NORTH ANDOVER ― When the official results of Saturday’s MIAA Division II girls track & field state championship were announced, the Scarlet Knights’ cheers rang across Duane Stadium for all to hear.
North Andover girls track & field brought home its first state title in program history, scoring 79 points to narrowly defeat Wellesey, finishing with 76 points.
“This is a biggie — we’ve been close many times, runner-up to those guys from Wellesley, so it was nice to finally beat them,” North Andover girls track & field coach Rick Dellechiaie said afterward. “… (but) to tell you the truth, this was unexpected. I wasn’t coming into this meet thinking that we had a chance to win it (all), but the girls performed unbelievably over the last two days — above and beyond.”
The girls’ victory was not decided until the final event of the day with the Scarlets Knights able to stave off a late comeback from the Raiders.
The Scarlet Knights were led by three-time medalist, Eleanor Gosselin, whose first-place finish in the pole vault and second-place finishes in the 100m hurdles and the pentathlon on Friday.
“It’s honestly crazy… it’s been a great season for all of us and my coaches are amazing, they really drive me to do better,” Gosselin said. “It just means so much to be a part of this team and to be able to run these races, especially with the girls that I run with.
“Everyone is just so positive and we really just came together and support each other, it’s just amazing.”
Gosselin highlighted the importance of repetition and consistency in training necessary to build the stamina and focus it takes to compete in a pentathlon.
“It’s definitely tricky to do a lot of events, but practice after practice, repeating everything that you do and putting in a lot of work is definitely a part of it,” Gosselin said.
“Even if it’s two days before (a meet), you got to get out there and you got to practice. You got to listen to your coaches, but you have to also listen to yourself and what you need, what’s going to drive you (and) also as a team.”
Kayla Coolidge’s second-place finish in the pole vault provided a key boost to the Tanners’ point total as well, along with Samantha Schwartz’ third-place finish in the 400m and Juliana Yankowsky’s third-place finish in the pentathlon.
Wellesley girls track & field placed second at the Division II state championships on Saturday, May 31, 2025 at Merrimack College.Kenneth Manoj
Leila Eccher, Annie Comella star for Wellesley
Wellesley girls track & field’s second-place finish was largely fueled by the multi-medal performances of Leila Eccher and Annie Comella.
Eccher placed first in the triple jump and second in the long jump. The sophomore highlighted the work she had done with her jumping coach, Kevin Pitts, a crucial driver behind her rapid development and success in her first season competing in track & field.
“Going into triple, I was expecting to place, (same for) long jump,” Eccher said. “… that was about a five-inch PR for me.
“(Coach Pitts) been giving me a lot of technical advice for both (my events)… changing my mark, changing my airtime.”
Comella placed first in the long jump and placed second in the 100m dash.
“It was really exciting, especially (because) I haven’t really jumped to my fullest potential,” Comella said. “… but I had a season-best today, so I was just super excited about that, really grateful for (Coach Pitts) and also proud of my teammates for going one-two-three (in the long jump). ”
The Raiders also scored key points from Charlotte Tuxbury, with a second-place finish in the 1-mile and a fourth-place finish in the 800m. The Raiders also placed first in the 4x800m team relay and finished third in the 4x400m team relay.
Peabody’s Alessandra Forgione wins double
Alessandra Forgione won two gold medals in the javelin and the discus events. Forgione also earned another medal in the shot put for her fourth-place finish.
“I’m glad that I got to help contribute to the team scoring,” Forgione said. “I competed as well as I possibly could.
“It’s a step forward towards (the right direction). I’m not going down, I’m going up from here.”
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