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Boston Globe
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Marblehead's Nate Assa tracks down a sixth in 5,000 meters at New Balance Nationals
The boys' and girls' 5k races were among the six championship events held on Thursday, which was the first of four days of competition at The Track at New Balance in Brighton. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Assa's 5k effort capped an incredible indoor track campaign, which included a 19-second personal best in his 2-mile victory at the Meet of Champions (9:05.3) and a subsequent 2-mile victory at the New England Championships (9:04.6). Advertisement The progression for Assa has been even more remarkable considering as a sophomore two years ago, 'After the Meet of Champions when I ran my PR, and I was like, 'alright I'm in a different field. Now I'm more looking at national rankings rather than state rankings,'' Assa said. 'So I was just super excited to be able to get out here and get a chance to run at New Balance. Doing this well just makes it more surreal.' The disappointment of the evening was that Westford senior Jack Graffeo scratched shortly before race time. Graffeo, who finished third at Foot Locker Cross-Country nationals back in December, broke the boys' indoor 5k state record earlier this season (14:06.49) and was the favorite to win Thursday's event. Other notable Bay State finishes on Thursday included Lexington's girls' 4x800 squad of sophomore Callie Glenn, freshman Mackenzie Callahan, freshman Cecilia Kvaal, and freshman Amelia Whorton placing 12th (9:20.66), and Lowell's all-senior boys' 4x800 squad of Jovani Ubri, Raymond Dafe, Abdul Jalloh, and Alex Rodgers finishing 15th (7:52.32). Advertisement Matty Wasserman can be reached at
Boston Globe
10-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Meet the four Massachusetts girls' wrestlers who claimed New England titles
The Lowell 235-pounder, who did not place last year, trailed, 8-0, and looked on the verge of losing by pin after a prior injury flared up, saying 'I felt like I just got my arm cut off.' Twelve points later and a pin with two seconds left , the junior had her hand raised Sunday during the New England Championships at the Providence Career and Technical Academy. NE: Amelyiah Martinez made the comeback from down 8-0 to win the 235-pound title by pin! — AJ (@aj_traub) 'They're amazing,' she said of her coaches. 'They spend so many hours just pouring into me technique and knowledge. Without that, I wouldn't be able to be here.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Two bouts later, Ludlow junior Samantha Bertini, a 2024 finalist, secured a pin in 3:15 at 107 pounds for her first New England title. Then came the 145-pound battle between a 2024 All-State champ and a Advertisement Like she did in their semifinal matchup last weekend, Methuen senior Janessa Santiago piled up points and NE: Janessa Santiago is champion at 145 pounds! — AJ (@aj_traub) 'She already knew I was a thrower, so that's something I had to work around,' she said. 'I had to work more of my shots. I was nervous at some times, but coming in with that pin saved me at the end.' The meet ended with 'It was all-the-doubt release,' said the Northeast Tech senior. 'Everything that I've been told the past four years finally was proven wrong. I can do it. I'm able to do it. That final little push of you can do it, you can do anything.' AJ Traub can be reached at
Boston Globe
02-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Brockton senior Lucas Andrade delivers a jaw-dropping victory at New England track & field championships
