Littleton boys' track repeats as Division 5 indoor track state champions
Boys
Division 5 state meet: Littleton broke away from a tie with Ipswich entering the three relays Thursday, with a victory and second-place finish to repeat as champion at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.
Sophomore Timothy Rank and senior Bona Bradshaw each won individual events, placed in another and ran the final two legs in the decisive relay for Littleton, which finished with 64½ points to Ipswich's 49½ to give the Tigers thier second-straight Division 5 state title.
Parker Charter (32) placed third, and Lunenburg (27) tied Norton for fifth.
Littleton opened the relays by placing second to Amesbury in the 4x200, with both teams going under the previous meet record. The Tigers, with Paul Neary, Ben Shufrin, Charles Martin and Tyler Castillo, finished in 1:33.93, just behind Amesbury's 1:33.36. Lunenburg (1:35.75; Brady Burns, Jake Burns, Seth Tardie, Shawn Stillman) was fifth.
Littleton secure the team victory in the 4x800 as Evan Cherry, Spencer Caouette, Rank and Bradshaw edged Bromfield's Jack Stahl, Samuel Secor, Christian Johannesen and Liam Kameza by .01 seconds, with 8:26.50 the winning time. Lunenburg (Cam Begley, Lucas Pentedemos, Bryce Whalen, Sean Whalen) was eighth in 8:58.18.
In the 55 dash, Littleton's Castillo, a junior, was edged by Springfield International Charter senior Winston Lewis in a preliminary heat but beat him in the final by an even closer margin, both clocking 6.54 seconds. Parker Charter senior Brandon Ciccolini (6.69) was third.
Littleton then chalked up another win in the mile, with Rank prevailing in 4:24.9. Groton-Dunstable junior Zak Metzger (4:33.70) was fifth, Uxbridge junior Lincoln Schiller (4:37.69) sixth and Maynard senior Gabe Aroian (4:40.92) eighth.
Bradshaw (2:36.53) took third for in the 1,000, drawing Littleton to within two points of meet-leading Ipswich. Lunenburg senior Chris Roy (2:42.14) was seventh.
Senior Keith Townsend (6-4) took the high jump to extend Ipswich's lead, with Douglas junior Dominic Rossi tied for sixth at 5-10.
But Bradshaw (10:02.30) and Rank (10:04.41) then placed 1-2 in the 2 mile as Littleton pulled even with Ipswich at 46½ points through 10 events, entering the relays, with Parker Charter in third at 32.
Parker's Henry Jacobsen (sophomore, 10:04.48) and Caleb Hatlevig (junior, 10:11.96) were third and fourth in the 2 mile, with Hudson sophomore Andrew Klinedinst (10:14.10) fifth and Hopedale junior Jackson Hunt (10:22.25) eighth.
Parker Charter senior Theo Puterbaugh shined in the shot put, throwing 55 feet, 9¾ nches, winning by more than five feet. AMSA senior Michael Zuo (47-8) was second, Groton-Dunstable senior Dylan Paradis (46-4¼) sixth and Quaboag senior Brendan Burke (46-1¼) seventh.
Lunenburg senior Zach MacLure (1:23.88) finished third in the 600, followed by Bromfield's Stahl (junior, 1:24.01) and Secor (senior, 1:24.05). Ayer-Shirley sophomore Cole New was sixth in 1:26.85.
MacLure's classmate, Tim Smith, placed fifth in the 300 (36.51), and Groton-Dunstable senior Liam Herrmann and Littleton's Neary, a senior, tied for sixth in 36.64.
Central Mass. runners placed 5-6-7 in the 55 hurdles — AMSA sophomore Zachary Barton (8.50), Oakmont senior Declan Leclair (8.60) and Douglas senior Luke Lightbown (8.62).
Lunenburg (3:31.28) closed the night by winning the 4x400, with Roy, Connor Martin, Smith and MacLure.
Girls
Division 5 state meet: Lunenburg collected points in several events, totaling 37 to place third as a team at the Reggie Lewis Center. Nipmuc (28) was fifth, and Murdock and Littleton tied for eighth with 19. Weston (71) was the champion.
Lunenburg's Alexa Jenkins, a sophomore, and Sarah Viveiros, a junior, went 3-4 in the shot put, Jenkins throwing 33 feet, 8½ inches, 1 inch better than Viveiros. Littleton junior Margaret Berlinger (31-6½) was sixth, AMSA freshman Aysha Silva (31-5¼) seventh and Oxford senior Payton Banfill (30-11½) eighth.
Lunenburg picked up six more points in the long jump, where sophomore Carli Stanford posted a best of 16-7 to finish third. Murdock sophomore Rachel Leblanc (4-10) placed seventh in the high jump.
Senior Abby Rodriquenz took second in the 1,000 for the Blue Knights, in 3:05.30. Littleton senior Prianka Sarathy was right behind her in 3:08.11.
CMass runners figured prominently in the mile, led by Murdock sophomore Avery Murphy's second-place finish in 5:17.75. Groton-Dunstable juniors Georgia Brooks (5:24.64) and Catherine Daly (5:26.20) finished fourth and fifth, Hudson junior Rachael Korowski (5:26.84) was sixth and Sutton freshman Annabella Lamoreaux (5:29.48) seventh.
In the 2 mile, Murphy (12:01.97) and senior teammate Lillian Skawinski (12:13.82) placed fourth and fifth.
Nipmuc's Montano sisters collected five points in the 300, sophomore Kyah (42.69) finishing fifth and freshman Anya (43.69) eighth. Douglas sophomore Ava Haire (9.19) and Nipmuc freshman Riley Restic (9.23) finished 5-6 in the 55 hurdles.
Gianna Yordanopoulos, Restic's senior teammate, took seventh in the 55 dash in 7.57. Lunenburg sophomore Rylan Arnold placed sixth in the 600, with Hudson's Korowski (1:44.20) seventh.
In the 4x200 relay, Nipmuc (1:49.89; Yordanopoulos, Elizabeth Alnge, Lillia Young, Abigail Mullins) finished third and Ayer-Shirley (1:52.19; Sastea Cherduville, Chandra Eli-Johnson, Jordan Kosakowski, Gabrielle Sweeney) seventh.
Lunenburg (10:30.27; Breanna Bajko, Olivia Coronella, Iliana Thomas, Lauren Long) was second in the 4x800, with Nipmuc (10:40.43; Emma Nadolski, Caydence Carr, Avery Orff, Gretchen Uthoff) third and Littleton (10:43.26; Erin Regan, Bridget Stevens, Abby Rose Reid, Rachael Friedman) fourth.
Nipmuc (4:14.30; Anya Montano, Jessica Casey, Kyah Montano, Emma Watts) finished third in the 4x400, with Littleton (4:14.65; Emma Follows, Amy Proulx, Giselle Kiernan, Sarathy) fourth and Lunenburg (4:23.34; Karynna Long, Emma King, Anita White, Arnold) eighth.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Littleton boys' track repeats as Division 5 indoor track champions
