on his first attempt. That would be his best jump of the night, and guaranteed at least 1 point for LHS. Meanwhile, Tandeih failed to get over the bar at 5'8" on his first jump. Caraco cleared with ease, so there was no reason for Tandeih to jump again at the height, as in the event of a tie, it is the number of misses at each height that decides the winner. Lexington's jumps coach, Sam Anderson, took the gamble, and it paid off, as Tandeih soared over 5'10" on his first attempt. To his credit, Caraco matched Tandeih again with a first attempt clearance. And so the bar went up to 6'0", where Caraco again made the height on his first attempt. After The Minutemen's captain was twice unsuccessful to match Caraco's mark of 6 feet, a decision needed to be made. With only one final attempt left, the coaches decided to pass to 6'2", and see if Tandeih could do something special. Tandeih toed his mark on the apron, and singled the crowded to begin a slow clap as he prepared for his final attempt. The captain rounded the turn of his approach, and exploded off the ground and over the bar as the field house erupted in cheer! Now the pressure was firmly on the shoulders of Caraco, and he was unable to deliver. He missed his first attempt, and Tandeih took the lead in the event. In the end, the Reading junior was unable to make it over 6'2", which meant The Minutemen had earned 6 points, and the score was now 42-39.
Back on the oval, it was a familiar story for Lexington's distance squad. With the opportunity to secure at least a tie for their teams if they finished 1st and 2nd, senior Sam Finch (10:06.58) and senior captain Liam Singh (10:14.28) gave everything they had over the course of the race, but Reading's Andrew Princic had another gear in the final laps, and took the win. All of which led to the relays. With 5 points on the line in the 4x200m and the 4x400m, The Minutemen needed to win just one of the two in order to secure the victory. In the 4x2, sophomore Bennett Siino, junior Ben Alperovich, sophomore Yash Sankholkar, and Chambers got the call to try to beat Reading's team that had Pulpi on the anchor leg. Knowing they needed to give Chambers a big lead to hold off Reading's anchor, LHS's first three legs delivered strong legs, but the lead was not as wide as the team hoped. And, despite a 22.3-split by Chambers, he was caught just strides before the line by an electric leg from Pulpi. While there was drama littered throughout the 4x2, there was little in the 4x4. Lexington gave it their all, and ran a season best. However, it was not to be, as Reading ran an MA #7 time to win the relay, and earned a hard fought victory over The Minutemen.
The story of the meet for the Lex girls begins with the final performance of the night. No athlete on the LHS team has worked harder throughout their career than Ainsley Cuthbertson. She is a true 365 day a year athlete, who has been relentless in her preparation ahead of her senior campaign. A 30-foot thrower in the 20lb. weight throw as a freshman, that mark improved to 38-feet her sophomore year. It jumped up to 47-feet last winter. And, over the last 7 weeks, she has steadily climbed into the top 5 of the national rankings, with a PR of 56-feet. Monday, she achieved one of the goals she has chased over the last year. Cuthbertson had a bit of trouble putting it all together in the early rounds of competition. And yet, the ball was still flying well over 55 feet. When the superstar senior stepped into the ring for her 6th and final attempt of the night, she attacked the circle in a way she never has before. With a yell on her release, the ball screamed out into the sector, and crashed down well after the 17-meter line. As the laser measurement was being taken, the official was even shocked at the mark, as he had trouble getting the words out, "fifty-seven feet, nine, and three-quarter inches." That meant that Ainsley Cuthbertson had just delivered the #1 performance in the nation by nearly a foot. Along with her big day, fellow classmate Felice Haverly went toe-to-toe with Reading's Kamryn Encarnacao in the 300m. Encarnacao is a short sprint specialist who is explosive in the beginning of the race. The LHS senior knew she would need to hold off an early onslaught, if she was going to be able to get the win. She did just that. As Haverly approached the 100m mark, she felt the blitz of Encarnacao on her inside shoulder, and went to another gear. Haverly stayed strong around the final turn, and held on for the victory with new personal best of 41.78 seconds, which ranks her MA #6 in the event. It was a similar story in the 55m dash, as senior captain Aubrey Deardorf also was able to defeat Encarnacao. Deardorf burst out of the blocks, and charged her way to victory with a season best time of 7.35 seconds.
Other Highlights for the Boys
- While the performance did not factor into the team scoring, because of how Massachusetts views the event, Schroeder was at an all-time best in the 25lb weight throw; his second throw of the evening flew 61'9.75", which was a huge PR, and qualified him for the New Balance Indoor Nationals.
Other Highlights for the Girls
- Junior Emily Hoefkens ran a personal best of 9.26 seconds in the 55m hurdles to qualify for the Middlesex League Championship.
- In the 600m, sophomore Amelia Whorton hit the Nationals standard with a time of 1:36.29.
- The 1000m saw senior Prachi Aggarwal run 3:19.16 to qualify for League.
- Junior Callie Glenn (5:27.06) and sophomore Janie Conrad (5:33.28) made their season debuts in the mile with League qualifying times.
- It was junior Josie Bettencourt (12:35.47) who qualified for League in the 2 mile.
Up Next
This Sunday, January 18th, The Minutemen will get their first taste of action against the teams they will face at the Division 1 Championship in February, as they compete in the MSTCA Division 1 Relays. The meet is the ultimate test of depth, as each event is competed in a relay format, with a team title on the line. Action begins at the Reggie Lewis Center at 3pm.