Vasile’s second to none
DIVISION 4 TRACK
Ava Vasile had plenty of motivation to defend her 55-meter hurdle title at last night’s Division 4 state championships, but to see her name on the Reggie Lewis Center scoreboard as the No. 2 seed after the preliminary heats made the competitive juices overflow.
Racing on the infield, the Medway hurdler turned the final into a runaway as she bolted out of the blocks with a quick start and pulled away to an easy win in 8.41 seconds. The time is the fastest in the state this winter and makes her the favorite heading into the Feb. 24 All-States.
“It bothered me that I was second going into the finals,” Vasile said. “I used all my energy and I had a lot of built up (adrenaline). I use it as motivation because I know I have a target on my back and I want to keep it there.”
Vasile completed her double in the individual events an hour later when she buried the field in the 300 with a quick 40.28. She finished well ahead of runner-up Alexia Luna of Wilmington (41.52) to defend her title. But she wasn’t done: Vasile clocked a sizzling 56.8 split in the 4x400 to anchor a 4:10.18 win.
Norton’s Julia Palin continued to pummel the 3-minute barrier in the 1,000. The Tri-Valley League champion tore through the final 200 in 33.1 to finish in 2:58.10, a personal best that lowered her own school record.
“The goal since the start of the season was to win (this race),” Palin said. “When they took it out slow I was freaking out a little bit. All the adrenaline and how long I’ve been waiting for this really carried me through.”
Palin went on to anchor the Lancers’ 4x800 team to a 9:54.76 win, edging out Grafton’s 9:55.79.
Pentucket had one win, in the girls’4x200 as Megan Rodrigues-Cowl, Belle Smith, Kaley Enright and Saige Tudisco combined for a 1:48.52, to tie defending champion North Reading for the team title with 47 points. The Hornets, too, didn’t have an individual win, but did have a secondplace finish from Meredith Griffin in the mile (5:10.88). North Reading has been victorious the past three years in the championships, starting with a Div. 5 title in 2016.
On the boys side, Burlington miler Rishabh Brakash dropped a sub-30-second final 200 for an easy win in 4:25.35. The No. 1 seed expected a tactical race and let Matt Greatorex of Wakefield (second, 4:27.03) lead before burning the last lap.
“It really doesn’t matter what my seed was,” said Brakash, who also captured bronze in the 2-mile. “I’ll be going up against some great runners (at All-States).”
Michael Blake of Hudson had a monster meet, first blitzing the 55 field in 6.47 and then edging out Michael Pavao of Burlington to win the 300 in 35.52. Harry Smith of Old Rochester had a meticulous run in the 55 hurdles, breaking the tape in 7.69.
Northampton captured the boys title with 63 points and Burlington took second with its 42 points.