Tracksters shine at MSTCA freshman-sophomore meet

It was a memorable weekend for Canton High’s up-and-coming track and field athletes as they racked up a slew of personal bests while competing against several of the state’s top underclassmen at the MSTCA Freshman-Sophomore Championship held Sunday, January 5, at the Reggie Lewis Track Center in Boston.

Sophomore Grace Martinek is the Citizen’s Athlete of the Week for Jan. 9 (see writeup in print edition).

“We had a great day,” reported CHS girls head coach Anna Amico. “Our athletes posted personal best after personal best, competing with the best underclassmen in the state.”

Sophomore Grace Martinek had the highest finish for the Canton girls, placing seventh in the 300 meters with a personal-best time of 43.62 seconds. She also finished 10th in the long jump and 14th as part of the 4×200 relay along with Parker Marcelonis, Natalia Mallei and Charly Touzos.

Other notable personal-best finishes were turned in by Mallei in the 600m, Sofia Anastasiou in the 1,000m, Natalie Hales in the mile, Marcelonis in the long jump, and Emily Ross in the shot put.

For the boys team, sophomore Angel Assad had an outstanding day, jumping to a personal best of 5’6” in the high jump to nab seventh place. He also posted a 7.25-second time in the 55-meter dash and ran a solid leg in the 4×200 relay to propel teammates Joshua Saint Vil, Nawful Hijou and Julian Tavares to an 11th-place finish.

Sophomore John Martinek also had a career day for the Bulldogs, placing 12th in the 55 hurdles with a blistering time of 9.36 seconds. He also took 24th out of 58 competitors in the long jump with a personal-best distance of 17’3.75” and led the Bulldogs to a 19th-place finish in the 4×400 relay along with teammates Tristan Grant, Sam Siegal and Morrell Mondesir.

Also recording personal bests at the meet were Siegal and Shawn Smith Manzi in the 1,000m, Jaden Tam in the 300m, and Jack Levis in the shot put.

“Today was a fabulous day for the Bulldogs,” noted head coach Brian Gotsell. “Virtually every athlete came away with a personal best and showed that they can compete with the state’s best underclassmen. The confidence they gained will help us greatly as we head into the tough part of the season.”

Next up for both teams is a showdown with Oliver Ames on Thursday (today) at the New Balance Track.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Jan 10 2025. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.