By Carley Crain
@carley_crain12
The men’s and women’s track teams opened their indoor season at home on a gloomy afternoon among other competitive New England teams. To begin their season, the team dedicated this meet to Title IX and celebrated its impact on athletics as a whole.
On the women’s side, the team had several stand-out performances within the field events. Sophie Warren finished first overall in the shot put, with her 11.02 m throw. Springfield’s Mackenzie Gingras finished right behind their teammate in second place, as she threw a 10.76 m throw.
The Pride showed their strength in the high jump as well, with sophomore Shae-Bisner Boulay placing second overall with her leap of 1.51 meters. Springfield also dominated the women’s triple jump, as Samantha Paul took first, Matlyn Gross in third, and Abigail Clinch with fourth. Over the past few years, the jumping events have been the Pride’s strong suit. Gross also took control of the long jump, as she took first with an impressive 5.16-meter jump.
Senior Emily Racana started off their season with a statement, as she took first place with a leap of 3.00 meters. Warren had another solid performance in the weight throw, as she came away with a second-place finish.
In the 60-meter dash, Springfield took control of the top five, showing once again their depth. Gwen Anderson led the Pride in the event and finished second, Kaitlyn Doherty with fourth, and Sydney Fackrell in fifth.
The men also showed off their depth and ability to pack run throughout the course of the meet. Springfield claimed all five places in arguably their strongest event, the 60-meter dash. Evan Weber led the team effort as he took first overall. The 400-meter dash looked similar, as Springfield took the top three finishes. Sam Polley took first overall with his time of 50.84.
The 1,000-meter race also was dominated by Springfield, as they went 1-2-3. Joe Wong crossed the line first for Springfield in a time of 2:39.08.
Senior John DeRosa made a statement with his first-place finish in the 3,000 meters. A fast and action-packed last lap secured the win for the Pride.
The men also competed well in the field events. Senior Colby Wilson started his season with a win, as he jumped 6.79 meters to secure first overall. The men also won the pole vault, as Alex McKenney produced a solid jump of 3.85 meters. Senior Jamie Cocca also opened his season strong, as he finished second overall in the weight throw, with a solid performance of 15.24 meters.
Springfield will have over a month break until their next meet in Medford, Massachusetts.
Photo: Carley Crain / The Student