The meet drew athletes from 276 schools across six states, and Massachusetts-based athletes claimed five of the 13 boys' events and one of the 13 girls' events. Related : Andrade's effort topped a meet record (7.30) which had stood since 1991, and was the first of seven meet records to fall. Andrade's time also surpassed the fastest 55-meter hurdles ever run by an athlete from the New England region, a claim previously been held by Myles Bradley (7.26) of Norwich, Conn., since 2005. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up At the New England Championships, Brockton senior Lucas Andrade (7.22 seconds) obliterates his own state record in the boys' 55-meter hurdles. It's Andrade's third time breaking his own record, topping last week's Meet of Champions mark by 0.07 seconds. — Matty Wasserman (@Matty_Wasserman) Advertisement 'I had my mind set on getting below the [New England record of 7.26]. That was the goal coming into the day,' said Andrade. 'It's just about challenging myself all the time, I just want to strive for more . . . once I saw that time come up, it just felt great to have done what I set out to do.' After winning the high jump at both the Division 1 title meet (6 feet, 6 inches) and the Meet of Champions (6-8), Shrewsbury senior Derek Shriner entered Saturday confident he could handily eclipse both marks. His reason: A new pair of jumping spikes which arrived in the mail Thursday. With the entire Reggie Lewis Center crowd turning their focus toward the infield, Shriner claimed the high jump victory with a personal best of 6 feet, 11 inches. The jump was the country's fourth highest this season. 'With these shoes, I definitely felt more comfortable in my approach. They had way more grip than the old ones,' Shriner said. 'Seven feet is a big goal that I've been wanting to break all season, and I think today, I kind of proved myself that I can do [going forward].' In one of the afternoon's most dominant performances, Whitinsville Christian sophomore Emily Flagg pulled away in the girls' 2-mile (10:42.59) to win by nine seconds in a personal best. Advertisement Following her fourth-place 2-mile finish (10:51.84) at last week's Meet of Champions, Flagg's focus for Saturday was on hitting even splits between 38-40 seconds and remaining consistent even as she separated from the competitors. 'In the beginning, I was feeling super confident. But towards the end, I always have trouble kicking,' Flagg said. 'That's where I get a little iffy, and I'm not really sure how to keep pushing. But today it went great and I hit my marks.' In a thrilling girls' 300, Dennis Yarmouth senior Breanna Braham shattered her personal best and broke a 12-year meet record in her runner-up effort (38.00), though junior Lisa Raye of West Warwick, R.I. (37.76) bested her while also topping the meet record. Braham's mark surpassed her previous personal best (38.94) by nearly a full second, which she set in a dominant victory last week at the Meet of Champions. 'Because of how much competition I had in this race, that made me go out there and come in with a different mind-set,' Braham said. 'I knew it would be a challenge to stick with Lisa, and if I was doing that, then I was going to be at the pace I wanted.' The other individual winners from Massachusetts: Peabody senior Alex Jackson in boys' shot put (64 feet, 09.25 inches), Sharon senior Josy Brown-Wright in the boys' 300 meters (34.76), and Marblehead senior Nate Assa in the boys' 2-mile (9:04.60) New England Championship BOYS at Reggie Lewis Center 55m — 1. Andre Clark, Marshwood (Maine), 0:06.38; 2. Ceasar Flahn, Manchester Central (N.H.), 0:06.4; 3. Max Shapiro, Falmouth (Maine), 0:06.41. Advertisement 55m hurdles — 1. Lucas Andrade, Brockton, 0:07.22; 2. Bobby Wind, Barrington (R.I.), 0:07.37; 3. Khai Yin, Lowell, 0:07.45. 300m — 1. Josy Brown-Wright, Sharon, 0:34.73; 2. Sebastian Perez, Trumbull (Conn.), 0:34.98; 3. Owen Rich, Lyman Hall (Conn.), 0:35.14. 600m — 1. Charles Dalles, Coginchaug Regional (Conn.)., 1:21.95; 2. Yee-Jun Ng, Bethel (Conn.), 1:21.97; 3. Thomas Conklin, Lyman Hall (Conn.), 1:22.03. 