Marblehead High indoor track qualifiers participated in the All-State Meet against their peers throughout the rest of the state on Feb. 25 at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center in Roxbury.
In the 600, Ryan Thompson finished seventh with a time of 1:24.12.
“Great runners have their best races on the biggest stages, and that’s what Ryan did here at this year’s All-States,” said coach William Herlihy. “He got off to a perfect start, taking the lead at the end of the first lap, and never looked back. In doing so, he set a new school record by nearly a half of a second, while also running to a personal best, which is a tremendous jump at this level.”
Thompson is now getting ready for the New Balance Indoor National Meet on March 10, where he will be running in the 400 and 800.
In the 300, Cate Trautman’s impressive season continued when she shaved .01 off her personal best to finish in 42.02, placing her 16th in the state.
“Cate’s success in the 300 is beyond exceptional as it was her first season competing in the event,” said Herlihy. “This time also qualifies Cate for Nationals, but the event is already filled up. But she’s not done yet. She (went on) to the New England Championship Meet to compete in the 4×200 (on March 3) before going to the aforementioned Nationals in the same event the following week.”
Keira Sweetnam built upon her fantastic indoor season in the high jump with an eighth-place All-State Meet finish after clearing 5-2.
“Competing in the high jump at a postseason meet is the definition of ‘go big or go home,’” said coach Nolan Raimo. “With an opening height set at 5 feet, 8 inches — higher than a regular-season meet opening height — the pressure is on right away. Each and every miss plays a central role in a possible tiebreaker. Keira soared to the qualifying leap in her first attempt and cleared 5-2 on her second attempt to secure a podium spot. She also qualified for the New England Championship Meet.”
In the boys 4×200 relays, the Marblehead quartet of Harrison Curtis, Sebastian Pantzer, Tommy Carlson and Ryan Thompson bounced back from a disqualification at the state divisional championship meet to cement their names in the school record books with a final All-State Meet time of 1:33.60. The previous best time was 1:34.01. They also qualified for Nationals, but the field is already filled up.
“This was the first time Harrison and Sebby ran the 4×200 fresh without a 300 just before it, and they took full advantage to set up Tommy and Ryan with a solid lead that Tommy and Ryan were able to extend,” Raimo said.
In the girls 4×200 relays, Cate Trautman, Claire Davis, Devin Whalen and Le’Daisha Williams established a new school record of 1:47.43, besting the previous time by one second to finish ninth overall in the state.
“Ava Machado was unable to attend the All-State Meet due to prior commitments, but Le’Daisha subbed in without any practice on the handoffs to anchor the team,” Raimo said. “At first, it was hard to believe, but those who know Le’Daisha well understand that she is calm as can be in all situations, and that was on full display on the biggest stage.”
Raimo continued, “In years past, I would check in with the team two or three times before the race to make sure they were warmed up and had a baton, among other things. But nowadays, they are all genuinely true professionals, who I have full faith in to get the job done.”
The quartet was also able to qualify for the New England Championship Meet back at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center on March 3.
