The Massachusetts Division 3 Track Meet was held at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center on Friday, February 20, and it had plenty of runners from Walpole High competing. A total of eleven athletes competed, as they had to previously meet qualifying times in their respective event in order to obtain a starting spot.
The first event was the 300 Meter dash qualifying rounds, where senior captain Vinnie Lee led his heat the whole way. He had the second fastest time overall after the first round, with a time of 36.35 seconds (which was a new personal record).
Also in the 300 was junior Joe Rockwood, who ran 38.93.
In the finals, Lee came in second, running another personal best in 36.18 and earning himself a medal and a birth in the All-State Meet.
“Im really happy with [Friday’s] performance. All-State’s should be fun, and I feel good going in,” said Lee.
While the 300m was on the track, the infield was bustling with high jump action. Senior captain Bobby Fitzgibbon jumped 6.00 feet, just 3 inches short of his personal best. Finishing tied for sixth, Fitzgibbon made the cut for the All-State meet this week.
On the girls side of the high jump, junior Erica Hawley finished third, jumping 5 feet, 2 inches. She will join Fitzgibbon and Lee at the All State meet.
Hawley also medaled in the 55 meter hurdles, coming in sixth and running 9.08 seconds.
In the distance events, things kicked off with the 600 Meter run, where senior Jarrod Goula set a new school record and personal best. His time of 1:25.71 seconds breaks Mike Zampi’s previous school record.
Goula’s brother, junior Ben Goula also ran a personal best in the 1000m. Clocking in at 2:45, Ben finished 12 the of the 23 competitors.
Senior Captain Diana Wiseman ran the mile in 5:42, good for 18th in the Division.
Moving up to the 2 Mile, Walpole had two competitors, senior captain Chris Lotsbom and junior Ryan Doherty. Through the mile, both were in the middle of the 13 man pack. Lotsbom finished tenth in the heat, 15th overall (10:38), and Doherty crossed the line in 13th, 20th overall (11:05).
To finish the meet off, Walpole’s boy’s and girl’s 4×400 relay teams took the track. The girls team, comprised of Wiseman, sophomore Brigette Lawton, freshman Amanda DiMartino, and Erica Hawley, ran to a 21st place finish, with a time of 4:29.4.
Next up were the guys, finishing in 3:40.38. Lee, both Goulas, and Rockwood would help the team place eighth overall, just out of contention for a spot at All-States. The relay was just short of their best time of the year (by 2 seconds).
The performances at the Division 3 Meet surely were spectacular, as the team brought home five medals.
With three more athletes vying for individual state titles, stay tuned for reports on the results of the All-State Meet.
