JIANG OVERCOMES ALL OBSTACLES, BREAKS LHS RECORD HELD SINCE '76 AT TWILIGHT
Meet Information
Weston Twilight Invitational
May 6, 2023
Weston High School and Regis College - Weston, MA
RESULTS
WESTON, MA - The Twilight Invitational is unique meet on the calendar, as it is the only one that takes place at two locations. The middle and long distance events are competed on the campus of Regis College, while everything else is done at Weston High School. At last year's meet, temperatures hovered around 40 degrees, while driving winds took away any opportunity for athletes to perform anywhere near their best. Saturday, however, weather conditions were picture perfect for competitors to show what they are made as Championship Season approaches. Unfortunately, due to gross mismanagement of the events at Weston High School both the Boys Shot Put and Discus competitions were drastically altered. As a result it was the student-athletes who paid the price. The Discus was cut short due to darkness - and poor placement of the lighting of the sector - while the Shot Put was interrupted for hours after the prelims. Luckily, LHS's Bomb Squad is no stranger to facilities that were not built for them. And, they have spent the last four years learning how to deal with challenges out of their control. No one proved that more on Saturday night than senior Allen Jiang. The Indoor School Record holder in the Shot Put qualified for finals on his second throw of the competition around 8pm. Fast forward to 10pm, and the competition resumed. During the finals, only one athlete came anywhere close to their best toss of the 12-pound metal ball from the prelims. That was Jiang, who on his second throw, unleashed the Shot 54'0.50" to win the competition. With that throw, Jiang broke the LHS Outdoor Shot Put Record held by Bill Stewart since 1976.
On Friday night, senior captain Ava Criniti was down in Marshfield for an invite-only Mile against some of the best prep milers in the region. There she broke the LHS Record from 1991 with a time of 5:01.87. Saturday night she was back in action, this time in the 2 Mile. Criniti left no doubt about who was the class of the field. She took the first mile out in 5:28, and established a gap of nearly a straightaway on the field. She then continued to pour it on over the final four laps to cross the line in 10:52.86 to take the win. Along with Criniti's big day, junior captain Katie Atkins is proving that she can hang with best of the best in the Pole Vault. She cleared 10'6" on Saturday night to match her PR and earn the silver medal in the event. Fellow classmate Quin Tandeih had her best meet of the season in the Discus as she placed third in the event with a season best throw of 107'8".
The Minutemen were led on the Boys' side by senior captain Jayden Bai. He won in dramatic fashion from lane eight in the 110m Hurdles with a new PR of 15.03 seconds. Along with the big day from Bai, fellow classmate Branndon Uda-Thach had his best meet of the season in the 200m Dash. After qualifying out of the prelims with a time of 22.46 seconds, Uda-Thach turned on the jets early in the finals and blasted down the homestretch to a new PR of 22.30 seconds. That time earned him a second place finish overall to Newton North's Myles Scott. In the 400m Hurdles it was junior McKenna O'Hare Gibson who stole the show for The Minutemen. Running from the unseeded section, O'Hare Gibson turned in a huge PR of 56.69 seconds to take the heat and place fifth overall in an absolutely stacked field.
Other Highlights from Regis Events
Other Highlights from Weston High School Events
Up Next
Due to still unresolved roadblocks imposed by the Town, which have halted installation of a Discus cage that is safe for competition on LHS grounds, despite it being approved by the Superintendent in February, Senior Day for the LHS Track & Field Team will no longer be hosted in Lexington. Thursday's Belmont Dual Meet will be held at Belmont High School. Belmont's coaches have graciously allowed for The Minutemen to celebrate its seniors at their facility while the Town of Lexington figures out its priorities. The meet will begin at 4pm on Thursday, May 11th.
Weston Twilight Invitational
May 6, 2023
Weston High School and Regis College - Weston, MA
RESULTS
WESTON, MA - The Twilight Invitational is unique meet on the calendar, as it is the only one that takes place at two locations. The middle and long distance events are competed on the campus of Regis College, while everything else is done at Weston High School. At last year's meet, temperatures hovered around 40 degrees, while driving winds took away any opportunity for athletes to perform anywhere near their best. Saturday, however, weather conditions were picture perfect for competitors to show what they are made as Championship Season approaches. Unfortunately, due to gross mismanagement of the events at Weston High School both the Boys Shot Put and Discus competitions were drastically altered. As a result it was the student-athletes who paid the price. The Discus was cut short due to darkness - and poor placement of the lighting of the sector - while the Shot Put was interrupted for hours after the prelims. Luckily, LHS's Bomb Squad is no stranger to facilities that were not built for them. And, they have spent the last four years learning how to deal with challenges out of their control. No one proved that more on Saturday night than senior Allen Jiang. The Indoor School Record holder in the Shot Put qualified for finals on his second throw of the competition around 8pm. Fast forward to 10pm, and the competition resumed. During the finals, only one athlete came anywhere close to their best toss of the 12-pound metal ball from the prelims. That was Jiang, who on his second throw, unleashed the Shot 54'0.50" to win the competition. With that throw, Jiang broke the LHS Outdoor Shot Put Record held by Bill Stewart since 1976.
