Several Marblehead High spring track athletes competed in the All-State Meet of Champions, held this year at Merrimack College in North Andover.
The annual statewide competition, encompassing all divisions, featured Marblehead’s Colin Hart (400-meter hurdles), Lucy Flynn (200) and Marri O’Connell (two-mile) on June 4, the first day of the competition.
“This is the best of the best in Massachusetts,” said coach Nolan Raimo. “Unlike team sports that end their seasons with divisional championships, track allows for the best of the best to compete against whomever regardless of division.”
Raimo said that Flynn started the 200 slowly, which impacted the rest of the race for her. “She didn’t have time to catch up,” the veteran coach added, “and as a result she finished 30th in a time of 26.59.”
Flynn was dealing with a minor injury leading up to the All-States, which definitely affected her performance, according to the coach.
Hart (57.33) capped off his fine season by coming in 24th across all divisions in the 400-meter hurdles. “Colin just set the Northeastern Conference Championship Meet record in 56.48, and is also the second fastest 400-meter hurdler in school history behind Conrad Rousseau (Class of 2014), who went on to run at Boston University,” Raimo said.
O’Connell (11:30.09) ended up 19th in the two-mile. “It was miserable conditions for the two-mile with high heat and humidity,” said Raimo. “A handful of runners did not finish or scratched in advance of the race, because of the conditions. Marri, however, (persevered) in her last high school two-mile to finish among the Top-20 in the entire state. She remains second in school history behind Shalane Flanagan, Olympic silver medalist, (in this long-distance event).”
On the second day of competition, two days later on June 6, sophomore Clark Roszell (6-2) took on the high jump, and placed 14th overall. “Clark had a great season with several 6-4 clearances,” said Raimo. “He will be in contention for a state championship as a junior next year. He was the only sophomore to compete in the Meet of Champions (this spring).”
Flynn (12.33) rebounded from a rough start in the 200 to finish 10th in the 100. “Lucy would’ve made the finals (Top 8), but had an unfortunate wind in her heat compared to the other heats,” said Raimo. “Her best time of 12.22 is the fastest in school history, which she set as a sophomore, and has the potential to go even faster in her senior campaign next year.”
The junior sprinter continues on to the All-New England Championship Meet at Maine’s Noble High School to compete in the 100 against the best in the region this weekend after press deadline. She’s the lone Marblehead athlete to qualify for the regionals.
The 4×800 relay team of Sarah Munroe, Eleanor Morgan, Norah Walsh and O’Connell (9:45.79, personal best) finished 14th. “This group of girls has the school record in both the mile relay and the 4×800,” said Raimo, “and will compete later this month at the Nike Nationals in Eugene, Oregon as members of the Marblehead Track Club.”
