THE MINUTEMEN VALIDATED THEIR VICTORY FROM DIVISIONALS AT MEET OF CHAMPIONS
Meet Information
MIAA Meet of Champions Day 2
June 3, 2023
Elliot Field Athletic Complex - Fitchburg, MA
RESULTS
FITCHBURG, MA - Only in New England can a two day meet in June feature a nearly 40 degree temperature swing, but that is exactly what happened with the Meet of Champions. On Thursday, two-milers grinded through temps touching 90 degrees, but when the sprinters came to Fitchburg for Day 2, they were greeted with rain, wind, and temperatures barely holding above 50. Despite the tough conditions, The Minutemen did what they have done all season long, competed. And while the meet was not officially scored, the fact remains that the best teams in Massachusetts came together for a 2 day Championship Meet and Lexington's Boys came away with more points (57) than any other. St. John's Prep was second with 54.5, while Andover rounded out the would be podium with 32 points. Call it unofficial. Call it what you want. We call it an All-State Championship.
The Girls meet was completed on Monday after the decision was made to not hold the Pole Vault competition on Saturday due to the rain. This meant that the 19 girls who traveled from across Massachusetts to Fitchburg - poles in tote - had to wait until Monday to finish the job in Westborough. There, junior captain Katie Atkins was able to come through for the Lex Girls with an eighth place finish after matching her PR of 10'6".
While personal bests were certainly hard to come by due to the conditions, The Minutemen's focus on place over time helped the team come through with big performances throughout Day 2. As he did last week at Divisionals, freshman Amari Mow showed the entire state that he is a force to be reckoned with in the Long Jump. Again turning in his best performance on the first of his six jumps, Mow leaped 21'10.50" into the waterlogged sand. That mark held up through the prelims and finals to win him the title of All-State Champion in an event he only began this season. Along with Mow's big day, LHS's vaunted sprint squad got the revenge it was after in the 4x100m Relay. The team of senior Branndon Uda-Thach, junior Victor Yu, senior Jake Wheaton, and senior captain Jayden Bai did what was needed on Saturday to win the title. Their time of 42.80 seconds was nowhere near the one the team blazed to last week, but it was all they needed as the Prep team that broke 42-seconds last week could not manage to get under 43-seconds this weekend and finished third. In what was likely their final open races in the 110m Hurdles for LHS, Bai and fellow classmate and captain Michael Gerfen gave their team a big boost. Gerfen broke the elusive 15-second barrier for the first time in his career with a time of 14.97 seconds, and placed fourth overall. Bai was right behind him with a fifth place finish in a time of 15.03 seconds.
Other Highlights for the LHS
Final "would-be" Boys Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Lexington - 57
2. St. John's Prep - 54.50
3. Andover - 32
4. Wellesley - 31
5. Newton North - 29
6. Acton-Boxborough - 28
7. North Andover - 26
8. Hopkinton - 23
9. Winchester - 22
10. St. John's Shrewsbury - 21
Final "would-be" Girls Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Wellesley - 39
2. Peabody - 34.33
3. Franklin - 32
4. North Reading - 30
5. Cambridge Rindge & Latin - 28
6. Newton North - 26
7. Newton South - 25
8. Reading - 23
8. Framingham - 23
8. Billerica - 23
16. Lexington - 15
Up Next
Seniors Kaden "The Sundance Kid" Cassidy, Allen Jiang, and "The Captain" Jack Ngo will travel down to Providence, Rhode Island to compete in the New England Hammer Throw Championships. The meet - at Classical High School - will begin at 4pm.
MIAA Meet of Champions Day 2
June 3, 2023
Elliot Field Athletic Complex - Fitchburg, MA
RESULTS
FITCHBURG, MA - Only in New England can a two day meet in June feature a nearly 40 degree temperature swing, but that is exactly what happened with the Meet of Champions. On Thursday, two-milers grinded through temps touching 90 degrees, but when the sprinters came to Fitchburg for Day 2, they were greeted with rain, wind, and temperatures barely holding above 50. Despite the tough conditions, The Minutemen did what they have done all season long, competed. And while the meet was not officially scored, the fact remains that the best teams in Massachusetts came together for a 2 day Championship Meet and Lexington's Boys came away with more points (57) than any other. St. John's Prep was second with 54.5, while Andover rounded out the would be podium with 32 points. Call it unofficial. Call it what you want. We call it an All-State Championship.
