WESTFIELD — On a rainy and windy Saturday at Westfield State University, the Weston boys and North Reading girls left no doubt about who owned the track, capturing the team titles at the MIAA Division 5 Outdoor Track & Field State Championships.
Weston piled up an impressive 100.5 points to secure the boys’ crown, nearly doubling the total of second-place Old Rochester Regional (60 points), while North Reading clinched their third consecutive girls’ title with 99 points, 38 points above Dennis-Yarmouth (61).
Weston surged ahead with seven event wins, the most in program history at this meet, including standout performances from Noah Lago, who clocked 10.72 to win the 100 meters, and Aarav Mehta, who delivered a pivotal 15-point swing with his victory in the mile (4:23.32).
“We had a great day on Thursday, and so I knew if we got off to a good start today, we’d be fine,” Weston coach John Monz said. “And we did that. We scored 15 points in the mile today… It was that mile that kind of said, ‘okay, we’re gonna be good.”
Senior Nicolas Barbieri, one of Weston’s vocal leaders, reflected on what the championship meant to him after an undefeated season and a historic performance from his team.
“To me, this team has always been the most important thing for me, especially as a senior this year, I’ve wanted to win it all,” Barbieri said. “I mean, we haven’t lost a single meet. And it kind of means everything. We get out on a high note, the team, which I love, I grew up with these kids. I met my best friends on this team, so yeah, it means everything for me.”
Meanwhile, North Reading rode a wave of balance and senior leadership behind Hayden Maclellan, who placed in the top 3 in three events, and freshman-sophomore contributions that exceeded expectations.
The team widened a slim three-point lead entering Day 2 into a dominant 30-point margin before the final relays had even begun.
“Even though everyone was like, ‘oh, you’re gonna win it, you got all the tools, you got all the athletes,’ I’m like, yeah, but they still have to execute,” North Reading coach Sotirios Pintzopoulos said. “And they did. Certain people didn’t get their personal bests, but it was a tough day. It was windy, it was rainy, and it happened to everybody. So, our kids just executed better than the others, and they won the meet because of that.”
Maclellan credited the team’s confidence and experience as key factors in their championship run.
“We’ve done this three times in a row,” Maclellan said. “We knew what we were coming into. It was kind of just execute and we knew what we were doing. We had the confidence. So, it means a lot. I mean, I love this team. I’m sad to see them all go, and I will definitely be back to see them compete next year.”
Click here to view the team results and top three finishers from each boys and girls event on Day 2.
Bertarelli’s big leap secures long jump win for Cardinal Spellman
One of the most electric individual performances came from Andrew Bertarelli of Cardinal Spellman, who claimed the long jump title with a mark of 22-07.50. His leap edged out Weston’s Oscar Torres by just 1.5 inches and played a crucial role in Cardinal Spellman’s fifth-place team finish with 31 points.
Bertarelli’s performance stood out not only for the distance but for the timing. The senior hit his best jump late in the competition, giving his team momentum in the field events early on Day 2.
Combined with Spellman’s depth on the track, the jump helped vault the team into the top five by the end of the meet.
Dennis-Yarmouth’s Braham and Clark go 1-2 in the 400m
One of the most dominant individual races came in the girls 400 meters, where Breanna Braham and Kerri Clark of Dennis-Yarmouth finished first and second, respectively. Braham blazed through the line in 54.87 seconds, while Clark clocked 58.13, giving their team a 1–2 punch that significantly boosted their team score on Day 2.
The pair combined for 18 points in the race and helped Dennis-Yarmouth secure the runner-up finish overall with 61 points. Braham’s below-55 time was also one of the fastest of the day.
Veegh wins thrilling 400m for Bishop Stang
Michael Veegh of Bishop Stang edged out a talented group to take the 400-meter title in 49.54 seconds. Blue Hills Tech’s Jiai Gonzalez was hot as well, finishing in 49.62, with William Lombard of Dover-Sherborn just behind at 49.83.
The razor-thin margin between the top three finishers made this race one of the most tightly contested of the meet.
Dedham’s Brown dominates shot put
In the field, Tracey Brown of Dedham delivered a statement win in the shot put, launching a throw of 39-01.25 to outpace the competition by over three feet.
Her victory was a key piece of Dedham’s third-place finish as a team.
