Hampshire County indoor track and field athletes are next up on the Daily Hampshire Gazette’s All-Stars schedule, with more than a dozen local athletes receiving the honor.
Athletes who qualified for the Meet of Champions were automatic selections while the remaining picks were largely based on performances during the various state meets.
Honorable mentions were awarded for athletes who fell just short of meeting the criteria for all-star status.
Indoor Track & Field All-Stars
Boys
Nico Lisle | Amherst
Lisle was the lone automatic selection as the senior competed in the 1,000-meter race at the Meet of Champions. Lisle zoomed to sixth place in two minutes, 33 seconds.
Owen Platt | Amherst
Another Hurricanes mid-distance runner, Platt took sixth place in the 600 at the Division 4 championship.
Peter Nedeau | Amherst
Rounding out Amherst’s trio of selections, Nedeau nabbed a sixth-place finish in the 2-mile at the D4 championship.
Oscar Schiff | Hampshire
Schiff carried over his strong cross country season to the oval, where he earned a top-10 finish in the 2-mile at the Division 5 championship. Schiff secured sixth place as the Raiders’ best finisher.
Hobbes O’Sullivan | Hampshire
The Raiders’ sophomore snagged ninth place in the mile at the D5 championship to earn a selection.
Jaybriel Rivera Soto | Holyoke
Rivera Soto was stellar for the Purple Knights in the 55-meter hurdles, taking seventh place at the D4 championship.
Honorable mentions: Al Abdel-Maksoud (Amherst); Owen Cubi (Hampshire); Aidan Conklin (Hampshire); Ryan Kennedy (Holyoke); Henry Daggett (Northampton); Owen Daggett (Northampton); Trevor Sullivan (South Hadley); Matt Gillis (South Hadley).
Girls
Ololara Baptiste | Amherst
The first of five area automatic selections, Baptiste was key in the Hurricanes’ third-place team finish at the Division 4 championships. At the Meet of Champions, Baptiste recorded ninth place in the 600, plus was part of Amherst’s successful relay teams.
Ella Austin | Amherst
Austin shined in the mid-distance events for the ‘Canes, earning a Meet of Champions appearance in the 600, where the junior placed 14th overall.
Tansy Warwick | Amherst
The first field event athlete to make the cut, Warwick was a superb high-jumper for Amherst. At the Meet of Champions, Warwick leapt to 20th place.
Yasani Thompson | Holyoke
Thompson continued her excellence in the short-distance events this winter, racing in two separate events at the Meet of Champions and earning top-10 finishes in both. The Purple Knight got fifth in the 300 and sixth in the 55-meter sprint.
Mairead O’Neil | Northampton
O’Neil served as the final automatic selection as the Blue Devil distance runner made the Meet of Champions in the 2-mile, concluding with a sixth-place finish.
Claire Fortin | Amherst
Fortin factored into multiple different events for the Hurricanes throughout the season, but the long jump is where the sophomore stepped up. Fortin finished in fifth place at the D4 championship as the best finisher from Western Mass.
Maddalena Figueroa-Starr | Northampton
One of the Blue Devils’ staples, Figueroa-Starr earned a podium finish at the Division 3 championship in the 1,000. Figueroa-Starr snatched third place for Northampton.
Ella Hoogendyk | Northampton
Perhaps the Blue Devils’ most skilled all-around athlete, Hoogendyk earned a fifth-place finish in the 600 at the D3 championship. Hoogendyk is the two-time reigning champion at the MSTCA West Heptathlon.
Allie Sullivan | Northampton
Sullivan served as the Blue Devils’ specialist in field events and a fifth-place finish in the high jump at the D3 championship highlighted the senior’s winter season.
Brooke Hockenberry | Hampshire
Hockenberry is a phenomenal distance runner for the Raiders and the sophomore showed why once again at the Division 5 championship. Hockenberry cruised to sixth place in the mile.
Honorable mentions: Juliana Albo (Amherst); Nina Holden (Amherst); Marit McDonald (Amherst); Maeve Fitzgerald (Amherst); Yairelis Bachand (Amherst); Bethany Tobiasz (Hampshire); Charlotte Letendre (Hampshire); Caitlyn Packey (Hampshire); Addison Rodriguez (Holyoke); Katherine Munson (Northampton); Kelcey Zraunig (South Hadley); Mikayla Weaver (South Hadley)
