Harvard’s Thomas shines on track
COLLEGE NOTEBOOK
Five-time All-American Gabby Thomas of Florence capped off her junior season at Harvard with a second-place finish at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
That continued a stellar 2018 campaign that saw Thomas become the first Ivy League woman to win a 200-meter indoor title when she ran 22.38 seconds, erasing the 10-year old mark of 22.40 set by Oregon’s Bianca Knight.
Thomas, 21, used the momentum of her indoor success to win five events (100, 200, long jump, 4-by-100, 4-by-400 relay) at the Ivy League Outdoor Heps on May 5-6. Her 49.4 split on the 4-by-400 relay opened eyes and compares favorably with that of newlycrowned NCAA 400-meter champ Lynna Irby of Georgia. Irby was the only woman to record a sub 50-second clocking with her winning time of 49.80.
Thomas, who ran 22.86 to place second on a rainsoaked track, clearly positioned herself as a bona fide U.S. Olympic team contender for 2020.
“Once you reach a certain level, an elite level, it all comes down to your mental aspect,’’ said Thomas who is a neurobiology major. “I think it’s just been my mental aspect, being dialed in. It’s crazy but you just have to rise up and go with it.’’
Future big leaguers
Several locals were selected in the recent Major League Baseball draft including Northeastern junior outfielder Charlie McConnell (13th round, Seattle) of Reading, senior shortstop Max Burt (28th, Yankees) of North Andover, Harvard senior righthander Noah Zavolas (18th, Seattle) of Acton-Boxboro and junior righty Simon Roseblum-Larson (19th, Tampa Bay).
Boston College had four players chosen — second baseman Jake Palomaki (18th, Tampa Bay), junior right-hander Jacob Stevens (21st, Arizona), senior righty Brian Rapp (26th, Minnesota) and lefty Dan Metzdorf (38th, Yankees) of Burlington.
UMass-Lowell junior outfielder Russ Olive of Chelmsford (29th, Tampa Bay) became the program’s 22nd player in history to be taken in the draft, while recent grad Andrew Ryan of Rochester inked a professional pact with the Mets.
Etched on the Cup
There was a distinct local flavor to the Stanley Cup victory by the Washington Capitals.
Alex Chiasson became the ninth Boston University Terrier to have his name etched on the Cup. Caps teammate and ex-Boston College defenseman Brooks Orpik became the 11th Eagle on the Cup, including six who did it multiple times led by Joe Mullen (3).
Local achievements
UMass fifth-year senior Heather MacLean of Peabody closed out her superb career with a swift 2:03:45 in the semifinals of the NCAA Championships. MacLean, who previously earned AllAmerican recognition in cross country (2017) and indoor track (2016), set seven individual school records as well as a share of four relay marks . . . . Northeastern senior long jumper Kyle Darrow of Westwood earned All-America honors at the NCAA meet with a leap of 25-101⁄4 . . ..
Congrats to BC sophomore golfer Christian Cavaliere, who won the 99th Westchester Amateur Championship at Brooklawn Country Club . . . .
Boston University named seniors Kaitlin Belval of Needham, Tonianne Magnelli and Kelly Matthews as lacrosse captains for next season . . . .
Four individuals, Norm Smith (lacrosse), Zack Simmons (soccer), Jennifer Butler (basketball) and James Ihedigbo (football) and the 1998 NCAA Div. 1-AA championship football team were inducted into the UMass Hall of Fame Class of 2018.
Apuzzo honors
The awards keep rolling in for Boston College junior lacrosse player Sam Apuzzo, who was named winner of the Honda Sport Award, presented annually to women in 12 NCAAsanctioned sports as “the best of the best in collegiate athletics.”
Apuzzo, who led BC to the NCAA title game, scored 88 goals, and 129 points. Last month, she received the Tewaaraton Award, emblematic as the nation’s top lacrosse player, at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.