1000m — 1. Alexander Medina, Hamden (Conn.), 2:28.8; 2. Cole Francis, Narragansett (R.I.), 2:30.33; 3. Jacob Szalewicz, Marblehead, 2:30.38. Mile — 1. Sam Leone, East Lyme (Conn.), 4:22.98; 2. Sam Laverdiere, Lake Region (Maine), 4:25.1; 3. Jonah Gould, Algonquin, 4:25.49. 2-mile — 1. Nate Assa, Marblehead, 9:04.6; 2. Matthew Giardina, Bishop Guertin (N.H.), 9:07.34; 3. Owen Martin, Xavier (Conn.), 9:12.83. High jump — 1. Derek Shimer, Shrewsbury, 6 feet 11 inches; 2. Josia Katroli, Lewiston (Maine), 6-9; 3. Logan Sullivan, Hopkinton, 6-7. Long jump — 1. Micheal Ahoua, Torrington (Conn.), 24 feet 0 inches; 2. Arnaud Sioho, South Portland (Maine), 23-8.25; 3. Evan Bedard, Peabody, 23-0.5. Shot put — 1. Alex Jackson, Peabody, 64 feet 9.25 inches; 2. Brandon Wolfenden, Pilgrim (R.I.), 61-3.75; 3. Thomas Matlock, East Lyme (Conn.), 60-9.75. 4 x 200 — 1. La Salle (R.I.), 1:29.36; 2. Fairfield Prep (Conn.), 1:30.7; 3. Weston, 1:31.04. 4 x 400 — 1. Lyman Hall (Conn.), 3:22.25; 2. La Salle (R.I.), 3:23.49; 3. Brookline, 3:24.94. 4 x 800 — 1. Ridgefield (Conn.), 7:48.08; 2. Xavier (Conn.), 7:48.44; 3. Brookline, 7:49.02. Shot Put Wheelchair — 1. Angel Hernandez, Amherst Pelham, 9-11. GIRLS at Reggie Lewis Center 55m — 1. Lisa Raye, West Warwick (R.I.), 0:06.79; 2. Lauren Quarm, Methuen, 0:06.97; 3. Xenia Raye, West Warwick (R.I.), 0:06.99. Advertisement 55m hurdles — 1. Anika Scott, Bedford (N.H.), 0:07.76; 2. Emmanuella Edozien, Natick, 0:07.96; 3. Arianna DiPietro, Central Catholic, 0:08.38. 300m — 1. Lisa Raye, West Warwick (R.I.), 0:37.76; 2. Breanna Braham, Dennis-Yarmouth, 0:38; 3. Xenia Raye, West Warwick (R.I.), 0:38.74. 600m — 1. Lauren Kropo, Naugatuck (Conn.)., 1:32.3; 2. D'Asia Duncan, Bloomfield (Conn.), 1:35.97; 3. Skyler Maxwell, Moses Brown (R.I.), 1:36.21. 1000m — 1. Brooke Strauss, Glastonbury (Conn.), 2:46.05; 2. Mikita Barry, Bedford (N.H.), 2:50.63; 3. Liv Sherry, Conard (Conn.), 2:53.57. Mile — 1. Chase Gilbert, Lyme-Old Lyme (Conn.), 4:48.45; 2. Tess Sherry, Conard (Conn.), 4:59.94; 3. Shealyn Brochu, Morse (Maine), 5:00.13. 2-mile — 1. Emily Flagg, Whitinsville Christian, 10:42.59; 2. Mackenzie Cook, Oyster River (N.H.), 10:51.96; 3. Lauren Parrett, Glastonbury (Conn.), 11:00.06. High jump — 1. Ella Palisano, Mount Anthony (Vt.), 5 feet 7 inches; 2. Zoe Santos, Norton, 5-7; 3. Kaitlyn Quealy, Holliston, 5-5; 3. Danielle Bates, Timberlane (N.H.), 5-5. Long jump — 1. Vanessa Agyemang, Bloomfield (Conn.), 19 feet 7 inches; 2. Emmanuella Edozien, Natick, 19-4; 3. Tayla Pelletier, Windham (Maine), 19-1. Shot put — 1. Maya Quaranta, Sacred Heart Academy (Conn.), 44 feet 0.5 inches; 2. Gifty Bediako, Classical (R.I.), 42-6.5; 3. Madeline Goncalves, Haverhill, 41-8. 4 x 200 — 1. Bloomfield (Conn.), 1:42; 2. Manchester (Conn.), 1:42.21; 3. Windsor (Conn.), 1:43.23. 4 x 400 — 1. Amherst-Pelham, 3:55.7; 2. Bloomfield (Conn.), 3:57.44; 3. Westford, 4:01.22. 4 x 800 — 1. North Kingstown (R.I.), 9:21.85; 2. Needham, 9:23.11; 3. Newton South, 9:28.77 Matty Wasserman can be reached at
Boston Globe
27-01-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Gymnastics notebook: On MADS co-op, a winning culture has resulted in a consistently high compete level
'We've just created a really great culture,' said longtime coach Jen Wrenn . 'An example: over Christmas I actually had about 20 of them, ranging from graduating in 2012 to 2022, who all came back and got together. It was like a reunion of all the kids. It was so much fun and they loved to come back. They promote the culture themselves.' That strong culture has continued this season. MADS has recorded 140-plus points in each of its last three meets and is destined for another trip to the sectional meet. (In high school gymnastics, the best teams in the state will score in the 140s.) Much of that success is due to senior co-captains and all-arounders Allison Hom (Medfield) and Emma Marden (Dover-Sherborn). Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Allison has been a very consistent competitor for MADS for the last four years,' said Wrenn. 