New England Championships - Girls Meet Summary

New England Indoor Championships
Stephen Mazzone

Read Boys New England Meet Summary

There was one thing that most of the spectators at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center had to be wondering while watching Hannah DeBalsi come down the final straightway of the two-mile run.

Will she catch the second-place finisher?

It doesn’t happen often, but the Staples High sophomore came close to achieving that rarity at Saturday’s New England Championship. Leading from the opening gun, the diminutive tenth-grader from Connecticut nearly lapped the entire field to easily defend her crown with a meet record and nation-best clocking of 10 minutes, 12.95 seconds. Placing a distant second in the race was Jessica Wojnicki of Immaculate (CT) in 10:52.79.

There was no question that DeBalsi was on a mission to run something special at the Boston venue. The multiple state champion and 2013 Foot Locker X-C Nationals’ runner-up was already far ahead of the pack by the time she reached the mile, passed in 5:06. She picked up the pace a notch from there and lapped her first runner before reaching 1,800 meters.

It was solo all the way for DeBalsi, who could very well be the next Mary Cain. Her time smashed the old mark of 10:30.55, set by former Glastonbury All-American and University of Oregon junior Lindsay Crevoiserat in 2010.

DeBalsi was actually aiming to run even faster than her more than 17-second meet mark. Her goal was to dip under 10:10.

“Converted, it’s still a PR technically, I guess?” said DeBalsi, who has a best of 10:10.26 for 3,200 meters, which she runs in her home state. “I did 10:10 for 3,200 so converted it’s like a 10:08. I’m kind of happy with that but I still wanted to go under 10:10 for the full two miles.”

The scary thing about DeBalsi and perhaps to her competition this season is she’s just warming up. While the New Balance Nationals in two weeks are important, it’s not her complete focus.

“I haven’t really peaked,” she stated matter-of-factly. “I haven’t cut down my mileage yet. It’s definitely going well. I am hoping to run faster in outdoor. I am not peaking completely. I am aiming for outdoor.”

One other meet record was established for girls in the five-plus hour meet. In the 1,000, Classical (RI) senior Maddy Berkson claimed her third straight title with a PB of 2:49.29 (US #4). Berkson, who broke her 2013 mark by just .04, sizzled through an opening 400 of 63 seconds. Although she won by more than four seconds over Rham (CT) senior Christine Bendzinski, who was second at 2:53.77, the fast pace took its toll.

It was a little fast,” said Berkson, who hit the 800 mark in 2:14. “I was looking for 65, 66-seconds. It was probably too fast. I felt good then. I felt pretty good (with two laps left), but I tried to accelerate and it didn’t happen. The fourth lap I kind of slowed down a lot and went off pace. The fourth and fifth laps felt pretty slow. My legs were tight. I don’t know why.”

The race was without Dracut (MA) senior and Berkson’s future Stanford teammate, Karina Shepard, who scratched from the event and only ran the anchor leg on her school’s fifth-place 4x800 squad (9:26.46). At last week’s MIAA All State Meet, Shepard ran the third fastest time in the country with a winning effort of 2:48.70 for the 1K.

“I talked to her yesterday and asked if she was going to be running,” Berkson said. “She told me she was just running the 4x800 for her team.”

The Classical star, who finished third in the 800 at the indoor and outdoor nationals last year, is now looking towards this year’s New Balance Nationals, scheduled for the weekend of March 14-16 in New York City.

“I would like to get a better time,” said Berkson, who ran a PR of 2:06.67 in 2013. “That will be pretty hard because it was pretty fast last year. I am going to try and win it and hopefully a good time will come out of it.”

Hingham (MA) junior Sierra Irvin beat a talented field to cop the 300 dash with a fast time of 38.67 (US #5). Irvin was more than a full second ahead of runner-up Dominique Hall, a junior from Shrewsbury (MA), who was timed in 39.97.

“I got a little nervous because she beat me to the break,” said Irvin, who defeated Hall at last week’s MIAA state meet with a time of 39.04. “But I always know that I will finish strong so I just waited until I got to the turn.”

Marshfield (MA) senior Ellen DiPietro, the nation’s top high-jumper, fell an inch shorter of her best but easily won the crown with a leap of 5 feet, 9 inches.  She came back later to take the 55 hurdles, edging Gardner (MA) senior Aly Comeau with a time of 8.30 to Comeau’s 8.33.

In the high jump, DiPietro began with an opening height of 5-5.

“I felt really good,” she said. “The approach and the pop, so everything was together today. I was happy about it.”  

After winning the state title a week earlier and then her first New England crown, the Michigan State-bound DiPietro will try and complete the trifecta by taking home the plaque at the nationals in two weeks.

“I am excited to compete in the elite (competition) because last year I did Emerging Elite. I was running a 4x400 (relay), which conflicted,” she said. “I am excited to actually jump with the best of the best and hopefully it will come out really well.”

One of the more exciting races of the afternoon was the 600. Bishop Guertin (NH) senior Molly McCabe overtook front-running Amy Piccolo of Ursuline Academy after the final turn and held on to a narrow win, crossing the line with a time of 1:32.00 (US #2). Piccolo, who was out-leaned at the finish, was timed in 1:32.1 (US #3).

“I could feel her on my back. She was actually (physically) pushing me,” Piccolo said. “I was like, ‘Oh, I think I need to pick it up.’ (She) gave me that little push at the end. I wasn’t sure who won. I tried to lean a little extra but she was slightly in front of me. I guess I didn’t lean enough.”

Highlighted by a 2:10.4 anchor leg from senior Abby Livingston, Barrington (RI) captured the 4x800 relay. The senior foursome of Livingston, Megan Verner-Crist, Julianna Portelli and Mary Kate Coogan combined for a time of 9:09.59 (US #4).  La Salle Academy (RI) was second at 9:19.76 (US #13).

The Eagles’ seed time was their state-winning 9:27.86 effort.

“Our goal was to get around 9:10,” Coogan said. “That might have been a little ambitious, but I am glad we were able to do it.”

In a gun-to-wire victory, Wilbur Cross (CT) sophomore Danae Rivers took the mile run with a time of 4:55.15 (US #19). The top six finishers in the race also broke five minutes. Finishing second was Lowell (MA) sophomore Kaley Richards at 4:56.81. Claire Howett, a senior from Westhill (CT), was third in 4:57.93.

“It just felt right, I guess,” said Rivers, about her front-running tactics. “It depends on the race, sometimes they’re together and sometimes they’re not. It just felt right at the moment. It was fun.”

Rivers ran consistent throughout the eight-lap race. She was 2:25 at the half.

“That’s roughly around what I have usually done,” she said. “I kind of wanted to do consistent laps. That was the goal for this weekend.”

 

Girls Highlights