Norton Indoor Track Honors Class of 2018

This past Tuesday, the Norton Indoor Track team honored the Senior Class of 2018 while taking on Hopkinton and Medfield in their final TVL meet of the season. In closing out the regular season, the girls tied Medfield 43-43 while dropping to Hopkinton 57.5-28.5. For the guys, it was another split decision as the 4x400 once again clinched a win against Hopkinton 44.5-40.5 but was too little too late in a loss to Medfield, 51-29.

The NHS Indoor Track Class of 2018

Girls (5-3-1)

Despite the team results, the Lady Lancers were still hotly competitive in their penultimate meet prior to the TVL Championships. Leading the way on Senior Night was, ironically, a pair of seniors. After being paced by teammate Lily Holloway (2nd vs. MF; 55m H - 9.59) through the hurdles, Mary Diestel (3rd vs. MF; 55m H - 9.88) picked up an individual win in the high jump (1st vs. MF, T-3rd vs. HOP; HJ - 4'-8"). Both Diestel and Holloway have a Top-15 TVL seed in the hurdles while Diestel's high jump seed, 4'-10", currently places here in a tie for 5th in the league.

Senior Captain Mary Diestel and her family

In the unofficial "race of the day", senior captain Julia Palin (1st vs. MF/HOP; 1,000m - 3:00.7) literally ran away from the field in the 1,000 meter run. With the school record on her mind, Palin blew away from the pack, which included HOP's Schuyler Gooley who was, at the time, the TVL leader in the 1,000 meters at 3:04.28. By the first 60 meters, Palin had separated herself into a race against the clock. Hitting splits below 36 seconds per lap, she obliterated the school record winning by nearly 10 seconds (unheard of in the mid-distance 1,000). Her time of 3:00.7 bests teammate Katie Bradley's 3:05.5 from 2015-16, skyrockets her to the top of the TVL standings, qualifies her for Division 4 States and puts her just two seconds behind the 2:58.6 standard to qualify for New Balance Indoor Nationals.

Senior Captain Julia Palin and Mom and Dad

However, Palin was not the only senior to score in the 1,000m. Teammate and fellow captain Ali Whitman (3rd vs. MF/HOP; 1,000m - 3:26.8) also squeezed into scoring against both teams while saving her best for her last TVL league meet. While splitting her time between throwing and mid-distance, Whitman's 3:26.8 turned out to be a personal best, a wonderful finish to her career on the Wheaton College indoor track.

Senior Captain Ali Whitman and her parents

Both Palin (69.28) and Diestel (63.87) comprised half of the 4x400 team, along with teammates Isabella Pietrasiewicz (1st vs. MF/HOP; Mile - 5:32.2) and Kylie Dion (3rd vs. MF; 300m - 45.35 - PR). With Bella splitting 68.38 and Dion running 66.14, the Lancer Ladies easily won the 4x400 relay over Medfield and Hopkinton in 4:27. The final senior competing on the day, Katie Bradley (1st vs. MF, 3rd vs. HOP; 2 Mile - 12:22.7) opted to race the long distance event for her last race in Wheaton. Although training through mid-distance throughout the year, Bradley still fought hard through the grueling 16-lap race, never giving up despite the constant weaving in and out of lanes to pass slower runners. A valiant effort that did not go unnoticed.

Senior Captain Katie Bradley with her parents

Unfortunately, not all seniors were able to compete today as Abbey O'Brien suffered a muscle rupture at Monday's practice, forcing her to withdraw from Tuesday's meet. However, still coming to support the Lancers from the infield, O'Brien's enthusiasm and positive spirit will be missed next year as she heads to Keene State College.

Senior Abbey O'Brien with her parents

Of course, the night was not all about the senior class as plenty of other Lancers performed well in the conclusion of the regular season. Freshman Michaela Whiteside (1st vs. MF, 2nd vs. HOP; SP - 29'-1") threw a massive five inch personal best in the shot put. Her 29'-1" throw now puts her at 5th overall in the TVL. Right behind her at 7th in the league, teammate Erica Ransom (2nd vs. MF; SP - 26'-1.5") also scored against Medfield, leading the charge into TVLs. Lastly, the 600m and short sprints rounded up the varsity scoring on the night as Hannah Kubinski (1st vs. HOP, 2nd vs. MF; 600m - 1:54.4) paced teammate Ashley Schepis (2nd vs. HOP; 600m - 1:58.5) to earn her varsity letter while Carly Murphy (3rd vs. MF; 55m - 8.06) ran just 0.04 seconds shy of cracking the TVL Top 15.