On Friday night, senior captain Ava Criniti was down in Marshfield for an invite-only Mile against some of the best prep milers in the region. There she broke the LHS Record from 1991 with a time of 5:01.87. Saturday night she was back in action, this time in the 2 Mile. Criniti left no doubt about who was the class of the field. She took the first mile out in 5:28, and established a gap of nearly a straightaway on the field. She then continued to pour it on over the final four laps to cross the line in 10:52.86 to take the win. Along with Criniti's big day, junior captain Katie Atkins is proving that she can hang with best of the best in the Pole Vault. She cleared 10'6" on Saturday night to match her PR and earn the silver medal in the event. Fellow classmate Quin Tandeih had her best meet of the season in the Discus as she placed third in the event with a season best throw of 107'8".
The Minutemen were led on the Boys' side by senior captain Jayden Bai. He won in dramatic fashion from lane eight in the 110m Hurdles with a new PR of 15.03 seconds. Along with the big day from Bai, fellow classmate Branndon Uda-Thach had his best meet of the season in the 200m Dash. After qualifying out of the prelims with a time of 22.46 seconds, Uda-Thach turned on the jets early in the finals and blasted down the homestretch to a new PR of 22.30 seconds. That time earned him a second place finish overall to Newton North's Myles Scott. In the 400m Hurdles it was junior McKenna O'Hare Gibson who stole the show for The Minutemen. Running from the unseeded section, O'Hare Gibson turned in a huge PR of 56.69 seconds to take the heat and place fifth overall in an absolutely stacked field.
Other Highlights from Regis Events
- In the Girls Mile both senior Jasmine Sun (5:25.23) and junior Dora Liao (5:39.67) ran personal bests, finishing 13th and 26th respectively; Sun's time qualified her for the MIAA Division 1 Championships.
- It was junior Joey "Candy Man" Ryan who used a 63-second final lap to finish 12th in the Boys Mile with a PR and MIAA Meet of Champions qualifying time of 4:27.85; senior Antonio Lopez (4:38.99) was 36th with a PR of his own.
- Junior Samara McVey turned in a big PR of 2:25.92 in the Girls 800m to finish 15th.
- The Boys 800m saw Aviv Spitz finish 34th with a PR of 2:02.62.
Other Highlights from Weston High School Events
- In the Girls 100m Hurdles, junior Amandine Mangon placed fifth in a time of 15.73 seconds.
- After running 15.32 seconds to qualify for the finals, senior captain Michael Gerfen placed seventh with a time of 15.67 seconds in the Boys 110m Hurdles.
- Senior Jake Wheaton placed sixth in the Boys 400m Dash with a PR and Meet of Champions qualifying time of 51.12 seconds; he also turned in a PR of 11.22 seconds in the Boys 100m Dash to finish ninth overall.
- Junior Adia Singh also finished ninth, as she ran a PR of 1:01.72 in the Girls 400m.
- It was junior Jacob Pan who broke the elusive 40-foot barrier in the Triple Jump for the first time with a PR of 40'8"; he placed 10th overall in the event.
- The Girls 200m Dash saw junior Noa Helmbrecht finish 15th with a PR and Middlesex League Championship qualifying time of 27.28 seconds.
- Before the event was cut short, junior Christian Arrington launched a new PR of 122'8" from a stand in the Boys Discus.
- In the Girls Javelin senior captain Annie Smith threw a season best 77'4" to finish 31st.
Up Next
Due to still unresolved roadblocks imposed by the Town, which have halted installation of a Discus cage that is safe for competition on LHS grounds, despite it being approved by the Superintendent in February, Senior Day for the LHS Track & Field Team will no longer be hosted in Lexington. Thursday's Belmont Dual Meet will be held at Belmont High School. Belmont's coaches have graciously allowed for The Minutemen to celebrate its seniors at their facility while the Town of Lexington figures out its priorities. The meet will begin at 4pm on Thursday, May 11th.