O'HARE GIBSON BREAKS STATE RECORD, AS LHS BOYS SIT 3RD & GIRLS 5TH AFTER DAY 1 AT DIVISION 1 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Meet Information
MIAA Division 1 Championships Day 1
May 24, 2024
Alumni Stadium - Westfield, MA
RESULTS
WESTFIELD, MA - On Friday, The Minutemen made the two hour trek out to western Massachusetts to compete in Day 1 of the MIAA Division 1 Championships. The Bay State's top team competition of this Outdoor Season is held on the campus of Westfield State University, with the largest school from across Massachusetts battling it out for two days over Memorial Day Weekend. After just over four hours of competition, The Minutemen are locked in a three-way tie for second place with rival Acton-Boxborough and Westford Academy. Each team has 23 points. Taunton currently sits in the lead with 24 points. On the girls' side it is Franklin who is pacing the field with 39 points. The Lex Girls sit in fifth place overall with 17 points of their own.
The Division 1 Championships are the ultimate prize for The Minutemen. Points matter more than PRs at this meet. And, each LHS student-athlete has bought into the idea that by focusing on the team-first approach, over time or distance, each individual will perform at a higher level in order to support the team. Three athletes personified that principle for the Boys on Friday afternoon, beginning with senior McKenna O'Hare Gibson. The do-everything sprinter was locked in before he stepped into the blocks for the 400m Hurdles because he knew defending champion Noah Stegmeier from Acton-Boxborough was to his outside. When the gun fired, O'Hare Gibson ripped through the first few hurdles, and opened up a lead. As the two came around the final curve Stegmeier began to close the gap, which only drove the LHS record holder faster. He hit the top of the homestretch in the lead, and poured it on. After O'Hare Gibson cleared the 10th hurdle cleanly in the lead, the only question was how fast could he finish. The answer, very. O'Hare Gibson crossed the line nearly a full second under his previous lifetime best, and with his mark of 53.19 broke the Massachusetts State Record set by Brockton great Jordan Williams in 2019. In addition to the record, and the 10 points for his team, O'Hare Gibson's performance now ranks him US #9 in the event. Before O'Hare Gibson set the track ablaze, sophomore Franz Schroeder showed that LHS's Bomb Squad may have been quiet most of the year, but was back when it counted. Seeded 16th entering the event with a personal best of 129'10", Schroeder looked so good in warm-ups that fellow athletes were not sure he was entered in the proper flight. The sophomore gave them all reason to believe, when on his second throw he unleashed the Discus 139'7" and rocketed himself to the top of the leaderboard. That throw put an enormous amount of pressure on his fellow competitors, and after the third and final preliminary flight concluded only two athletes had bettered Schroeder's throw. In the finals, just two of the nine athletes bettered their marks from the prelims, but none were able to best the LHS sophomore who walked away with a bronze medal and six surprise points for his team. Schroeder was not the only sophomore who made it happen for The Minutemen on Friday. LHS's youngest captain in recent memory, Simon Tandeih, competed in his first Pentathlon since he finished ninth in this meet last year. He began his day in his signature event, the 110m Hurdles. There, Tandeih (15.13) was solid, but did not exactly do what he hoped in his best event. Next he moved over to the Long Jump where he had his worst performance of the season by almost a foot. At that point things were not looking good for Tandeih. However, he rallied in a major way in the Shot Put. His first throw of the competition was a nearly four-foot personal best (40'0"), and was the top throw of the competition by any competitor. He then achieved another massive PR when he cleared 5'10" on his final attempt at the height. In the last event of the Pentathlon, Tandeih ran a perfectly paced opening two laps of the grueling 1500m. From there it turned into a pure guts race. The star sophomore gave everything he had for his team and crossed the line in a time of 5:00.40, which was just off his lifetime best at the distance. In the end, Tandeih earned 3210 points, which smashed Thomas O'Donoghue's (LHS '15) school record in the event. In addition, that score placed fourth overall and picked up another five points for The Minutemen.
