MIAA DIVISION 2 TRACK

Westford Academy, Woburn champs

By Jack McCluskey, Globe Correspondent | February 16, 2008

Winning four straight Division 2 MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championships isn't easy, but that's what the Central Catholic girls were trying to do at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury yesterday.

The result came down to the wire.

With only the relays remaining, Westford Academy and Mansfield were deadlocked in first place with 30 points. Central Catholic was a point behind.

Westford Academy took first in the 4 x 200 - the next-to-last event - and pulled to a 40-32 lead over Mansfield, with Central Catholic stuck at 29.

A fourth-place finish in the final event, the 4 x 400, gave Westford Academy 44 points, enough to hold off Mansfield (42) and Central Catholic (37) - although those schools finished first and second, respectively, in the event.

Westford Academy showed it was for real earlier in the meet, when Karen Nallen took the 300-meter race with a time of 41.40.

"You know what did this? We play in the Dual County League," said Westford Academy coach Peter Dennechuk.

Hard work also was a factor, according to Dennechuk.

"These kids bring their lunch pails every day," he said. "And they'll all be back, except one."

Tewksbury's Kristen Judge won the high jump with a personal best of 5 feet 7 inches. Judge said her mechanics had been out of whack the past few weeks as she plateaued at 5-3. "I didn't really expect to win it," she said, "but I just wanted to come in and do my best."

Other winners included Reading's Joan Kwiatek in the shot put with a throw of 36-6 1/4; Masconomet's Abbey D'Agostino in the mile with a solid 5:10.44; Franklin's Kathleen Ryan in the 600 with a 1:38.06; Natick junior Rebecca White in the 2-mile with an 11:10.94, the fastest time in the state this season; Joanna Timmons of Notre Dame (Hingham) in the 55 (7.47); and Meghan Ferreira of Mansfield in the 55 hurdles (8.43).

On the boys' side, Woburn was never really challenged, jumping out to a big lead and cruising with 61 points to Reading's 47 and Mansfield's 35.

Woburn's Ryad Bencheikh was nearly a second better than the field in the 600, finishing in 1:21.95. That win moved the Tanners into second place with 13 points, leapfrogging Whitman-Hanson and Central Catholic. Woburn took off from there.

Woburn's stiffest challenge came from Reading in the 12th event, the 4 x 200 relay.

Brian Smith came out blazing, and the other Woburn runners - Dave Clark, Chris Martin, and Matt Pereira - maintained that pace. But Reading matched it and nearly came out on top. Pereira barely held off Ian O'Shea, finishing in 1:30.94, a margin of .01.

Liam Anastasi-Murphy won the 1,000 in 2:30.25, giving Gloucester its only first place. Omar Aden of Charlestown sped to a five-second win in the mile, crossing in 4:22.08. Mansfield's Mike McPherson threw the shot put 58 feet, the best in Massachusetts this season, and almost 8 feet longer than that of Franklin senior Andrew McNeice (50-2 1/2)

Other winners included: Max Enos, Westford Academy, 22-4 1/4 in the long jump; and Gio Frias, Central Catholic, 6-5 in the high jump.