THE HORNET boys’ track and field team celebrates their win over Triton on April 26. North Reading took 3rd in the Div. 5 state relays over the weekend in Seekonk. (Eric Evans Photo)
NORTH READING — Once again led by Senior Captains Nathan Miller and Garrett Arden, the North Reading boys’ spring track team moved to 2-0 on the CAL season with an 82-63 victory over Triton on April 26. The Hornets won 10 events in the process and had a tremendous day in many areas.
Miller was the top performer, as he won all three of his events with state championship qualifying marks as he won the Long Jump in 20′ 7.25″, 53.18 in the 400 Meter Dash and also won the 200 Meter Dash in a time of 22.48, which is second all time in NRHS history.
“Nathan Miller continues to improve and it is just amazing to watch him step up for his team time and time again,” said Hornets head coach Ryan Spinney. “This type of performance is one that is very rare in track. To not only qualify for states in all three events, but to win them convincingly too is a testament to his dedication to his craft.”
Arden continued his winning ways as well, as he took home the Javelin and Shot Put wins with throws of 165′ 0″ and 41′ 5.25″ respectively.
“Garrett is one of the most incredibly driven track athletes we have had at NRHS and that is saying something,” said Spinney. “No one is more dedicated to getting better in throws than Garrett and he puts the work in to prove it. He is a talent and a leader by example.”
Senior Michael Hemme had another tremendous day as he ran a personal best in the 1 Mile (4:42.14), which places him 10th all time in NRHS history, as he took 2nd in the event. He followed it up with a victory in the 800 Meter Run with a time of 2:07.90 in a very tight race.
“Michael races with his heart every single time,” said Spinney. “He never quits and will never give up. He is a special athlete and a special young man.”
Senior Rocco Tammaro won the 400 Meter Hurdles in a time of 62.42, which places him 10th all-time in NRHS history for the event. Sophomore Nico Johnson took 2nd with a time of 64.22. Junior Noah Schifano continued his impressive start to his track career as he took 2nd in the Triple Jump with a mark of 42′ 2.5″, which is 6th all time in NRHS history. Senior Trevor Miller won his second consecutive meet in the Discus as he tossed a throw of 105′ 0″ to take the event. Freshman Leo Romanski took 3rd with a personal best of 102′ 1″. Senior Brady Miller took 2nd to Arden in the Javelin with his personal best throw of 123′ 10″. Senior Captain Jacob Duval tied for first in the High Jump with a leap of 5′ 4″. Sophomore Kaio Pancini took 2nd in the 110 Meter Hurdles in a time of 17.20 and classmate Nico Johnson took 3rd in a time of 18.00.
Senior Brodie Mann took 2nd in the 100 Meter Dash in a time of 11.56 and he followed it up with a 3rd place finish in the 200 Meter Dash in a time of 23.84. The Pole Vault trio of Senior Vincent Pastore, Johnson and Tammaro took all three top spots with vaults of 10′ 0″, 9′ 0″ and 9′ 0″ respectively to sweep the event. Rounding out the scoring for the Hornets was the 4 x 100 Meter Relay team of Senior Captain Caleb Sands, Sophomore Kieran Miller, Freshman Blaine Evans and Mann with a victory in the event with a time of 46.23.
The Hornets took 3rd overall in a very tough competition at the Division 5 State Relay Championship on Saturday in Seekonk. The Hornets tallied 45 total points, including two first place finishes as a team in the Pole Vault and Shot Put events. Weston was the champion with 57 points.
Senior Vincent Pastore led the Hornet Pole Vault squad, as they took the top 3 spots to win the event, which was conducted on Thursday evening at NRHS. Pastore cleared 11′ 0″, which ties him for 7th all time in NRHS history, to win the event. Sophomore Nico Johnson and Senior Rocco Tammaro both cleared 10′ 0″ to take 2nd and 3rd overall in the event. All three qualified for the State Championship on May 25th with their marks.
“The Pole Vault set a good tone for our team going into Saturday,” said Spinney. “All of them had great performances and the team took their lead.”
Freshman Otto Indelicato qualified for Nationals in the Freshman Shot Put event, as he threw a personal record 40′ 7″ to be the leading thrower for the Hornets. Senior Owen Delano and Senior Captain Garrett Arden threw 39′ 11.25″ and 38′ 3.25″ respectively to cap off the team title in the event.
“Our throwers have been absolutely fantastic this spring,” said Spinney. “Coaches Falanga and Ledoux have done a tremendous job of helping them find their potential and improve each meet. We are so proud of Otto. He has rapidly developed and has found a true passion in the throwing events for track. His qualifying for Nationals is just the icing on the cake for how much he has grown as an athlete this year.”
The Shuttle Hurdle Relay teams scored a total of 7 points for the Hornets, as they had two squads compete in the event. The first team of Sophomore Kaio Pancini, Senior Captain Jacob Duval, Sophomore Nico Johnson and Senior Rocco Tammaro took 3rd overall in a time of 1:12.76. The second team of Sophomores Torin Nickerson, Michael Mahoney, Marshall Murray and Daniil Baranetski took 6th in a time of 1:18.07.
“Coach MacLellan has done a fantastic job getting all eight of these athletes ready to go in a tough, competitive event. Not a lot of schools have one hurdle relay team, we have two and that speaks volumes about the talent and dedication we have in that event.”
The Javelin Relay of Senior Captain Garrett Arden, Senior Brady Miller and Sophomore Nikolas Laverdiere took home 3rd place in the Javelin relay with throws of 165′ 0″, 116′ 9″ and 115′ 6″, respectively. The Distance Medley Relay team of Senior Captain Nick Fabrizio (1200m 3:34.0), Senior Captain Nathan Miller (400m 51.7), Senior Christian DaCosta (800m 2:11.7) and Senior Michael Hemme (1600m 4:40.6) ran a total of 11:19.16, which placed 3rd in the meet and was just shy of the school record in the DMR.
The Sprint Medley relay took 4th in a solid time of 3:41.30, which was just half a second off the school record for the event. Senior Captain Caleb Sands (200m 23.40), Senior Brodie Mann (200m 24.1), Senior Captain Nathan Miller (400m 52.5) and Senior Michael Hemme (800m 2:01.3) combined for the solid effort. The last team to place was the Discus Relay team of Senior Kyle McCormack (106′ 1″), Senior Trevor Miller (100′ 4″) and Freshman Leo Romanski (99′ 9″) to take 5th overall in the event.
“We have a lot to be proud of today and we certainly have more to build on going forward,” said Spinney. “The second half of the season will be a lot of fun to watch as it unfolds.” The Hornets were back in action on Wednesday after press time as they traveled to Pentucket to take on the 1-1 Panthers.