Nauset Boys Claim Title, Girls Finish Second At Track And Field League Championships
By: Brad Joyal
Topics: Monomoy Regional High School , Track/Field , Nauset Regional High School
Members of the Nauset boys and girls track and field teams pose for a photo at Monday’s Cape and Islands League championship held at Monomoy. BRAD JOYAL PHOTO
HARWICH – Nauset track and field coach Moira Nobili laid out the significance of Monday’s Cape and Islands League outdoors track and field league championships to her teams in simple terms.
“I told them, ‘It’s the meet of champions, act like champions,’” Nobili said of her message.
The Nauset athletes took their coach’s advice to heart. The Warriors left the league meet held at Monomoy with plenty of medals after both the boys and girls teams shined on the league’s biggest stage. The boys’ results led to the league title, while the girls turned in a second-place finish.
“It was great,” Nobili said. “A lot of kids had to put a lot into today. They knew they wanted to do it for the team and they gave their best effort. It was very special for them.”
The Nauset boys finished with 106 team points, outlasting Dennis-Yarmouth (97) and Falmouth (91) to win the title. The girls team title belonged to D-Y, which pulled away from Nauset (112.5) and Barnstable (95) to claim the championship with 164.5 points.
Some of Nauset’s best performances came from underclassmen on both teams. On the girls’ side, freshman Violet Roche earned titles in the long jump (16 feet, 3.75 inches) and the triple jump (35-02) before finishing second in the girls 400-meter dash in 1:00.82.
Roche’s teammate, sophomore Rhianna Sutherland, set a new personal record to win the 200-meter in 26.26 in addition to finishing second in the 100-meter dash (13.31) and third in long jump (15-03.25).
“It feels really good. I’m really proud of myself,” said Sutherland, an Orleans resident, after qualifying for the state meet in the 200. “I’ve worked really hard this season and I’m ready to work even harder.”
Nauset’s boys saw sophomore Adian Brown win the 100-meter hurdles title in 15.80 seconds, just a few ticks before his classmate and teammate Isaiah Robinson (16.04) crossed the finish line for second place. Robinson claimed his own league title in the triple jump after clearing 39 feet, 11 inches to narrowly beat his teammate, senior Alexander Melano (37-09).
Nauset junior Damian Bebber won the 400 in 50.71 and finished second in the 200 (23.13), while fellow junior Will Crowell won the 800 in 2:07.78 after making a late move to pass D-Y junior Nick Terranova (2:08.47) on the final straightaway.
“I tried to pass him on the turn, but he just kept going faster,” said Crowell, a Dennis resident. “So, I just waited for the final 100 [meters] and gave it everything I got. He did the same exact thing to me last week, so I had to get back at him.”
Crowell contributed to another league title, partnering with Bradford Hagopian, Tim Sanders and Hunter Hunt to win the 4x800 relay in 9:46.79.
Additional highlights included Nauset senior Cecilia LaBarge winning the shot put with a final mark of 32-05 and finishing second in the discus throw (93-05). Sophomore Madeline Mahoney took home the 800-meter league title after finishing in 2:23.30 – a new PR.
“It feels so good,” said Mahoney, a Barnstable resident. “I’ve been having a little bit of a tough season mentally, but that was such a good win for me and I’m so excited for the rest of the season.”
Nobili said Monday’s championships were a nice way to cap off the league season after both teams saw success in the regular season. The boys claimed the regular season league title with a 7-0 record, while the girls finished second in the league with a 6-1 mark.
“The hard part for the girls has been low numbers,” Nobili said. “We have a lot of talent but not enough to fill those extra points. Hopefully we’ll start to grow a little bit more. The boys really, I think, felt a camaraderie and some of the seniors really wanted to do well and make a difference.”
Host Monomoy saw some strong finishes, including victories in the boys 100-meter dash and the girls 2-mile race. Eighth-grader Alique Brown won the title in the 100 after finishing in 11.58 seconds, while University of Vermont-bound senior Rhiannon Vos took home the first-place medal in the 2-mile with a time of 11.58.
Juniors Gareth Vos and Kiki Pigo-Cronin added second-place finishes in the boys 400 (52.29) and the girls shot put (29-10), respectively.