HARWICH ─ At the start of his 2017 season, Monomoy boys track coach Don Bates had two goals: to win the Cape and Islands League title and to compete in respectable fashion against tougher opponents. Bates was thrilled when his team accomplished both goals, this week winning the league title with a 72-57 victory against Sturgis in a rain-soaked home meet.

The rain began just as the meet started but didn't dampen the spirits of the competitors, with the Sharks sweeping a number of events, including the mile, the 200M, and the hurdles.

Steve Young placed first in the mile run with a time of 5:14, followed by Tommy Graham (5:30) and Vincent Jodice (5:38), with Ryan Schepman placing fourth at 5:43.

Sharborne Carter claimed the top spot in the 200M race, followed by Archer Estinvil and Gavin Viera, while Graham earned a personal record, first place finish in the two-mile with his time of 11:18.

Schepman struck again in the 100M hurdles with a first place finish at 19.6, while Ben Thomas, even with a stop on the track to assist an injured Sturgis runner, placed second in the race at 19.7. Colby Jones came in fourth in the race at 22.1, with Aidan Melton fifth at 22.4.

“I'm really impressed at the way they persevered,” said Bates.

Perry Comeau had a strong finish in the 800M at 2:15, while Lorvens Estinvil took the top spot in the 100M run and was part of the winning 4x100M relay team that also included brothers Archer and Lorvensky Estinvil, as well as Carter.

Jon Frisbie triumphed in the field events, winning both the discus (87 feet) and the javelin (roughly 127 feet), while Viera placed second in the triple jump with a leap of 35 feet, 3.25 inches. Ryan Meehan placed fourth in the event with a jump of 32 feet, 8.5 inches.

“Given the schedule that we had, which was a hard one, I think we actually came about 50-50,” Bates said. “We dominated where we could and were respectable where we needed to be.”

Bates was especially impressed with his team's dedication and sportsmanship.

“The kids took accountability and responsibility pretty seriously,” Bates said. “They took care of their own performance and did whatever was necessary to help the team. It's a culture within a team. It's the soul of the team.”

Girls Strong In Spite Of Close Loss To Sturgis

In conditions that would have other teams literally heading for home, the Monomoy girls track team endured an increasingly steady rain as they took on Sturgis in a decidedly friendly meet on Monday, with the visitors from Hyannis eking out a 60-57 win.

It was still a meet in which many Monomoy athletes shined, including Tori McCormack, who took first in the shotput with a throw of 22 feet, 2 inches, followed by Aliyah Molokwu at 22 feet, 1 inch.

Caraline LaBelle took the top spot in the javelin with a stellar throw of 46 feet, 3 inches, followed by Abbey Tyldesley at 45 feet, 10 inches. Josie Ganshaw placed fourth at 44 feet, 4 inches, with Jalissa Miranda with a throw of 40 feet, 1 inch (sixth), and Amy Hinesley at 37 feet, 10 inches (seventh).

McCormack also ruled the discus with an impressive throw of 72 feet 9.5 inches, with Molokwu in second at 64 feet, 7 inches. Illiana Wallace placed fourth at 56 feet, 2 inches, followed by Julia Dowd at 47 feet, 2 inches and Miah Archambault at 46 feet, 7 inches.

Tara Barry won the girls triple jump with a distance of 28 feet 10.25 inches, and also took first in the 400M hurdles with a time of 1:15.10. Meanwhile, the Monomoy girls swept the 100M hurdles, led by McCormack at 20.8, Ganshaw in second and LaBelle in third. LaBelle placed third in the 400M at 1:12, followed by Tyldesley at 1:17 and Emma Mitchell at 1:18, with Tara Barry placing second in the 800M at 2:45, Hinesley third at 2:49, and Emily McIlvan fourth at 3:22.

Margo Dery won the two-mile with a time of 13:48, followed by Caroline Davock in second at 14:24.

Head coach Justin Torrellas was pleased with the team's performance in the meet.

“Overall I was happy how they performed in the wind, cold and rain,” he said. “It was a tough day, and they came through [with] many season and lifetime best performances despite the conditions.”

Torrellas noted that Jasmine Garcia concluded her high school career with her first ever leap of over 14 feet in the long jump.

“It was nice to see her end on a high note,” he said. “And Tara tied her season's best in winning the 400 hurdles again despite the conditions, which is a testament to her strength and makes me think on a dry and windless day she could have lowered that a second or two. Molokwu was a little short of her best, but it was nice to see her end the season and her high school career with strong throwing in the shotput and disc, and in the last week has helped the 4x100m to their best times this season.”

Torrellas said that he's definitely looking forward to next year.

“I am very excited about the future,” he said. “They are a relatively young team, and they really started to show their potential in recent weeks. I hope they learned a lot. I certainly learned a lot this season, and with that under our belts, we can look ever onward and upwards.”