Despite Hopkinton’s TVL Showcase Wins, Bellingham Girls Set Two School Records
By KEN HAMWEY,
Bulletin Sports Writer
Hopkinton’s boys’ and girls’ track teams dominated the Tri Valley League Showcase Meet, capturing first-place finishes before more than 400 fans at Bellingham High on May 14.
The Hillers’ boys squad compiled 117 points, finishing 39 points ahead of second-place Dedham, which had 78 points. Dover-Sherborn took third place with 62 points. Hopkinton’s girls contingent tallied 107 points, finishing 23 points ahead of second-place Holliston (84 points) while Norton totaled 62 points for a third-place finish.
Coach Peter Lacasse’s Bellingham teams, which finished their dual-meet seasons with 1-4 records in the league’s small division, competed against schools from both the small and large divisions. The BHS boys finished ninth (20 points) and the Blackhawk girls were 10th (13 points). The meet featured six teams from the small division and six from the large division.
“Both our teams competed intensely, and it showed, with our girls setting two school records and our boys compiling three personal bests,’’ Lacasse said.
Olivia Carney finished first in the 100-meter run in a time of 12.32 seconds, breaking the old record of 12.74 seconds. Nina Ames ran the 400-meter hurdles in at time of 1:12.36 for a fifth-place finish, breaking the old record of 1:14.2. The only other girl to place was Calleigh Elder, who captured sixth place in the javelin with a throw of 87 feet, 10 inches.
Leading the boys was Donovan Turner, who managed a personal best in the discus and tied his personal best in the shot put. Turner threw the discus 134 feet, 7 inches for a fourth-place finish and his shot-put distance was 43 feet, 7 inches, good enough for third place. Mason Jacques set a personal record in the 100-meter run, finishing third in a time of 11.34 seconds.
The boys 4x100-meter relay team finished fourth in a time of 45.63 seconds. The squad is comprised of Zach Berkeley, John Doucette, Jason Greenberg and Jacques
Lacasse had high praise for both Hopkinton teams. “They’ve got an incredible number of competitors,’’ he said. “And, their coaches do a great job in preparing them. They’ve got depth on depth. Both of their teams posted decisive victories.’’
Bellingham hosted about 400 competitors from 12 schools and Lacasse indicated that rival coaches not only praised the facility, but also liked the way the meet was conducted. “They mentioned that the meet was run effectively and like competing at our track,’’ Lacasse said. “The credit goes to Michael Connor, our athletic director.’’
