The first day of the Division III Track & Field state championships occurred on Friday at Westfield State University.
Here are some of the notable performances from the opening day of the competition. But for a list of the complete results, click here.
Walpole earns top finishers in Pentathlon
Though Sawyer Regan only earned first place in the pentathlon 1500-meter race, Regan finished in the top 10 during four other events: pentathlon 110-meter hurdle (fourth), pentathlon high jump (fourth), 400-meter hurdle (sixth), pentathlon shot put (sixth), and pentathlon long jump (eighth).
Those efforts allowed Regan to claim gold in the outdoor pentathlon with 2,985 points.
Regan wasn’t alone in the standings, though, as teammate Owen Abril was next with 2,974 points – just ahead of Milton’s Chase Nixon with 2,899 to round out the podium. This was made possible as Abril earned first place in the pentathlon 110-meter hurdle (14.92) and pentathlon long jump with an attempt of 19-11.75.
Abril wasn’t alone in the jumping aspect, though, as three local rivals in Longmeadow’s Alek Sverrisson (19-06.00) and Nick Langone (19-04.00) and Minnechaug’s Brandon Rosas (19-02.75) weren’t far behind as the trio earned second through fourth place in the event.
Abril’s finish in the previously mentioned race not only set a new personal record but was also the 23rd fastest time in Massachusetts.
Langone (2,866 points) and Rosas (2,818 points), meanwhile, earned fourth and fifth place in the competition to ensure both teams started the two-day event in style.
Familiar faces continue to shine for Westfield
Over the years, it’s become no surprise to see the Bombers succeed on the track. And that remained the case on Friday, as Megan Moran (10:58.53) narrowly outlasted Kylie Donahue (10:58.71) of Billerica to earn first place by just over 20 tenths of a second.
Aside from this being the closest race Moran has completed in recent memory, the outcome also ensured Moran beat her previous personal record of 11:00.20 with this new time. The senior also earned the fourth-fastest time in Massachusetts and the 63rd-fastest in the nation.
There is no shame for Donahue, though, as the freshman also defeated her previous personal record of 11:13.84 by almost 15 seconds. The outcome also ensured Donahue the sixth-fastest time in Massachusetts and 65th in the country – now that’s an impressive one-two finish.
On the boys’ side, meanwhile, Stephen Pryor (44-07.25) outlasted Longmeadow’s Sean Hamel (43-01.00) in the triple jump, as the local rivals earned second and third place in the event. Along with helping Westfield accumulate eight more points, Pryor earned the 19th-best range on that attempt.
Another familiar opponent, Putnam Tech’s Elian Cepeda (42-00.50), defeated Shepherd Hill Regional’s Jack Orrell (42-00.25) to impress the local crowd with a sixth-place finish.
The final day of the competition is scheduled to return to Alumni Field on Sunday afternoon. The first field event is at 2:30 p.m., while running events won’t begin until 4 p.m.
