MEET OF CHAMPIONS DAY 2: MCBRIDE, NGO, AND THE RELAYS SHINE ON BIGGEST STAGE
Meet Information
MIAA Meet of Champions
June 4, 2022
Alumni Field - Westfield, MA
RESULTS
WESTFIELD, MA - After a strong Day 1 for The Minutemen, Lexington High School's finest were back on the campus of Westfield State University for the conclusion of the MIAA Meet of Champions. While the new format took away any would-be drama from schools vying for the team championship, the 2021-2022 year's final meet in Massachusetts still offered a number a great moments for The Minutemen.
After Jarret Dlugy (LHS '21) graduated last spring, a void was left in the heart of LHS's "Bomb Squad" that was difficult to fill. While no one can replace what Dlugy meant to the program, junior captain Jack Ngo did everything in his power to do so, and it culminated in an all-time performance in his final competition of the year. Despite a frustrating day in the Discus ring on Thursday that left him well below his PR in his signature event, Ngo showed poise when he came back on Saturday ready to perform in the Shot Put. On his very first throw of the competition, Ngo heaved the 12-pound steel ball 50-feet exactly. That throw marks this first time an LHS athlete has achieved the elusive 50-foot barrier this century. He ends his season with PRs of 50'0" in the Shot Put, 149'8" in the Discus, and 50'7" in the 25lb Weight Throw. And while each one of these performances was stellar, what has truly been impressive about the junior's season is his commitment to his own craft as well as being a leader of the program. Along with Ngo's exclamation point on his season, the Boys 4x400m Relay of senior captain Josh Lee, and juniors Jayden Bai, Alexios Kontothanassis, and Branndon Uda-Thach turned in the second fastest time in program history in the event outdoors. Running a time of 3:20.46, the group earned the silver medal.
On the Girls side, superstar senior Mari McBride turned in another tremendous triple. She began her day by clearing 5'4" in the High Jump, which landed in her a three-way tie for second place. She then walked off the apron and onto the oval to compete in the 400m Dash. A quick gun had the race off to an unsteady start, which left McBride behind the leaders. However, the team captain rallied to place fifth overall with a time of 57.41 - just off the lifetime best she ran at Divisionals last week. McBride then matched that effort in the 4x400m by splitting 57.4 to anchor her team to the bronze medal in the event. Like Ngo, McBride has been the backbone of the program this entire year. The only returning member of LHS's All-American and record setting 4x400m from a year ago, she came into this season with significant amount of weight on her shoulders to carry the team forward. Despite the pressure, she has risen to the occasion time-and-time again throughout the year by tripling in the biggest meets, and always having the final say in each competition as her team's 4x4 anchor. While Saturday marked the final time she will compete for LHS on Massachusetts soil, McBride is set to compete at the New England and National Championships for The Minutemen in the next two weeks.
Other Highlights for the LHS
Up Next
The Minutemen will now travel to New Britain Connecticut for the New England Championships where Bai, Criniti, McBride, and the 4x4s will take a run against the best the region has to offer. The meet - at Willow Brook Park - is set to begin at 10am.
MIAA Meet of Champions
June 4, 2022
Alumni Field - Westfield, MA
RESULTS
WESTFIELD, MA - After a strong Day 1 for The Minutemen, Lexington High School's finest were back on the campus of Westfield State University for the conclusion of the MIAA Meet of Champions. While the new format took away any would-be drama from schools vying for the team championship, the 2021-2022 year's final meet in Massachusetts still offered a number a great moments for The Minutemen.
After Jarret Dlugy (LHS '21) graduated last spring, a void was left in the heart of LHS's "Bomb Squad" that was difficult to fill. While no one can replace what Dlugy meant to the program, junior captain Jack Ngo did everything in his power to do so, and it culminated in an all-time performance in his final competition of the year. Despite a frustrating day in the Discus ring on Thursday that left him well below his PR in his signature event, Ngo showed poise when he came back on Saturday ready to perform in the Shot Put. On his very first throw of the competition, Ngo heaved the 12-pound steel ball 50-feet exactly. That throw marks this first time an LHS athlete has achieved the elusive 50-foot barrier this century. He ends his season with PRs of 50'0" in the Shot Put, 149'8" in the Discus, and 50'7" in the 25lb Weight Throw. And while each one of these performances was stellar, what has truly been impressive about the junior's season is his commitment to his own craft as well as being a leader of the program. Along with Ngo's exclamation point on his season, the Boys 4x400m Relay of senior captain Josh Lee, and juniors Jayden Bai, Alexios Kontothanassis, and Branndon Uda-Thach turned in the second fastest time in program history in the event outdoors. Running a time of 3:20.46, the group earned the silver medal.
On the Girls side, superstar senior Mari McBride turned in another tremendous triple. She began her day by clearing 5'4" in the High Jump, which landed in her a three-way tie for second place. She then walked off the apron and onto the oval to compete in the 400m Dash. A quick gun had the race off to an unsteady start, which left McBride behind the leaders. However, the team captain rallied to place fifth overall with a time of 57.41 - just off the lifetime best she ran at Divisionals last week. McBride then matched that effort in the 4x400m by splitting 57.4 to anchor her team to the bronze medal in the event. Like Ngo, McBride has been the backbone of the program this entire year. The only returning member of LHS's All-American and record setting 4x400m from a year ago, she came into this season with significant amount of weight on her shoulders to carry the team forward. Despite the pressure, she has risen to the occasion time-and-time again throughout the year by tripling in the biggest meets, and always having the final say in each competition as her team's 4x4 anchor. While Saturday marked the final time she will compete for LHS on Massachusetts soil, McBride is set to compete at the New England and National Championships for The Minutemen in the next two weeks.
Other Highlights for the LHS
- Senior captain Elena Sabin, and sophomores Adia Singh and Gabby Fainelli combined with McBride to place third with a time of 4:04.35.
- The Girls 4x800m Relay of junior Uma Sanker, sophomore Maya Dubrovsky, sophomore Samara McVey, and junior Ava Criniti ran 9:58.85 to finish 13th.
- Lee finished ninth overall with a PR of 49.91 in the 400m Dash; Uda-Thach was 10th in 50.15 seconds.
- Junior Michael Gerfen ran 15.60 seconds in the 110m High Hurdles to finish 11th overall.
- In the Boys 4x800m Relay, senior captain Ollie DiCerbo, freshman Max Zhang, senior Nick Lam, and senior captain Evan Eberle finished 13th with a time of 8:16.82.
- Junior Allen Jiang with 17th in the Shot Put with a throw of 47'5.50".
- Eberle was 23rd in the Mile with a time of 4:40.87.
Up Next
The Minutemen will now travel to New Britain Connecticut for the New England Championships where Bai, Criniti, McBride, and the 4x4s will take a run against the best the region has to offer. The meet - at Willow Brook Park - is set to begin at 10am.