Coming off one of the most successful finishes in school history for Cross Country with the first Division III Championship since 1992, Walpole Boys Indoor Track and Field went into the season with high expectations. After starting the season 2-0 with victories over Milton and Norwood, Walpole faced their toughest competition yet on January 8 when they faced a strong Wellesley team. With a 65-31 victory for the Rebels, their Bay State Herget title hopes are very much alive and kicking as they go into their meet tomorrow against undefeated Natick.
The Rebels had a number of standout performances that helped secure the victory. Although the distance squad as a whole were slower than usual, senior Brendan Wohler raced to the victory in the mile with a personal best of 4:41.
“It was a slow day in the mile and two mile, but Wohler went out like normal and raced for the win,” said senior Captain Billy Heiberger.
As for sprints, junior Nick Ricci won the 300-meter dash in 38.41 to miss qualifying for Divisionals by .01 seconds.
The Rebels also scored some much-needed points in the shot put. Big personal records from junior Nick Campobasso and senior Bergomi Francois gave the Rebels a clutch first and third and put them ahead permanently.
“Wellesley had one really good athlete that we thought Campobasso could compete with, but during the meet [Campobasso] threw a great PR,¨ said senior Captain Ben Sacco.
Walpole Girls Track also performed well against Wellesley despite the score ending 65-55 in favor of Wellesley. Four athletes qualified for the Division III meet in February: senior Maureen Herlihy (600-meter dash), junior Tori Lynch (high jump), sophomore Stephanie Forester (two mile), and freshman Sarah Tierney (1000-meter run).
Both teams move on to face Natick on January 15, and both teams are fighting for at least a share of the Herget title.
“Natick is another tough team, but the team knows we have the potential to do well,” said senior Captain Brianna Conley. “We just need to keep the same positive attitudes we’ve had for past meets and continue to give each race our best effort.”
Looking forward at the meet on Thursday, Coach Butera said, “The Natick meet is all about who can handle their nerves better. We have plenty of depth but what is going to put us over the top is guys going from being ‘good’ to being ‘great.’”
