By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
LYNNFIELD — Lynnfield High boys’ track and field head coach Bill Wallace gave out several team awards at the team’s end-of-season banquet held at the high school recently.
The team MVP Award went to Eli Mendese. Mendese made the Cape Ann League All-Star team for the second year in a row in the high jump as the senior co-captain tied the school record at 6-6 this spring.
He is going to Trinity College in September where he will continue his track and field career.
The Coaches Award went to senior co-captain Jessie Dorman who was part of the Pioneer relay teams. He is going to UNH to play football.
Brian DiGangi, another senior, received the Leadership Award. DiGangi did the 800-meters and was also part of the 4×800 relay team.
Three Pioneers took home Captains Awards: Max Nastari, Dillon Reilly and Nick Kelter.
Nastari and Reilly are both seniors while Kelter is a junior.
Reilly, like Mendese, will be also going to Trinity College where he will play soccer.
Kelter was also a CAL First-Team All-Star this season in the triple jump where he holds the school record at 46-3.
He made the CAL Second-Team All-Stars last year as a sophomore in that event.
This year, the Pioneers went 1-3 overall as they came in third place in the CAL Baker Division.
“All four meets were very close,” said Wallace, who just completed his 25th-year at the helm. “Our league is very tough.”
Along with Mendese, Dorman, DiGangi, Nastari and Reilly, the team will also lose Erik Bell, Alex Fleming, Kyle McDonald, Drew Orlofski and Matthew Squadrito.
“This senior class was very talented,” stated Wallace. “They are going to be very hard to replace.”
Next season, the Pioneers are slated to return around 40 members.
At the banquet, the new captains were selected. Along with Kelter, the two other captains will be Joe Tammaro and Brendan Reilly, who is Dillon’s younger brother.
Tammaro will be a senior next season while Reilly will be a junior.