Sharpening up their forks for one of their last meals, Norton Indoor took on the Last Chance to Qualify Meet on Sunday in hopes to get in one final prep race prior to Division 4 States. Though primarily mid-distance oriented, the group found phenomenal success in peaking at the end of the season.
Girls
In hopes to auto-qualify in the sprints, senior captain Eve Rodriguez (8.09) opened the day on the infield in the 55m dash. Unfortunately, a slow start out the blocks kept her out of contention for the finals, finishing in 38th place in the event.
But right after her, the fireworks began to go off. Junior Isabella Pietrasiewicz (5:13.62) led off the milers in the seeded section, including freshman Shea Podbelski (5:30.26). Pietrasiewicz aimed to solo her best efforts for sub-5:10 while Podbelski looked to auto-qualify for States. While alone throughout the race, Pietrasiewicz was challenged late by a Nashoba runner who took over the lead with 500m to go. Pietrasiewicz chased her down and fell short at the line but still earned a MA#2 amongst D4 runners. Meanwhile, Podbelski worked the pack patiently and, once again, cut another 6+ seconds off her previous best, auto-qualifying for states by five seconds. The pair finished 2nd and 12th respectively.
In the unseeded section, Skye Goba (5:40.33) and Destiny McGrath (5:45.07) continued their breakthrough seasons as the pair traded off the pace in the trail pack, with Goba eventually taking over with roughly 600m to go. McGrath stayed tight saving more for the kick while Goba broke loose to finish third in the heat (15th overall). Swinging wide, McGrath kicked hard to shave off four seconds off her previous best to finish in 22nd place; through a gritty effort, Goba PRed by two seconds as well. Both performances ultimately helped Goba and McGrath roll into the Division 4 State Meet.
An untimely circumstance impacted senior captain Ashley Schepis's (3:24.08) race before she even toed the line. Competing in the second heat of the 1,000m, a fire alarm went off mid-way during the seeded section. The officials allowed the seeded section to conclude before evacuating Reggie, causing a 10 minute delay. However, all the racers in the second section returned to the track cold and stiff, negatively affected by the wait outside.
Rodriguez (45.94) came back to wrap up the events for the Lancers, running a smooth and consistent race but unfortunately not breaking the auto-qualifying standard in the 300m. However, with an incomplete field, Rodriguez was still able to roll into Saturday's Divisional State meet in both the 55m dash and 300m.
Boys
Only four competitors took to the track for the boys, with three of them competing in the 600m. In the seeded section, Paul Wisnaskas (1:25.46) took control early and came through quickly in hopes of cracking 1:25. A slower second lap troubled Wisnaskas as no one else was willing to pace the race. A Silver Lake runner blew by him at the bell to take over the lead, one he would not relinquish despite Wisnaskas finishing less than a half second behind him, in a new PR.
Sean Wynne (1:31.67) was next in hopes of cracking 1:30. However, early positioning troubles kept him out of reach. He had to resort to his arms late rather than evenly using them throughout the race. Troubles sadly followed senior captain Ethan Tetrault (1:37.81) as well. While he came through 400 rather strong, knee issues locked him up with 175m to go, forcing him to shut down in order to keep his legs alive for Saturday's D4 States.
The lone 1,000m runner, Derek Bamford (2:55.56), sought out an FAT sub-3:00 after running 2:59.high in the Millis dual at Wheaton. Though his splits were off early, he fired back hard in the last 400m to PR by four seconds, FAT and all.
Up Next: The peak season reaches one of its plateaus as the Lancers look to make a statement at the MIAA Division 4 State Championships on Saturday. The bus will leave NHS on Saturday at 8:15 am.
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