Lexington's Girls (and Boys) have been led by the steady hand of Katie Atkins for the past two years. In addition to being in her second year as a team captain, Atkins has developed herself into one of the state's best pole vaulters. That ability was on full display on Friday as she went up against against Acton-Boxborough's Emerson Gould. After a mishap on Atkins' first attempt at 9'6" that resulted in the bar being knocked off its standards by her pole, Atkins was at her best at she matched Gould jump-for-jump at 10'0", 10'6", and 11'0". Atkins went first at 11'6", which would have been a career best, but missed. Meanwhile, Gould once again got over on her first attempt. On her second attempt, LHS's senior captain had her best jump, but unfortunately was not able to send herself over the bar. In the end, Atkins settled for silver in what was a tremendous performance by both athletes. Back on the track, sophomore Felice Haverly had run a PR of 25.85 seconds in the prelim of the 200m. That time earned her the sixth of eight spots in the event final. In that final, Haverly managed fifth place overall in a race that saw second through seventh place separated by just thirteen-hundredths of a second. While Schroeder had a great day in the Boys Discus, fellow classmate Ainsley Cuthbertson was able to deliver for her team in the Girls Discus. She qualified eighth of nine to the finals, then with her first throw in the final she was able to deliver a 111'4" throw, which moved her up to third. That mark held up to earn her fourth overall, which gave her team five more points.
Other Highlights for the Boys
Boys Team Scores After Day 1 (Top 5)
1. Taunton - 24
2. Lexington - 23
2. Acton-Boxborough - 23
2. Westford Academy - 23
5. Brookline - 19
Other Highlights for the Girls
Girls Team Scores After Day 1 (Top 5)
1. Franklin - 39
2. Westford Academy - 36
3. Lowell - 23
4 Wachusett - 22
5. Lexington - 17
Up Next
The Minutemen are back at Alumni Stadium for Day 2 of the MIAA Division 1 Championships this Sunday, May 26th. The championships will be decided beginning at 2:30pm. Live results can be found HERE.
MIAA Division 1 Championships Day 1
May 24, 2024
Alumni Stadium - Westfield, MA
RESULTS
WESTFIELD, MA - On Friday, The Minutemen made the two hour trek out to western Massachusetts to compete in Day 1 of the MIAA Division 1 Championships. The Bay State's top team competition of this Outdoor Season is held on the campus of Westfield State University, with the largest school from across Massachusetts battling it out for two days over Memorial Day Weekend. After just over four hours of competition, The Minutemen are locked in a three-way tie for second place with rival Acton-Boxborough and Westford Academy. Each team has 23 points. Taunton currently sits in the lead with 24 points. On the girls' side it is Franklin who is pacing the field with 39 points. The Lex Girls sit in fifth place overall with 17 points of their own.
The Division 1 Championships are the ultimate prize for The Minutemen. Points matter more than PRs at this meet. And, each LHS student-athlete has bought into the idea that by focusing on the team-first approach, over time or distance, each individual will perform at a higher level in order to support the team. Three athletes personified that principle for the Boys on Friday afternoon, beginning with senior McKenna O'Hare Gibson. The do-everything sprinter was locked in before he stepped into the blocks for the 400m Hurdles because he knew defending champion Noah Stegmeier from Acton-Boxborough was to his outside. When the gun fired, O'Hare Gibson ripped through the first few hurdles, and opened up a lead. As the two came around the final curve Stegmeier began to close the gap, which only drove the LHS record holder faster. He hit the top of the homestretch in the lead, and poured it on. After O'Hare Gibson cleared the 10th hurdle cleanly in the lead, the only question was how fast could he finish. The answer, very. O'Hare Gibson crossed the line nearly a full second under his previous lifetime best, and with his mark of 53.19 broke the Massachusetts State Record set by Brockton great Jordan Williams in 2019. In addition to the record, and the 10 points for his team, O'Hare Gibson's performance now ranks him US #9 in the event. Before O'Hare Gibson set the track ablaze, sophomore Franz Schroeder showed that LHS's Bomb Squad may have been quiet most of the year, but was back when it counted. Seeded 16th entering the event with a personal best of 129'10", Schroeder looked so good in warm-ups that fellow athletes were not sure he was entered in the proper flight. The sophomore gave them all reason to believe, when on his second throw he unleashed the Discus 139'7" and rocketed himself to the top of the leaderboard. That throw put an enormous amount of pressure on his fellow competitors, and after the third and final preliminary flight concluded only two athletes had bettered Schroeder's throw. In the finals, just two of the nine athletes bettered their marks from the prelims, but none were able to best the LHS sophomore who walked away with a bronze medal and six surprise points for his team. Schroeder was not the only sophomore who made it happen for The Minutemen on Friday. LHS's youngest captain in recent memory, Simon Tandeih, competed in his first Pentathlon since he finished ninth in this meet last year. He began his day in his signature event, the 110m Hurdles. There, Tandeih (15.13) was solid, but did not exactly do what he hoped in his best event. Next he moved over to the Long Jump where he had his worst performance of the season by almost a foot. At that point things were not looking good for Tandeih. However, he rallied in a major way in the Shot Put. His first throw of the competition was a nearly four-foot personal best (40'0"), and was the top throw of the competition by any competitor. He then achieved another massive PR when he cleared 5'10" on his final attempt at the height. In the last event of the Pentathlon, Tandeih ran a perfectly paced opening two laps of the grueling 1500m. From there it turned into a pure guts race. The star sophomore gave everything he had for his team and crossed the line in a time of 5:00.40, which was just off his lifetime best at the distance. In the end, Tandeih earned 3210 points, which smashed Thomas O'Donoghue's (LHS '15) school record in the event. In addition, that score placed fourth overall and picked up another five points for The Minutemen.
