The Northampton girls track and field team narrowly squeaked out a win over Amherst in Saturday’s Western Mass Large School Championship at Ludlow High School.
With 104 total points as a team, the Blue Devils girls claimed the top spot, earning just five more points than the rival Hurricanes, who put up 99 of their own, good for second place.
Ella Hoogendyk led the way for Northampton in the win, placing in the top two of three different events. The senior’s lone first-place finish came in the girls triple jump with a mark of 36 feet, 9.25 inches, ranking 17th in the state this season.
In the 400-meter hurdles, Hoogendyk clocked a 1:05.35, putting her in second place on the day and cementing the ninth spot in the state this year. Her other event was the 100-hurdles, again grabbing the second spot with a time of 16.51.
Mairead O’Neil also helped the Blue Devils in a big way, clocking an 11:43.82 in the girls two mile, which was the fastest of the day. Keira Cole also earned a first-place finish of her own, with her 5:15.94 in the girls mile atop the leaderboard on Saturday.
The Amherst girls were led by Ololara Baptiste, putting up the state’s second-best time in the 400 with a 55.89 that earned the top spot on Saturday, while also claiming second place in the 200 with a 25.50.
Ella Austin was atop all other racers in the 800 for the Hurricanes with a time of 2:24.09, and the success for the team continued to the relays. Amherst finished in first in the 4x400m (4:03.72) and the 4x800m (10:23.69), while also taking second in the 4x100m (51.73).
On the boys side, the Hurricanes again came in second place overall, putting up 62 points as a team. Nico Lisle set the tone by earning first place in the boys 800 (1:57.05), while Calvin Miller took the top spot in the one mile (4:26.45). Amherst again did great in the boys relays, finishing in first in both the 4x400m (3:31.78) and the 4x800m (8:19.14).
Northampton’s boys were led by a third-place finish in the boys 4x800m relay at 8:31.47, along with four different players earning points in the boys two mile.
Gus Frey came in fourth place (9:41.97), with Henry Daggett claiming fifth (9:46.08) and Owen Daggett in sixth (10:16.74). One place later, Charlie Sidoti grabbed one point by coming in eighth (10:24.91).
Small Schools
Hampshire Regional hosted this year’s Western Mass Small School Outdoor Track and Field Championship on Friday, with four Hampshire County schools in attendance.
Belchertown, Easthampton, Hampshire and South Hadley all competed in a wide variety of running and field events, with the Raiders making their mark with a second-place finish overall on the girls side with 93 points and the Tigers claiming fourth place overall on the boys side with 57 points.
Brooke Hockenberry was dominant in her running events for Hampshire, cruising to a first-place finish in the girls mile with a 5:15.18 finish, over six seconds ahead of second place. In the 800, the sophomore continued her huge performance, again taking home first place with a time of 2:22.34.
The success continued into the field events for the Raiders, with Meghan Wood taking home second place in the girls triple jump, measuring in at 34 feet, 2.50 inches. Caitlyn Packey also had a podium finish, with her 30 feet, 11 inches in the girls shot put, good for third place.
On the boys side, Oscar Schiff showed out for the Raiders, taking home second place in the boys 800 at 2:04.23, adding a fourth-place finish in the two mile with a 9:41.07 finish.
South Hadley’s boys were led by Matt Gillis, earning 14 points for his squad with multiple podium finishes. He took second place in the boys triple jump, clocking in at 44 feet, 3.25 inches, along with third place in the 400 hurdles at 58.22.
Gavin Losty tacked on eight points of his own for the Tigers, with his 15.90 in the boys 110 hurdles good enough for second place. Micah Litovich also helped boost the team’s point total, earning the second spot in the boys discus throw with a toss of 143 feet, 10 inches.
Natalie Rios had a big night in field events for South Hadley, earning the top spot in the girls javelin throw, clocking a 122 feet, 4 inches. The junior’s toss was the third highest in the state so far this season, adding on a fifth-place finish in the shot put with a 29 feet, 2.75 inches.
The Eagles were led by Morgan Wijnhoven, putting together a second-place finish in the girls 400 at 1:00.90, just nine tenths of a second away from the top spot. In the 100, the senior came in third place, clocking in at 13.18 for six points.
Easthampton wasn’t done there, with Juliana Wijnhoven’s 82 feet, 9 inches in the girls discus throw earning her third place. The team also did well in the girls 4x400m relay, clocking in at fourth place with a 4:32.65 finish, while adding a fifth-place finish in the girls 4x100m relay at 53.14.
Aubrey Klingensmith had a busy night for the Orioles, placing inside the top 10 of all three of her events. Her best performance came with a fifth place finish in the girls 400 at 1:02.44, coming in sixth in the 200 at 27.64 and ninth in the javelin throw with a toss of 96 feets, 10 inches.
Belchertown’s boys were led by Coleman Longley, who nabbed the fifth spot in the boys 200, clocking in at 23.33. Both sides earned points in relays, with the girls taking sixth place in the 4x800m and seventh in the 4x100m, and the boys nabbing seventh in the 4x100m.