The Girls meet was completed on Monday after the decision was made to not hold the Pole Vault competition on Saturday due to the rain. This meant that the 19 girls who traveled from across Massachusetts to Fitchburg - poles in tote - had to wait until Monday to finish the job in Westborough. There, junior captain Katie Atkins was able to come through for the Lex Girls with an eighth place finish after matching her PR of 10'6".
While personal bests were certainly hard to come by due to the conditions, The Minutemen's focus on place over time helped the team come through with big performances throughout Day 2. As he did last week at Divisionals, freshman Amari Mow showed the entire state that he is a force to be reckoned with in the Long Jump. Again turning in his best performance on the first of his six jumps, Mow leaped 21'10.50" into the waterlogged sand. That mark held up through the prelims and finals to win him the title of All-State Champion in an event he only began this season. Along with Mow's big day, LHS's vaunted sprint squad got the revenge it was after in the 4x100m Relay. The team of senior Branndon Uda-Thach, junior Victor Yu, senior Jake Wheaton, and senior captain Jayden Bai did what was needed on Saturday to win the title. Their time of 42.80 seconds was nowhere near the one the team blazed to last week, but it was all they needed as the Prep team that broke 42-seconds last week could not manage to get under 43-seconds this weekend and finished third. In what was likely their final open races in the 110m Hurdles for LHS, Bai and fellow classmate and captain Michael Gerfen gave their team a big boost. Gerfen broke the elusive 15-second barrier for the first time in his career with a time of 14.97 seconds, and placed fourth overall. Bai was right behind him with a fifth place finish in a time of 15.03 seconds.
Other Highlights for the LHS
- The 4x400m Relay of Branndon Uda-Thach, senior captain Alexios Kontothanassis, junior Khai Uda-Thach, and Wheaton earned LHS's second consecutive silver medal at the Outdoor Meet of Champions, as the group clocked a time of 3:22.09.
- In the Girls 4x800m Relay, the team of juniors Samara McVey and Adia Singh, combined with seniors Uma Sanker and Ava Criniti to earn the bronze medal with a time of 9:32.49.
- Senior Allen Jiang gave his team another shot in the arm with his performance in the Shot Put, as he earned a fifth place finish with a throw of 53'0.50"; "The Captain" Jack Ngo (48'1.75") finished 13th in the event.
- The 100m Hurdles saw junior Amandine Mangon run 15.74 seconds to finish 10th overall.
- Wheaton turned in a time of 11.16 seconds to finish 10th in the 100m Dash.
- The Girls 4x400m Relay saw The Minutemen's team of Singh, freshman Anika Steinbrecher, Sanker, and freshman Felice Haverly finish 11th with a time of 4:10.33.
- Junior McKenna O'Hare Gibson, sophomore Zach Barry, junior Joey "Candy Man" Ryan, and sophomore Max Zhang combined to run 8:17.10 in the 4x800m Relay, which put them 14th in the field.
- Freshman Aubrey Deardorf (15'0.25") finished 40th overall in the Girls Long Jump.
Final "would-be" Boys Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Lexington - 57
2. St. John's Prep - 54.50
3. Andover - 32
4. Wellesley - 31
5. Newton North - 29
6. Acton-Boxborough - 28
7. North Andover - 26
8. Hopkinton - 23
9. Winchester - 22
10. St. John's Shrewsbury - 21
Final "would-be" Girls Team Scores (Top 10)
1. Wellesley - 39
2. Peabody - 34.33
3. Franklin - 32
4. North Reading - 30
5. Cambridge Rindge & Latin - 28
6. Newton North - 26
7. Newton South - 25
8. Reading - 23
8. Framingham - 23
8. Billerica - 23
16. Lexington - 15
Up Next
Seniors Kaden "The Sundance Kid" Cassidy, Allen Jiang, and "The Captain" Jack Ngo will travel down to Providence, Rhode Island to compete in the New England Hammer Throw Championships. The meet - at Classical High School - will begin at 4pm.