Nauset’s Roche Rewrites Record Book As Warriors Prepare For Postseason

NORTH EASTHAM – When Violet Roche broke her first school record in the high jump as a freshman, the significance of her accomplishment didn’t fully resonate right away. 

 “It was my second indoor meet of my freshman year and that’s when I jumped five feet for the first time,” said Roche, an Orleans resident. “I remember the seniors on the team telling me, ‘The last girl that got that high tried for five feet all four years!’ I couldn’t really believe it because track was so new to me.”

 Now a junior, Roche continues to set the pace. She broke two school records she had previously set at the MSTCA Coaches Invitational on Jan. 25 at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.

Roche cleared five feet, four inches in the high jump to break her previous record of 5-02 and surpassed her previous long jump school record of 16-10 by nearly a foot, clearing 17-09.25. She finished in third place in both events. 

“The long jump came first,” Roche said. “The goal of mine had been to finally jump over 17 feet, so to get that was amazing. I felt it was a good jump and I watched the lady pull out the measuring tape and remember seeing the 18 float above the board and I was like, ‘That can’t be right.’

“Then she said the measurement — it was amazing.”

Being a jumper during the indoor track season can be particularly difficult due to the challenges that come with practicing. Roche also competes in the 55- and 300-meter dashes in addition to the 4x200 relay, so it can be tricky to find the balance of practicing jumping and running events. 

“In indoor track, it’s no one’s fault but we are indoors for 30-45 minutes,” Nauset track coach Moira Nobili said. “It takes us 15-20 to warm up, so the high jumpers and long jumpers don’t jump a lot. Same with the hurdlers. The long jumpers have only jumped four times or so, only because of the circumstances of having limited time inside.”

Roche has also faced the challenge of chasing her own name. Ever since she set the school records — she also holds the school’s outdoor high, long and triple jump records — she has been working to continue to improve.

“Competing with yourself can be hard because you’re already your own biggest competition in track,” Roche said. “It’s hard to keep beating yourself when you’re worried you’re not going to be as good as your previous self.”

As proud as she is to be atop Nauset’s record books, Roche maintains the belief that “records are meant to be broken.”

“I want those records to be broken,” she said. “I want someone to come through Nauset next and jump 5-8 and be incredible. It’s crazy to think about having those records but also that someone is going to come and beat them.”

Roche and the Warriors returned to the Reggie Lewis Center on Saturday for the Cape and Islands League championship, with both the boys and girls finishing second behind Dennis-Yarmouth. 

“Dennis-Yarmouth has a lot of depth,” Nobili said. “We don’t have the depth, but we have amazing athletes. They are on top of what they do. They give it their best, so to me, I consider it like we won because they gave it their best and they are great kids.”

Nauset had plenty of first-place finishes and personal records at the league meet, including first-place finishes for Roche in the long jump (16-05) and the high jump (5-02).

Senior Isaiah Robinson set a PR to win the 55 hurdles (7.89 seconds), while classmate Michael Flynn posted a PR in the 300 to claim sixth place in 39.91 seconds. Another senior, Griffin Labranche, took fourth in the 600 with a PR of 1:32.33. 

One of the best performances for the boys’ squad came in the 4x400, when the quartet of Flynn, Labranche, freshman Billy Naughton and sophomore Gabriel Walsh took first place with a PR of 3:58.67.

“Mike Flynn, who had never done track before, was in the 4x400 and crushed it during the last relay,” Nobili said. “The euphoria of them running and getting a medal was a great way for some of them to end the season.”

Senior Rhianna Sutherland set a PR to earn second in the girls 55 after finishing in 7.53 seconds, while her classmate, Amina Illusinova, set a PR in the two mile with a second-place time of 12:46.50. Junior Anika Valli set a PR en route to a first-place finish in the 55 hurdles (10.05), while Roche’s younger sister, Maeve, a freshman, set a PR (10.75) with a second-place finish in the hurdles.

“I was long jumping and to see her place and medal probably could’ve made me cry if I wasn’t trying to focus on the long jump,” the elder Roche said. “It’s amazing to see her do well in a new sport for her. I remember when I was a freshman, track can be scary — especially hurdles. That's a very scary event, and there’s a good chance you could fall.”

Both Nauset teams will send athletes to the Divisional Championships next week at the Reggie Lewis Center, followed by the Meet of Champions on Feb. 22. 

 Regardless of the postseason outcomes, Nobili is proud of the way both teams competed while earning 5-1 records during the regular season.

“When you go to divisionals, it’s like every event is slammed with competition,” the coach said. "It's a balance of letting them know they are ready and giving them confidence so they are ready to go.”