BOSTON – The MIAA Division 2 Indoor Track and Field State Championship featured a Wellesley girls program claiming its eighth consecutive title, while the Algonquin boys captured the program’s first crown.
Wellesley cruised to 64 points on the girls side, claiming a 15-point victory over second-place Bishop Feehan. Wellesley only had two victories, coming in the 4×400-meter relay and in the 4×800-meter relay. However, consistent finishes at the top of the standings in most categories was something head coach John Griffith said shows the depth of the program.
“We look at our team as one that is together and pushes each other,” Griffith said. “They battle each other in practice, and we really take pride in the relays.”
One standout was senior Delaney Dyer, who ran a leg in both first-place winning relay entries and also placed second in the 1000-meter run. She said the chemistry with her teammates was a huge reason they were able to claim the victory.
“I had so much confidence in myself and my teammates,” Dyer said. “I trust them so much, we have been running the relays together for so long and I knew we could do it. It all came together so nicely.”
She also credited the effort the entire group has put forth throughout the season and said the title victory was satisfying.
“It feels so good because everyone has been putting in so much hard work over the past few months,” Dyer said. “It’s really cool to see everyone’s hard work come to fruition.”
Another standout performance on the girls side was Sharon’s Nina Kyei-Aboagye, who set the meet record in the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.09.
The Algonquin boys earned a narrow victory at 43 points, one above second-place Peabody. A dropped baton during the boys 4×400-meter run took Peabody out of contention in the final race.
Entering the day, Algonquin wasn’t quite sure it was going to be in title contention.
“We came into this meet thinking we had no chance to win,” senior captain Max Eigen said. “The turnaround and the final 30 minutes of the meet was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
While the Titans came in hoping to get some personal records and have a solid showing, wins in the 55-meter hurdles from senior captain Miles Lipka and the 1,000-meter run from senior Jonah Gould set the tone for what the team could accomplish.
“Halfway through, we realized we could win this,” Lipka said. “That’s when we locked in and got it done.”
Algonquin finished towards the top of the leaderboard in most categories down the stretch to remain at the top. Head coach Corey Pooler credited the buy-in from the athletes and the school as something that fueled the historic win.
“Super happy for the kids, they put in the time and the training and do everything we ask them to do,” Pooler said. “It was totally a group effort. The team’s fantastic, the school is fantastic and it was a fun day with all of these kids.”