
Ainsley Cuthbertson took her shot and put Lexington atop the Division 1 girls' track championship for the first time
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'It's pretty new to me to be able to score points for the team at big meets like this,' said Cuthbertson, who had never previously won an event at states. 'Before my last throw, I heard [all my teammates] cheering, and I was like, 'I just have to do it for them.' So it feels amazing.'
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Freshman standout Amelia Whorton placed second in the 800 meter (2:10.16) and third in the mile (4:58.64), and junior Aubrey Deardorf was second in both the 100-meter (12.84) and long jump (19-04.5) for the Minutemen.
'We sort of made a statement in indoor, but we wanted to come back in outdoor and show everybody that while we're a young team, and we're not necessarily everybody's target, we're still here,' said coach Rebecca Trachsel. 'And we're here for a while because we don't have any seniors.'
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Weymouth's Ainsley Weber wins the javelin with a throw of 131 feet, 7 inches.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
On the boys' side, Lowell captured the team title with 87 points, narrowly edging Lexington (76) and Brookline (73).
The Red Raiders were paced by junior Ethan Thevenin, who surged to victories in the triple jump (46-07.00) and 400 (49.50) before sealing the team victory with a clutch fifth-place effort in the long jump (21-10.25), the meet's final event.
'Ethan just did so much for us today, can't say enough good things about what he did winning those two events and then closing it out for us,' said Lowell coach Nick McArdle. 'It was a grind, but everyone just stepped up. A full team effort.'
Brookline's Altamo Aschkenasy led from start to finish to capture the 1-mile at the Division 1 meet.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
The Raiders also got boosts from senior Khai Yin, who finished third in both the 110 hurdles (14.49) and 400 hurdles (55.10), and senior Emanuel Trinidad, who was second in discus (158-05) and third in shot put (52-07.50).
After missing the bulk of the cross-country and indoor track season due to a lingering illness, Westford star junior Abigail Hennessy made a triumphant return to the Division 1 stage.
In one of the meet's most dominant individual efforts, Hennessy claimed the girls' mile by 15 seconds (4:43.72) on Saturday, shattering the meet record by seven seconds. She also claimed the 800 (2:07.18) by three seconds.
At the D1 state championship meet, Westford junior Abigail Hennessy destroys the competition in the girls' mile, winning in 4:43.72.
She won the race by 15 seconds, and set a 7-second meet record. That's her second victory of the meet.
— Matty Wasserman (@Matty_Wasserman)
Though Hennessy began separating within the opening lap and never faced much competition, she used the meet record as fuel.
'During the third lap, I just had to keep repeating myself, 'I can do this. I can do this,' ' Hennessy said. 'Especially with the wind in your face that last final stretch, I had to think about the meet record to make sure I'd finish strong.'
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Westford Academy's Abigail Hennessy outran her closest competitors to break the meet record in the girls' mile.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Natick's Emmanuella Edozien (right) gets a hug from a teammate after winning the 100-meter hurdles.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Shrewsbury's Darius Gibbons gives it his all to win the shot put with a throw of 55 feet, 10.25 inches.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Natick's Chloe Elder had plenty of breathing room as she crossed the finish line to win the 400.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Ryan Kyle of Westford Academy leaps for joy after seeing the results of his win in the 110-meter hurdles, which came two days after he set a state record in the 400 hurdles.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Matty Wasserman can be reached at

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San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Is this the year De La Salle football ends season with another state title?
It's one thing to reach the final destination. It's quite another to finish. De La Salle-Concord senior two-way star and North Carolina commit Jaden Jefferson says it's time. 'It's my fourth year on varsity — we've been talking about it for three years — and I'm ready to do whatever I need to to carry the team to a state or national championship,' said the defending state 100-meter sprint champion and record holder at 10.01 seconds. 'I'm ready for us to be that team. I'm excited.' This year's Spartans would be the first since 2015 — a span of seven attempts — to win a state title game. De La Salle lost for the third time in that span to Mater Dei-Santa (37-15) last season and has also lost twice to St. John Bosco (2016, 2019) and once each to Lincoln-San Diego (2022) and Mission Viejo (2023). Before that, the Spartans had won seven of 10 state title games, including four straight starting in 2009. They own state records for appearances (17), wins (seven) and losses (10). Have the losses affected the program? 'It's a talking point, for sure,' said head coach Justin Alumbaugh. 'A lot of these guys were on the field last year and they still feel it. But as far as going back to 2015, most of these guys were 3 and 4 years old. We don't hold on to it. We're right where we're supposed to be.' Chronicle preseason top 25 football Rk. School W-L 2024 1. De La Salle 12-1 1 2. Riordan 7-5 7 3. Pittsburg 12-3 2 4. Serra 5-6 9 5. St. Francis 10-3 5 6. Los Gatos 10-3 6 7. McClymonds 8-5 14 8. Cardinal Newman 10-2 10 9. San Ramon Valley 11-2 3 10 Amador Valley 10-5 12 11. Clayton Valley 6-5 24 12. St. Ignatius 10-3 5 13. Wilcox 11-3 8 14. Liberty 8-4 16 15. St. Vincent 14-1 18 16. Bishop O'Dowd 10-3 15 17. California 8-3 11 18. Marin Catholic 8-3 13 19. Valley Christian 5-6 21 20. San Marin 7-4 23 21. Campolindo 7-6 NR 22. Antioch 5-6 NR 23. Moreau Catholic 11-4 20 24. Sacred Heart Cathedral 4-7 NR 25. 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'But our (2026) class is really strong, we learned some things (from the loss) and frankly, our guys come in hungry.' Second-ranked Riordan was upset in the Central Coast Section Open semifinals by Los Gatos, which was beaten by St. Francis 27-7 in the CCS finals. The Lancers then dropped a tough 32-30 Northern California 2-AA title game to Grant. All three figure to rebound nicely, especially Riordan, led by fourth-year starting QB Michael Mitchell (Vanderbilt) and six other Chronicle top 50 players to watch. St. Francis lost career rushing leader Kingston Keanaaina but returns his brother Motu to pick up the slack along with a number of top prospects like two-way standout Sefanaia Alatiniluding (BYU), offensive lineman John Fifita (USC) and linebacker Chase Cahoon (Stanford). Los Gatos returns Cal Poly-bound offensive lineman Garrett Bertsch, 1,000-yard rusher Grayson Doslak and linebacker Austin Krug, who has received several Division 1 offers. Among the teams to watch coming off state titles are smaller schools such as No. 15 St. Vincent de Paul-Petaluma, with San Diego State-bound tight end Jack Ellis and 2024 North Bay Co-Player of the Year QB Gabe Casanovas (3,747 total yards, 47 TDs); No. 23 Moreau Catholic-Hayward, led by versatile Seth Evans (133 tackles), and No. 25 Balboa with last season's Sophomore of the Year, tailback Joseph Smith. As they've been for the last three decades plus, De La Salle still rules the region, but dearly wants to finish the season with a victory. 'I think we have the playmakers, the size, the physicality and the team to do it,' said third-year quarterback Brayden Knight, who saw spot duty behind starter Toa Faavate the last two seasons. 'We haven't finished just how we wanted, but now we know what it takes.'


