Outdoor track: Ella Hoogendyk wins MSTCA West Heptathlon for third consecutive year

SOUTH DEERFIELD — For the third straight year, Ella Hoogendyk of Northampton High School won the MSTCA West Heptathlon on Tuesday.

Hoogendyk finished with 4,133 points at Frontier Regional High School. The senior put a nice bow on the overall performance, finishing with a personal best (2:20.02) in the 800-meter. The run was good for first place in the final event.

“I love competing so much,” Hoogendyk said. “This kind of atmosphere, we have the music going and I am the only one here from my team. I don’t have my team buddies with me. But I hang out with Amherst and West Side. The track community is really supportive in that way. The 800 is my secret weapon. I enjoy pain at this point.”

Hoogendyk plans to attend and continue running track & field at the University of Vermont in the fall. Hoogendyk (16.52) won the 100-hurdles and the 200-meter (26.59) as well.

“It’s really a dream come true,” Hoogendyk said. “I am really excited for the future.”

The Frontier topped the team standings with 9,317 points. Mohawk Trail was close behind with 9,142. Amherst finished fourth (8,638 points).

Louise Flagollet placed first in the high jump for the Redhawks. Flagollet added a fourth-place finish in the 800-meter (2:23.68 PB) and a fourth-place finish (27.34, PB) in the 200-meter

“We had nine girls together,” Flagollet said. “Everyone was cheering each other on. It felt like a good community with a lot of people together. That felt really nice. We had a lot of confidence going into the events.

Flagollet was fourth overall in the final standings. Mohawk Trail’s Heidi Helenek was seventh, while Kyra Tamsin of Greenfield placed ninth.

In the Decathlon portion of the event, Matt Gillis put an exclamation point on a brilliant career with the Tigers with a first-place finish. Gillis won a state championship in the Pentathlon, so the transition to this event was certainly smooth.

“From Freshman year I was kind of average and mediocre at everything,” Gillis said. “I needed to find something where I could do everything. Over the years I started specializing in stuff.”

During Gillis’ sophomore season, a knee injury allowed him to focus on throwing events during the healing process. Gillis placed second in the javelin (38.53m) and first in the triple jump (13.37m).

“Now when I have to do all the throws here,” Gillis said. “I am at the top of the field in those even though I don’t practice them this season, I have the muscle memory. So, I can practice running and practice jumping and still have throwing in my background. It’s a lot of fun doing everything.

Gillis plans to attend Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania to continue working in decathlon and pentathlon. Gillis finished with 5,792 points. Greenfield’s Mason Youmell was second with 5, 574 points. The senior is attending Curry College to play volleyball and continue running track. Youmell was first (15.65) in the 110-hurdles and third in the 1500-meter (4:35.13, PB)

Benjamin Gillis of South Hadley finished in third place with 5,394 points for the Tigers. South Hadley (A) topped the team standings (16,346). The next local team was South Hadley (B) in fourth (12,880). Benjamin Gillis took first (6.09m) in the long jump for the Tigers.

Helenek of Mohawk placed fifth (17.41, PB) in the 100-hurdles. Amherst’s Juliana Albo placed second (8.52m) in the shot put. Albo took home a victory in the long jump (5.05m).

Frontier’s Bailey Cusson placed first (30.80m) in the javelin. Adrien Pazmandy placed third (11.57) in the 100-meter and first in the shot put (10.62m) for Frontier. South Hadley’s Gavin Losty finished first (36.28) in the discus.

Martin Dixon won the 1500-meter for South Hadley. The run (4:24.58) was a personal best for Dixon.

Losty was fifth in the overall standings, while Wesley Dunford of Amherst placed seventh. Anthony Adams of South Hadley was eighth overall.