Lexington's Girls (and Boys) have been led by the steady hand of Katie Atkins for the past two years. In addition to being in her second year as a team captain, Atkins has developed herself into one of the state's best pole vaulters. That ability was on full display on Friday as she went up against against Acton-Boxborough's Emerson Gould. After a mishap on Atkins' first attempt at 9'6" that resulted in the bar being knocked off its standards by her pole, Atkins was at her best at she matched Gould jump-for-jump at 10'0", 10'6", and 11'0". Atkins went first at 11'6", which would have been a career best, but missed. Meanwhile, Gould once again got over on her first attempt. On her second attempt, LHS's senior captain had her best jump, but unfortunately was not able to send herself over the bar. In the end, Atkins settled for silver in what was a tremendous performance by both athletes. Back on the track, sophomore Felice Haverly had run a PR of 25.85 seconds in the prelim of the 200m. That time earned her the sixth of eight spots in the event final. In that final, Haverly managed fifth place overall in a race that saw second through seventh place separated by just thirteen-hundredths of a second. While Schroeder had a great day in the Boys Discus, fellow classmate Ainsley Cuthbertson was able to deliver for her team in the Girls Discus. She qualified eighth of nine to the finals, then with her first throw in the final she was able to deliver a 111'4" throw, which moved her up to third. That mark held up to earn her fourth overall, which gave her team five more points.
Other Highlights for the Boys
- Senior captain Joey "The Candyman" Ryan (9:19.48) placed seventh to score two points in the 2 Mile; freshman Patrick Noonan ran a huge PR of 9:32.08 from the unseeded section to finish ninth overall; fellow classmate Trevor Stevens (9:45.19) also turned in a big personal best to finish 20th; another freshman, Alden Hall (10:24.41) was 33rd.
- Junior Colin Maguire turned in a PR of 124'6" in the Discus to finish 14th; sophomore Nick Roell (116'1") was 24th.
- In what was his final race in an LHS uniform, senior Clifton Reid Jr ran a PR of 1:00.56 to finish 20th in the 400m Hurdles.
- Senior Khai Uda-Thach also competed in the last open event of his LHS career, and finished 21st overall with a 200m season best of 22.77 seconds.
- It was senior Jacob Pan (38'10.50") who finished 21st in the Triple Jump.
- The 800m saw juniors Zach Barry (2:01.61), captain Max Zhang (2:01.72), Will Fletcher (2:01.85), James Joseph (2:04.59), and Nathan Cunningham (2:04.79) finish 24th, 25th, 26th, 33rd, and 34th respectively.
Boys Team Scores After Day 1 (Top 5)
1. Taunton - 24
2. Lexington - 23
2. Acton-Boxborough - 23
2. Westford Academy - 23
5. Brookline - 19
Other Highlights for the Girls
- The Discus saw senior Quin Tandeih turn in a season best of 105'0" to finish ninth overall; sophomore Ella Wolosoff threw a huge personal best of 103'4" to finish in 10th place.
- In the 400m Hurdles, junior Aliksti Kokkinia (1:10.20) finished ninth; fellow classmate Caroline Kvaal (1:11.92) was 17th; sophomore Monjola Finnih (1:16.30) was 34th overall.
- The 2 Mile saw freshman Alycia Charest run a PR of 11:58.00 to finish 15th; freshman Erin Ehmann was 16th in 12:00.78; sophomore Thayer DiCerbo turned in a PR of 12:14.74 to finish 21st.
- Sophomore Julianna Mathurin (27.59) was 29th in the 200m.
Girls Team Scores After Day 1 (Top 5)
1. Franklin - 39
2. Westford Academy - 36
3. Lowell - 23
4 Wachusett - 22
5. Lexington - 17
Up Next
The Minutemen are back at Alumni Stadium for Day 2 of the MIAA Division 1 Championships this Sunday, May 26th. The championships will be decided beginning at 2:30pm. Live results can be found HERE.