NORTH ANDOVER — The Acton-Boxboro boys got off on the right foot at the Div. 1 outdoor track and field state championships Thursday afternoon at Merrimack College.
Behind a meet-best three event victories and two other top-three finishes on the first day of two, the title-hopeful Revolution dominated the track to set the right tone heading into Saturday’s finale with a first-place score of 51 points. Noah Stegmeier kicked it off by winning the 400 meter hurdles (55.45 seconds), Ajay Raina won the 800 meter run (1:55.69), and Alex Landry’s 21.66 time in the 200 meter dash marked three straight victories to build momentum.
St. John’s Prep isn’t too far behind with 37 points from a strong day in the pentathlon, and neither is Lexington with 30 points or Newton North with 24. But A-B boys coach DJ Brock believes this got the ball rolling before another potentially strong day Saturday to make a bid for the title.
“Pretty good day,” he said. “Everybody came in knowing we were going to be competing against some really tough teams. … I’m really proud of everybody today so far.”
After Stegmeier, Raina and Landry won their events, grit followed for the Revs to bolster their lead. William Liu passed several runners in the final lap to take third in the 2 mile run (9:20.05), and Christoph Osselmann Chai posted a 13-06.00 in the pole vault for second place.
More of that grit carried over to St. John’s Prep, as Aithan Benanson used a first-place finish in the high jump and a second-place finish in the 1500 meter run to overcome a deficit for the pentathlon crown (3,329 points). Dylan Aliberti came in third in the same event, bolstering the Eagles alongside Nathan Lopez’s second-place finish in the 2 mile run (9:00.03).
The meet’s next-best team in event victories came from the girls side, as Franklin’s two help them enter Saturday in fourth place (23 points) within a tight race. Brookline’s 29 points ranks at the top, while Cambridge (27 points) and Lowell (26 points) stand between them.
Panthers junior Sarah Dumas secured one half of that finish, winning four of the five stages in the pentathlon to win the event (3,335) during her first year competing in it. Lily Deforge won the discus throw (116-00) to complement her.
“I didn’t expect to do quite that well,” Dumas said. “I’m absolutely thrilled, it’s not something I was expecting at all. It’s just been so much fun to meet other girls who are so passionate about the event. … It’s been really, really exciting.”
Brookline didn’t win a single event, but found success in a few with top-three finishes. Camille Jordan took second in the 800 meter run (2:12.36), Brooklyn Huggins was the only competitor to take an event from Dumas within a second-place finish in the pentathlon, and Jordan Liss-Riordan finished third in the 2 mile run (10:46.31).
Cambridge was powered by Kylee Bernard winning the 200-meter dash for a second straight year (24.79) and Aoife Shovlin’s second-place finish in the 2 mile run (10:40.01).