At the State Division 3 Meet late last month, the Marblehead High boys and girls spring track teams turned in top 10 performances. The girls, going up against 48 other divisional schools throughout the state, ended up ninth after accumulating 38 points. The boys, also competing against 48 other divisional opponents, came in seventh with 40 points.
The Magicians had since moved on to the Meet of Champions, comprised of all teams and divisions statewide in Fitchburg.
Girls discus
Rachael Albert was the 19th seed, and so it didn’t seem likely that she’d make it to the finals. She immediately threw 113-feet, 11-inches — a 15-inch personal best — and it put her first on the leaderboard. But there were still 12 heavy hitters, who hadn’t thrown at that point, according to throwing coach Danny Plunkett.
“We were then naturally quite shocked when the second flight of throwers finished up, and Rachael had made it into the finals in fifth place,” added Plunkett. “We expected her placement to drop over the course of the finals as the other girls found their groove, but after each round of throws it just didn’t happen. There were some good throws, but only from the top four girls, and Rachael stayed in fifth to the end to qualify for the All-New England Meet, despite still being ranked 19th in the state. The top 6 athletes in every event end up qualifying for the regionals, and as a result she bought herself one more week to compete; it was unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome.”
Two-mile
“In what was undoubtedly the greatest day of two-mile racing in state history, our two athletes also had great days of their own,” said assistant coach Will Herlihy.
“In the boys race, three athletes went under the nine-minute mark. The girls race was equally as impressive, with nine going under 11 minutes and another three going under 10:40.”
Marblehead sophomore Marri O’Connell (11:03.44, personal best) ended up 11th.
“Marri ran her heart out for a five-second personal best,” said Herlihy. “In the same race last year, her time would’ve won the whole meet, which speaks volumes to how stacked the field was this year. It was a great race for the whiz kid, despite dealing with a large pack. It was a new experience for her. She usually runs up front. But nonetheless, it was a great final sendoff as the 2023-24 track campaign comes to a close. There’s no doubt that she will stay hungry to get under the 11-minute mark next year.”
Senior Isaac Gross (9:25.60, personal best) finished 18th in the boys race.
“Isaac capped off his high school running career with another personal best that further lowered the school record,” said Herlihy.
“Isaac has been outstanding all four years as an athlete and leader on the team, so to see him get one last personal best in his final race was amazing. For context, even in the days when the Marblehead boys were among the best distance runners in the state when the school won the state cross-country championship in both 2015 and 2016, none of those boys were as fast as Isaac was this year at this distance.”
Girls mile
O’Connell (5:19.91) ended up 25th overall in the state.
“The conditions for the mile were not quite as favorable as the two-mile that took place on May 30. The mile ran on June 1, and it was a very warm day,” said Herlihy. “Marri once again had to contend with a large pack about halfway through the race, but held on to turn in another solid performance. Sometimes, it’s just not your day, but fortunately for Marri she’ll get more chances the next two years. It’s still an outstanding achievement to even qualify for this meet, and Marri has tons to be proud of this spring.”
Boys mile
Junior Will Cerrutti (4:34.46) ended up 27th.
“The conditions did not improve at all for the boys mile, and Will was feeling the heat during his race,” said Herlihy. “Despite his best efforts and preparation, it was not the result he may have wanted, but Will is no stranger to adversity, and there’s no doubt he will come back even stronger next year.
“With these late season meets, it’s very hard to stay sharp for a few extra weeks, but Will still came mentally prepared to compete for the win. However, his legs just didn’t have it,” added the veteran distance coach. “Will has come a long way since missing nearly all of his sophomore year due to injury, but in that time, he has learned so much about training smart that should undoubtedly serve him well next year as a senior.”
Boys 100
Thomas Carlson (11.31) capped off the season with a 22nd place finish.
“Tommy caught his spike on his third step out of the blocks that caused a minor stumble. It took the wind out of his sails,” said head coach Nolan Raimo. “It was a remarkable season for Tommy, one in which he shattered the 100 and 200 school records, and, with the help of some friends, the 4×100, as well. Tommy’s progression from sophomore to junior is without a doubt inspirational for every runner. He was able to take a leap forward from being competitive in the conference to nearly becoming a state champion.”
Boys 200
Carlson finished 24th with a time of 22.67, which was only a tad behind his personal best of 22.45.
“Tommy’s specialty is in the shorter sprints, and for him to make it to the Meet of Champions in his lesser event is remarkable,” said Raimo. “With another offseason training program, I’m confident Tommy will enter his senior year as a force in all the sprints from the 55 to the 400.”
Girls 400
Sadie Halpern finished 26th with a time of 61.13.
“Sadie had a great year in the short sprints (55, 100 and 200), but also had an unbelievable year in the long sprints (300 and 400),” said Raimo, “where she helped notch a second state championship in the 4×400 indoor relays, before finishing third in the open 300. She qualified for the Meet of Champions in the spring without much of a foundation in the long sprints.
“Sadie is only a sophomore with potential to be one of, if not the, best long sprinter in school history,” added Raimo.