Non-scoring Results

Shot Put
Whitman - 23'-5"
Landry - 21'-6"
S. Kubinski - 18'-9.25" (Personal Record!)

High Jump
Holloway - 4'-2"
LeClaire - 3'-10"

55m Hurdles
Delea - 10.7
Newell - 10.06
MacDonald - 11.3
Dolack - 11.89 (Personal Record!)

55m Dash
Newell - 8.11
Sousa - 8.16
Rodriguez - 8.03 (Personal Record!)
McKenney - 8.47
Shea - 8.7
Whiteside - 8.75
MacDonald - 8.77
Jill Perkins - 8.8
Dolack - 8.8 (Personal Record!)
Nardone - 8.9
Julia Perkins - 9.9

Mile
LeClaire - 7:05 (Personal Record!)

600m
H. Kubinski - 1:54.4
Schepis - 1:58.5

300m
Murphy - 46.4
Loring - 47.02
Shea - 49.56
Nardone - 52.66
Jill Perkins - 54.29

1,000m
S. Kubinski - 3:58


Boys (6-3)

Just like the girls, the Lancer senior boys led off the meet with a bang with plenty of superb performances to complement the near conclusion of their high school indoor track careers. Across the board, however, one man made the most of his Wheaton meet: senior captain Pat Bingel. To start off the night, Bingel went out with the front pack in the mile and held on throughout, delivering a monstrous kick to the finish to PR by nearly seven seconds (1st vs. HOP, 2nd vs. MF; Mile - 4:49.7). Immediately following, Bingel made his way to high jump where his 5'-2" best had him on the cusp of the TVL's Top 15. However, riding the adrenaline from his Mile best, Bingel cleared an additional six inches (1st vs. HOP, 3rd vs. MF; HJ - 5'-8"), moving himself the TVL list in a tie for 4th in the league. And to finish off his busy night, Bingel decided to also run a victory two mile race. And in continuing to ride the high of his Senior Night, Bingel delivered running a third PR on the day (1st vs. MF/HOP; 2 Mile - 10:53.4) capping off a brilliant evening on the track.

Senior Captain Pat Bingel with his parents

Not to be outdone by his high-jumping and long-distance running teammate, Alex Wisnaskas also had a career night at Wheaton. Although his high jump was not on its best game (T-3rd vs. HOP; HJ - 5'-0"), it was likely due to all his efforts being channeled into his Mile run. After facing illness and setbacks all season, Wisnaskas seized the track confidently from the minute the gun went off to the bell lap. He put himself in a position to succeed and did just that. In a massive 10-second lifetime best, "Wis" crossed the line in a 5:28.5 mile, a stellar time for a stellar young man.

Senior Alex Wisnaskas and his father and teammate/brother Paul

Also running the mile this evening was senior Sean Smith. After running a fantastic cross country season and making varsity, Smith's devotion and commitment to succeed in winter track ultimately burned him out a little bit. Despite the strength of his 5:34.2 ran on Tuesday night, the time says little about the work and effort he has put into making himself a stronger runner. A leader and friend to everyone, Smith's presence on the team next winter will be missed but we will still have him for one last season of outdoor track 😉

Senior Sean Smith and his sister and mother

In the throwing circle, senior captain Christopher Dennehy improved tremendously this season. For the time being, Dennehy has furthered his shot personal best to 30 feet even. But in the process, Captain Chris has earned the respect of everyone on the team as a leader and a promising young man. He will still have one more opportunity to improve on this past Tuesday's result (25'-9.5") as he will compete at the TVL Championships on February 3rd.