'She has gained quite a lot of skills, which is really impressive. There's not a ton of time in high school to learn new skills, but she's certainly done that.' Advertisement Hom, the reigning Tri-Valley League champion on the bars, hasn't slowed down her learning in her senior season. 'She actually flipped her first Tsukahara [vault] last week,' said Wrenn. Marden has qualified for the state individual meet each season and competed in the all-around at the New England Championships last season. 'She is a superstar,' said Wrenn. 'She's also gained so many new skills. She's one of the hardest workers I've ever seen. She's the kid that I always have to tell her to do less because she just works so hard.' Hom and Marden lead by example, which has been useful with the makeup of this year's team. 'There's actually more new kids than there are veterans on the team,' said Wrenn. 'We got a lot of new kids, but they've done very well.' One of those new kids is freshman Brooke Postulka (Medfield), who is in the second act of her gymnastics career. Advertisement 'She was a former club gymnast who had a lot of injuries and had to quit,' said Wrenn. 'But she has come to high school gymnastics. Her leaps are beautiful. She makes it look easy and she's so fun to watch.' Junior Bridget Wyers (Dover-Sherborn) can contribute on all four events, making her especially useful this time of year when lineups are ever-changing due to illness and injury. Last year, the team leaped from a sixth-place seeding to a third-place finish in the South, qualifying for the All-State championship. This year, given the high scores of teams such as Norton, Medway/Holliston/Millis/Milford, Mansfield, and Bridgewater-Raynham/West Bridgewater, the seeding may be similar. Given its history and consistency, MADS can never be counted out when the postseason comes. 'They haven't even peaked yet,' said Wrenn. The MADS co-op team had a beach day Sunday at the Jacqui Invitational, honoring late judge Jacqui Rossini at Elite Gymnastics in Ashland. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Pressure points ▪ Undefeated in Patriot League meets, Hingham/Hull is having a strong season thanks to all-arounders who are opposite points in their careers. Freshman Grace Whiting is second in the Patriot League in the all-around (35.09). Right behind is senior Sienna Besser (34.77), a two-time state individuals qualifier. Whiting and Besser also give the co-op at least one gymnast in the top three of every apparatus. Most impressive has been Hingham/Hull's two wins over reigning league champion Marshfield, which still has the league's best all-arounder, Annie Spencer . 'Both meets were very close, but we were able to perform under pressure and won both competitions,' said Hingham/Hull coach Alexandra Boyd . Also contributing key routines are Jessica Scipione on bars and Charlotte Passeggio on beam. 'The talent on the team has really grown over the last few years,' said Boyd. Advertisement Senior salute ▪ Danvers/Lynnfield continues to be one of the North's best, thanks to senior Camryn Donovan taking a leading role. The Lynnfield senior juggles her Level 10 club career with a significant role on her high school team, and she is grateful to have both. 'I have really loved the team aspect to it, as club is a lot more individualized,' said Donovan, who was fourth in the all-around at last year's state meet. 'My team has a lot of fun and has made it memorable for me.' Third at states a year ago, Danvers/Lynnfield appears headed back to the postseason, with consistent 140s, including a stunning season-opening 147.95 score against Masconomet. Donovan is known for her 2½ twist on floor exercise, and points to the apparatus as the team's best. 'We have a lot of difficulty in our lineup, as well as some really fun routines,' said Donovan. Kat Cornetta can be reached at