USA Today
4 days ago
- USA Today
Notre Dame football offers 2029 California jumbo athlete prospect his first scholarship
While we have seen Notre Dame football look ahead in its recruiting efforts, and they often don't look too far ahead, they did on Friday. The Irish offered 2029 California jumbo athlete Inokefotu Fakatou, making it his first Division 1 scholarship. Already standing 6-foot, 3-inches and weighing 215-pounds, Notre Dame is trying to get significantly ahead of the curve in his recruitment. Fakatou's class has yet to even begin his high school career, but clearly showed enough for Notre Dame to pull the trigger on a scholarship offer. It will be very interesting to see his recruitment play out, as there most likely will be at least few years until he makes a decision. He will play his first snaps at the high school level for Orange Lutheran, who is set to begin its season on Aug. 23rd. Fatakou's team will play a very tough schedule, as they are set to face off against powerhouses like Mater Dei, St. John Bosco, and Sierra Canyon. If he's able to make some noise as a freshman against those teams, Notre Dame's recruiting staff will look like geniuses with the early offer. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen


Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Boston Globe
In Arlington, they're World Series-bound for a second year in a row
'When the games start, these kids seem to focus like I've never seen for a bunch of 8-year-olds,' head coach Angelo Amico III said. 'They absorb everything so quickly.' Kodey McPherson makes a catch during a recent practice for the Arlington 8U team. Barry Chin/Globe Staff An Arlington native, Amico also coached last year's team, which featured pitcher and first baseman Rowan Sullivan. 'We went last year and now that I know what it's like, I think we can do a little better than last year,' Sullivan said. Advertisement The unsung heroes have been the parents, who plan their summer around traveling to tournaments, games, and practices. Families spent eight days in a hotel during the regional tournament and may stay nine days through the national tournament. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'The parents have been with us every step of the way,' assistant coach Mike Kalivas said, 'Without them shuttling the kids around, we wouldn't have a team.' Coaches Mike Kalivas (from left), Pete Arcoma, and Angelo Amico helped Arlington go 16-1 in the regular season, then win the district, state, and regional championships. Barry Chin/Globe Staff The town of Arlington has shown tremendous support on and off the field. A GoFundMe set up by the AYBSA raised $11,000 in two weeks to fund travel expenses. The 9U, 11U, and 12U teams have helped with practice, scrimmages, and batting practice. 'These kids have had a lot of support with the other groups,' assistant coach Pete Arcoma said, 'It's been really fun for the little guys to look up to the bigger kids today.' Advertisement Mark Lubinga warms up during a recent practice. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Playing in the national tournament gives players a unique experience. Similar to the Little League World Series, teams from around the world compete. Cal Ripken baseball is a division of the larger Babe Ruth Baseball League. Bases are set 70 feet apart and the mound is 50 feet away as opposed to 60 and 46 feet in Little League. Arlington begins World Series play Saturday. 'We want to get there and see if we can win, make the town proud,' Kalivas said, 'I think we have a good shot.' The Arlington 8U baseball team is headed to Cherry Hills, N.J., for the Cal Ripken 8U Player Pitch World Series. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Rowan Sullivan will play in his second Cal Ripken World Series for Arlington. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Rowan Sullivan stretches for the throw to first base during a recent practice. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Kodey McPherson runs the bases during practice. Barry Chin/Globe Staff The Arlington 8U Cal Ripken baseball team works out during a practice session at Buck Field. Barry Chin/Globe Staff The Arlington 8U Cal Ripken baseball team takes batting practice. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Arlington begins World Series play on Saturday in Cherry Hill, N.J. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Mark Lubinga collects balls during practice. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Bailey Reynolds can be reached at