Senior Captain Chris Dennehy with his parents

On the sprints, senior captain Aidan Lerner (2nd vs. MF; 600m - 1:31.9) returned to the longer sprints after racing the 300m over the past few weeks. His endurance and speed showed: despite being boxed in and forced to race out in lane two, Lerner made moves around the field that would have earned him a higher finish against Hopkinton had the race not been only three laps. Regardless, his teaming up with Peter Rivard (1st vs. HOP; 55m - 7.08), Jack O'Brien, and Ian Pereira (1st vs. MF/HOP; 300m - 37.38) produced an exciting 4x400 relay win over Hopkinton and Medfield in a respectable 3:42.44.

Senior Captain Aidan Lerner with his entire family!

And finally, the aforementioned Ian Pereira showed he is ready for the TVLs. He claimed a dominant win in the 300m, only one-hundredth of a second off of his state-qualifying time in December. But he came back for the 4x400 relay ready to show off his wheels. After O'Brien (58.89) handed off to Rivard (55.43), the senior sprints duo of Lerner and Pereira took over. Lerner took over the lead with a lap to go (55.16) passing the baton to Pereira who faced stiff competition in the anchor leg. But Hopkinton was left in Pereira's wake as he split (52.86) to bring the victory back home to the Lancers.

Senior Captain Ian Pereira celebrates another 4x400 relay win with his parents on Senior Night

Aside from all the senior highlights, the Men of Norton were also paced by fresh legs and arms of the future. Both brothers of Alex Wisnaskas and Aidan Lerner showed they're ready to continue the family tradition of Norton Track dominance. Freshman Paul Wisnaskas (2nd vs. HOP, 3rd vs. MF; 55m H - 8.47. 1st vs. MF, 2nd vs. HOP; 600m - 1:30.6) improved his state-qualifying 55m hurdles time. His 8.47 also moves him up to 3rd overall in the TVL while teammate Corey Stalters (3rd vs. HOP; 55m H - 8.83) follows suit sitting in 7th in the league. The pair continue to enjoy their hard-working breakout seasons. Likewise, Zach Lerner (3rd vs. HOP; 55m - 7.43) is beginning to emerge in the short sprints, grabbing another varsity point.

In the distance events, junior Austin Carroll (1st vs. MF/HOP; 1,000m - 2:40.6) seized the TVL lead by dominating the strong field in the 1,000 meters. His time of 2:40.6 is only a second and a half off of the school record time set by Billy Sullivan during the 2013-14 season. Additionally, junior Dj Nihill (3rd vs. MF; Mile - 4:58.7) ran another sub-5:00 time while being caught in a difficult position in the race forcing him to race himself and the clock. Yet, his consistent performance earned him another varsity point on the season.

Non-scoring Results

Shot Put
Rivard - 32'-7"
Weaver - 31'-7.5"
Denham - 27'-3.5"
Dennehy - 25'-9.5"
R. Carroll - 25'-6.5"
Barrick - 23'-5"
Kurland - 23'-1"
Brogan - 21'-7"

55m Hurdles
Peers - 9.37
Bamford - 11.25

55m Dash
Diestel - 7.77
Kubinski - 7.3
Stalters - 7.5
Lebel - 7.7
Adams - 7.8
Bamford - 8.2
Deady - 8.3
Berthao - 8.9
Shea - 9.4

Mile
Wynne - 5:08.6 (HUGE Personal Record!)
Janineh - 5:17.6 (Personal Record!)
A. Wisnaskas - 5:28.5 (HUGE Personal Record!)
Smith - 5:34.2
Wilson - 5:35.6
M. Anderson - 5:56
Denham - 6:12.3

600m
Pescod - 1:37.1 (Personal Record!)

300m
O'Brien - 40.46
Kubinski - 41.6
Z. Lerner - 42.34
Owens - 45.72 (Personal Record!)
Deady - 47.2
Lebel - 49.1
Shea - 59.13

1,000m
Tetrault - 2:56.2
Morabito - 3:04
McNeil - 3:20.4
T. Anderson - 4:20.6


UP NEXT: The Lancers race their last regular season at the Reggie Lewis Center this Saturday to compete in the Small School Coaches Invitational.