BOSTON — The NRHS girls’ track and field team won their third straight Cape Ann League Championship with a victory over Newburyport on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at the last regular season meet held at the Track at New Balance.
Both North Reading and Newburyport were undefeated leading into the meet with 3-0 records. On paper, the meet looked like it would be a close one that would likely require the winning team to win one if not both relays contested at the end of the meet. However, the Hornets had several standout performances that allowed them to secure the win with the Two Mile Run prior to both relays.
Captain Georgia Robarts and League Athlete of the Year Giuliana Ligor led their team to victory with double victories in their individual events and combining their efforts in the 4×200 Meter Relay.
Contributing to the Hornet win was a balanced effort that included several event victories and many second place finishes to keep the meet close. Callie MacLellan won the High Jump (5’2”) and took second in the One Mile (5:38.97) with an impressive closing 400 meters. Abigail Lilley took second in the High Jump (4’ 10”) and first in the Shot Put (33’ 11”) leading a sweep in the event along with Sabrina Mini (28’ 1.25”) and Jacquelyn Genzler (25’ 1.5”).
Quinlan Kelly took second in both the 1000 Meters (3:19.42) and Two Mile (13:13.92) with personal best performances in each event. It was Quinlan’s second place finish in the Two Mile that sealed the deal for the Hornets bringing the team score to 52, as it takes 51 points to win a meet.
Robarts ran a personal best in the 55 Meter Dash (7.75) and jumped a personal best in the Long Jump (17’ 4.25”) to secure first place in both events. Hayden MacLellan won the 55 Meter Hurdles (8.95) while also taking third in the Long Jump (15’ 9”).
Ligor won both the 600 Meters (1:37.22) and the 300 Meters (41.07) within 30 minutes, taking down two Clipper athletes that had previously been undefeated in those events. Robarts led off the 4 x 200 Meter Relay along with Julia DeAngelis, Julia Scammon and Ligor to a victory in 1:48.86 with Ligor running down the Clippers’ anchor despite a 15 meter lead with a 24.9 second split. The Hornets had already won the meet but the relay victory was the icing on the cake bringing the final score to 57-43.
The Hornets competed in the Cape Ann League Open Championship on Tuesday after press time. Look for the details of that meet in next week’s Transcript.
