During his spare time, Marblehead’s Nathaniel Assa has worked vigorously toward obtaining a pilot’s license.
The senior track star took flight Saturday in a different way, blazing to a record-time in the boys 2-mile at Saturday’s MIAA Meet of Champions at 9:05.30 in a photo finish. He outpaced BC High stars Greg McGrath (9:06.54) and John Wilson (9:08.22) for the crown.
“Going in, I didn’t know they were going to be in my race,” said Assa. “I didn’t see them on the heat sheet until a couple of days ago. I didn’t think I was going to win, because they were seeded far ahead of me. But I knew that I was happy, because they were going to pull me to a fast time. I did it fairly recently, and I was just happy to get out there and race hard.”
Assa’s mark topped the Meet of Champions time in the event set in 1981 by Mike Flynn of Woburn, and he was far from the only one to shatter record books.
All winter long, Reese Connors has been carrying Newton North’s vaunted track program. The senior simply carried things into Saturday by setting a meet record in the 300, winning it at 34.36 seconds.
Connors just nipped Reading star Ryan Pulp by .17 seconds for first place in what became a two-horse race from the get-go.
“I just heard him,” laughed Connors. “I thought he was right next to me the whole time, which he was. At the end, I think I just kind of pushed through it.”
Connors finished a double-winner for the Tigers, also joining Alexander Hofmann, George Rumkin and Juan Talisayon during a victorious 4×400 (3:24.36), also a meet record.
A Penn commit, Shamus Larnard had one of the better days among individual performances. The BC High senior sprinted to a win in the mile (4:11.09), just over two seconds better than the meet record set in 2006. He would later anchor the Eagles to a third place finish in the 4×800, teaming up with Wilson, McGrath and Griffin McConnville to do so (7:59.67).
“I’d (grade this performance) a nine out of ten,” said Larnard afterward. “Can’t complain with a PR (in the mile). My 800 split was also a PR as well, so I’m super stoked. We were half a second off for second place in the 4×800, but really can’t complain with PRs.”
Lucas Andrade starred for Brockton with a meet record in the 55-meter hurdles (7.29 seconds). Meanwhile, Evan Bedard of Peabody set a meet record of his own in the long jump (23-01.75 feet).
As for team performances, Lowell made waves by setting a meet record in the boys 4×800 relay, as Jovani Ubri, Raymond Dafe, Alex Rodgers and Abdul Jalloh continued their epic season together with a time of 7:56.24, topping the school’s own meet record set in 2013.