MIDDLEBORO — Ava Bullock looks for a personal best every time she toes the starting line in the mile and that’s surely going to continue this season for the talented Barnstable sophomore. She had her best race of the season at Friday’s MSTCA Lou Tozzi Freshman-Sophomore Meet.
Racing in near perfect conditions, Bullock switched gears and surged into the lead with 400 to go and powered her way to a huge personal best time of 5 minutes, 13.47 seconds. That time destroyed her previous mark of 5:22 and established a school record along with being the fourth-fastest performance in Massachusetts this spring.
The stunning new best definitely gave her a lift.
“I knew I had it in me to do that,” said Bullock. “I took the lead going into the last lap. I just want to go faster from here. I did what I wanted to today. I didn’t know I’d have that much left on the last lap.”
Westford Academy’s Jack Graffeo came into the boys meet with top seed in the mile by four seconds, but the outcome wasn’t even that close. Graffeo, who has a personal best of 4:19, surged into the lead at the gun and simply left the field behind, winning easily in 4:28.95. Graffeo’s time put him at No. 9 in Massachusetts this spring and comfortably ahead of runner-up Daniel Padley of St. John’s Prep (4:34.66).
Daniel Bornstein of Cambridge was a strong third in 4:34.99. Graffeo looked and felt strong, but found it tough pushing hard with no one near him.
“It felt really easy,” he said. “Mentally it was hard to push myself past how fast I was going. I felt relaxed but a little disappointed at the time. But it is what it is. There’s next time.”
Nipmuc’s Riley Restic had been putting up results of 68-plus in the 400 hurdles over the last three meets and she finally broke that string. The freshman destroyed the field by more than four seconds with a new personal best of 67.23, moving her to No. 3 this spring.
“I’ve done it (68 seconds) like three times now and my long stride is really helping me,” said the talented Restic. “I felt like I could have kept going.”
Matheus Silva of Framingham captured the 200 by time in the unseeded heat, ripping a quick 23.96. Gabe Lemar of Pembroke, the winner of the seeded heat in 24.02, was a strong second overall.
Lemar missed competing in the Div. 4 Relays last weekend because of a slight knee injury, but felt strong and ready to race in his best event.
“I stumbled a little bit out of the blocks but was able to recover pretty quick,” said Lamar. “I felt good. I’d love to go sub 22 and get close to the school record.”
Brighton’s Delmace Mayo won the mile paralympic wheelchair event in a quick 4:27.14. Competing on her home runway, Middleboro’s Jocelyn Bush captured the triple jump with a leap of 34-11-1/2. Framingham’s Sasha Lamakina held off a charging Caitlyn Chang of Braintree to win the 800 in 2:20.79. Chang took second in 2:22.04.