Coach Conor Cashman and Kevin Butera brought 11 relays to compete at the MSTCA (Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association) Division III Relay Championships on January 12, 2014. Between the two teams, they collected 4 medals and broke one school record.
The 4 medals brought home were from the the girls 4×200 relay, girls 4×800 relay team, as well as the boys 55 meter shuttle dash relay, and the 1600 meter Sprint Medley.
The 1600 meter sprint medley consisted of the 4 athletes running an 800, 200, 200, and 400. Senior Captain Jon Kelland ran the 800 meters, senior Myles Cofield, and sophomore Sean Perkins in the 200 meter duo and junior Tommy Helm in the 400 meters. The boys also placed 3rd overall, with a time of 3:50.70, coming within one second of the school record.
Kelland said, “I was pumped, we got third overall and it was our first time doing it together so it was great for us to do well.”
The second medal brought home was from the girls 4×800 meters with senior Captain Gina Conti, senior Jackie Applin, and juniors Allie Morris and Lucy Lynch. The girls placed 5th with a school record breaking time of 9:53.82 by over 15 seconds — the first time Walpole has broken the 10:00 minute barrier. The girls also qualified the 4×800 relay team for the Division III Championships in February.
Lynch said, “We were really excited to break this record because we fell short of it in this meet last year.”
Girls 4×200 meter relay captured the 3rd medal of the day with senior Captain Olivia O’Hara, junior Sarah Perkins, and freshmen Lindsey Cordopatri and Devin McKinney. The girls ran a personal record for this season of 1:54.34, capturing the last medal in 6 place.
“I don’t think we realized we had any potential to place that high going into the race at a very competitive meet, but we’re thrilled with the outcome,” said O’Hara.
O’Hara was also part of the long jump relay with junior Katie Carter, and sophomore Hiromi Kondo. The girls missed a medal by 1 centimeter for a total jump of 12.90 meters. Concord Carlisle jumped 12.91 meters to take home 6th place.
The boys 55 meter shuttle dash relay of Cofield, sophomores Lovevindjy Salvant, Akin Street, and Perkins ran to victory in their heat with a time of 23.66 seconds. They also managed to place 3rd overall, out of 28 teams. The boys only finished less than a second off the winning time, and a second off of Walpole High School’s record.
Although the boys sprint medley team will not compete again this season, the teams will most likely have their other relays compete again at the Division III Championship Meet in February.
