FITCHBURG — Altamo Aschkenasy wasn’t sure what was going to happen on Thursday during the first day of the Meet of Champions.
The day before, the Brookline senior spent the night at his high school’s prom at the House of Blues in Boston. Despite a lack of sleep, Aschkenasy gave all he had in the hot weather on the track at Fitchburg State University in the 800-meter run the following day.
It was more than enough.
The senior placed first and set a new meet record in 1:51.62. Coming into the outdoor track and field meet, Aschkenasy’s personal record was 1:52.07, a record he set at the divisional meet the previous week.
“I wasn’t even thinking about it,” Aschkenasy said about the record. “I just wanted to come out and run my PR. Just wanted to run and go back home and give all I had.”
The senior is no stranger to championship meets. Aschkenasy won the 800, mile and anchored Brookline’s 4×800 meter relay last week at the divisional meet.
As a veteran of big meets, Aschkenasy can sense when a runner is closing in on his heels down the stretch, usually depending on how loud the crowd is.
Ludlow’s Logan Walsh and Aschkenasy’s teammate, Harry Flint, each made late pushes, but Aschkenasy kept them at bay, winning the title.
Aschkenasy will be back at Fitchburg State on Saturday to compete in the second day of the championships in the mile and 4×800 relay.
A lot can change in a year.
Coming out of Thursday’s meet, that’s something Catholic Memorial’s Amar Skeete knows well.
The sophomore placed 17th in the triple jump last season, getting nowhere close to the podium. A little over a year later, Skeete improved on his distance by over six feet, climbing the ranks and taking the top spot with 48-50.
“It feels like a breath of fresh air,” Skeete said about winning the title. “All the work I put in and time, it feels like a big relief.”
Skeete also took first at the Division II state championship on May 29 in North Andover with a leap of 47-5.25.
For the sophomore, the biggest changes from last year have been less with his body and more with his head.
“For me, it was mental,” Skeete said. “I had to be more focused on it and want it more. Coming into today as the No. 2 seed, I had something to get off my chest.”
Needham’s Greta Hammer placed first in the 2-mile at the outdoor track and field Meet of Champions on June 5, 2025.Gage Nutter
Needham’s Greta Hammer ran the first few laps of the 2-mile in second place on Thursday.
Then she started to kick, and from there, there was no looking back.
With a mile to go, the junior overtook Westford Academy’s Emily Wedlake and ran away from the competition, finishing the race in 10:40.05. Wedlake clinched second in 10:47.17, while Concord-Carlisle’s Maria Chopas took third in 10:56.46.
“I just tried to hold my pace and extend the gap,” Hammer said about her mindset after making the push. “I knew it would be a hot day, best not to expend all my energy in the first half and save some for the end.”
Hammer started in a low gear through the first mile, getting into a rhythm and getting comfortable with the heat, but once she passed the halfway mark, she gave it all she had.
“I tried to stay in a strategic position in the first half in case I needed to make a move and get out of the pack, which I eventually did,” Hammer said. “I’d say the first half was a bit more relaxed, then the second half I pushed the pace.”
Hammer finished in 10:36.47 in the two-mile at the divisional championships in Medford the previous week, a few seconds faster than her time on Thursday.
But that was something the junior expected would be the case.
“I knew it wouldn’t be a super-fast day for the distance races because of the heat,” Hammer said. “I was more focused on place than time.”
Hammer isn’t sure if she will compete in the upcoming New England Championships, but did say that she plans on competing at the New Balance National Championships.
- Brookline junior Alaina Bodine placed first in the girls Discus Para Ambulatory with a distance of 48-02.
- Newton North’s Blake MacNeal placed third in the girls triple jump with a distance of 38-00.50.
- West Springfield’s Colton Robinson placed second in the boys 800m Wheelchair in a time of 2:30.06.
- Natick’s Chloe Elder finished third in the girls 200m in a time of 24.45.
- BC High’s Greg McGrath finished second in the boys 2-mile in a time of 9:16.42.
- Milton’s Annaliese Aguilar placed second in the girls pentathlon with 3319 points. Aguilar placed second in the pentahlon 100-meter hurdles, first in the 800 meters, second in the high jump, fifth in the long jump and ninth in the shot put.
