BRIDGEWATER — After a spring season that saw many meets held in cool and wet conditions, Day 1 of the MIAA Division 5 Track and Field Championships at Bridgewater State served as a reminder that Memorial Day weekend serves as the start of summer around here.
Norwell senior Liliana MacDonald was among those who handled the heat, particularly in the jumping events as she won the triple jump (in 38 feet, 6½ inches) and the pentathlon (with 2,952 points).
She will look to add to her medal haul on Sunday, as she is seeded first in the long jump.
With wins in the 100-meter hurdles and the long jump, MacDonald entered the pentathlon’s final event, the 800, with an 111-point lead. She needed almost all of them to hold off North Reading’s Callie MacLellan by four points as MacLellan was 8.95 seconds faster in the final event.
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“It was a lot of work with the heat and so many events,” said MacDonald, who will run collegiately at Rhode Island. “I’ve worked really hard for this, and I’m really proud for the pentathlon, especially. The 800, I didn’t know if I was going to win it or not.”
North Reading coach Sotirios Pintzopoulos, whose team leads the team event with 50 points, said MacLellan was five-hundredths of a second short of taking the top spot.
Giuliana Ligor repeated her victory in the 400 hurdles (1:01.15), and junior Hayden MacLellan cleared 9-6 in the pole vault in breezy conditions to lead the Hornets. Placing third for the Hornets were Abigail Lilley in the discus and Madison Vant in the triple jump.
Weston is second with 30 points, Whitinsville Christian third on 29 and MacDonald accounting for 20 of the Clippers’ 25 points, good for fourth.
Norton’s Jillian Strynar won the 200 in 25.57, and will go for a third consecutive 100 title on Sunday.
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Norwell senior Ryan Luccarelli won the boys pentathlon with 2,645 points, and junior Noah Mulligan won the triple jump in 44-10½ and placed third in the 200 (22.89) to help the Clippers lead at the boys’ meet midway point with 42 points, nine clear of second place Weston.
Luccarelli, who is going to play football next year at Hamilton, had the best 110-meter hurdles and long jump performances, and was second in the high jump and shot put before finishing fourth in the closing 1,500, but had enough points to leap over runner-up D-R’s Joel DaSilva.
Weston will have an advantage of potentially scoring in the pole vault on Sunday, and also had a strong day with Ben Tavares winning the 800 in 1:58.87, Oscar Torres second in the triple jump, and William Cahill and Carsen Valenta going 3-4 in the 2-mile for 11 points.
