Despite the spring athletic seasons being canceled due to COVID-19 precautions, the dedication and leadership exuded by the spring sports captains at Walpole High School will be fully recognized.

Kelly O’Meara

When did you first begin playing this sport?

Freshman year. 

Do you want to continue this sport in college?

No. 

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why?

Corey Coogan because he was my first and only coach, and he has made me a better runner. 

What other activities/clubs are you involved in?

Soccer and winter track. 

Who have always been some big opponents/rivals? Why?

Needham and Wellesley because the abilities of their athletes are very similar in ability to ours. 

How has this sport impacted you?

Track has allowed me to meet so many new people that will be my lifelong friends. 

What is one of your favorite memories of this sport?

Breaking two school records with my relay team. 

Michela O’Toole

When did you first begin playing this sport?

I began participating in spring track in sixth grade.  

Do you want to continue this sport in college?

No. 

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why?

My mother has been a prominent coach in my track and field career because she has supported and coached me since sixth grade.  

What other activities/clubs are you involved in?

Winter track and Humane Society. 

Who have always been some big opponents/rivals? Why?

Needham, because they have always been a strong team with the most challenging competition.  

How has this sport impacted you?

Spring track has taught me to persevere and trust that I can do anything I put my mind too. 

What is one of your favorite memories of this sport?

One of my favorite memories of this sport is when we won the Spring Track Herget for the first time in school’s history.  

Mia Costa

When did you first begin playing this sport?

Seventh grade.  

Do you want to continue this sport in college?

Yes. 

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why?

Cashman has been a prominent coach throughout my sports career. He has been my coach since my freshman year and has helped me grow continuously, not only as an athlete, but as a teammate and person as well.

What other activities/clubs are you involved in?

Cross country, winter track and Best Buddies. 

Who have always been some big opponents/rivals? Why?

Needham has always been a big rival for us.  Their track team is very comparable to ours, and it often comes down to our dual meet for the Herget title.  

How has this sport impacted you?

Track and running have taught me a lot about myself, from setting personal goals, being mindful of my health and being part of a team/community.  In addition, I’ve had the unique opportunity to create friendships with other athletes across the state through the sport, and I hope to continue establishing new relationships with other runners in the future.

What is one of your favorite memories of this sport?

Although I have a lot of great memories from this sport, one of my favorites memories is when our 4x800m relay team traveled to North Carolina to compete in Nationals last June.

Savannah Campbell

When did you first begin playing this sport?

Freshman year.   

Do you want to continue this sport in college?

Yes. 

If yes, are you committed for this sport? To what school?

Westfield State University. 

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why?

Mr. Ostaszewski because he has been my number one supporter since freshman year.

What other activities/clubs are you involved in?

Soccer. 

Who have always been some big opponents/rivals? Why?

Needham and Milton because it is always a close score with them.

How has this sport impacted you?

This sport has given my teammates that encourage me all the time.

What is one of your favorite memories of this sport?

Unexpectedly breaking the outdoor 4 x 4 relay record in 2019 at the BSC meet.

Colleen Barry

When did you first begin playing this sport?

Junior year.   

Do you want to continue this sport in college?

No.

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why?

Cashman has been a prominent coach in my sports career because he has been my coach all throughout high school and has pushed me to be a better runner.

What other activities/clubs are you involved in?

Cross country, winter track and journalism. 

Who have always been some big opponents/rivals? Why?

Milton has always been one of our biggest opponents because they have a very strong team especially distance, so our duel meets against them have always been something to look forward to.

How has this sport impacted you?

This sport has brought me so many new friendships and memories over the years that I’m really going to miss next year.

What is one of your favorite memories of this sport?

One of my favorite memories from spring track is running a mile PR against Weymouth with Cate Stanton.

Katie Murtagh

When did you first begin playing this sport?

During my freshman year, I began my outdoor season sprinting. After the coaches kept convincing me to do hurdles, I finally started my sophomore outdoor track season, but I wish I did earlier! 

Do you want to continue this sport in college?

Yes. 

If yes, are you committed for this sport? To what school?

Worcester State University.

Who was a prominent coach in your sports career? Why?

Coach Rafferty never gave up on convincing me to switch to hurdles. Even though I joined late, she put lots of time into helping me get the hurdle form down, so I was able to compete in more meets by the end of the season. 

What other activities/clubs are you involved in?

I used to play soccer in the fall, but then I got a job in a daycare every day after school and volunteered in a hospital each week.

Who have always been some big opponents/rivals? Why?

A big opponent was Natick since we both have lots of close competition in almost all our events. They have some really great sprinters and hurdles I have competed with, but overall, we had a great indoor season and beat them.

How has this sport impacted you?

This sport has brought me so many friendships that will last a lifetime. With the support of my coaches and teammates, I learned over the seasons what my strengths were and dedicated myself to putting in as much effort as I could to get better. 

What is one of your favorite memories of this sport?

My favorite memory was when my 4 by 200-meter relay squad and I broke the school record during my junior year season. We had worked so hard all season being only a half a second off the record until finally the last meet we broke it.