Ligor, North Reading run away with state title
Giuliana Ligor admitted she treated herself to an "active rest day" before Saturday's finale of the Division 5 Track Championships. After defending her title in the 400 hurdles on Thursday, an easy day seemed to be the best course of action.
The talented sophomore from North Reading proved to be more than ready for a strong race in the 400. Pumping her arms furiously, Ligor had a strong stretch run and surged across the finish line in a new personal best of 56.31 seconds after taking second last year. Breanna Braham of DennisYarmouth was just over a second back in 57.33 to take the silver medal. Ligor finished the day by anchoring the Hornets to a win in the 4×100 relay in 49.40.
With Ligor's wins, along with gold medal performances from Ava McIntyre in the long jump (18-5-1/4), the Hornets never relinquished their team lead from Thursday, easily taking the crown with 125 points.
Ligor is hoping for another big day at next weekend's Meet of Champions at Fitchburg State University.
"I knew I had a pretty good opportunity and I was locked in," she said. "It would be amazing to be a state champion in the 400 hurdles. I'd like to make it into the top three in the 400."
Pope Francis' Breanna Sears also came back and earned a gold medal in the mile after clinching the silver medal on Thursday. Sears put herself in the middle of the pack for the first 800 and when Weston's Olivia Jackson, the two mile mile winner on Day 1, surged at the gun, Sears went right with her. She bolted past Jackson with 250 meters left and crossed the finish line in a personal best of 5:13.14.
"I didn't know how the race was going to play out," said the tall, smoothstriding Sears, who will attend Fordham University. "I knew what I had going into the last lap. I hadn't really planned on making the move when I did. She (Jackson) made the move and she looked strong."
In the boys mile, Middleboro's Lekan Sotonwa ran a flawless race on the way to a big personal best of 4:24.15. Only a sophomore, Sotonwa looks as though he could surprise some people at The Meet of Champions judging by how easily he handled the talented field.
"It was too perfect," said Sotonwa, who destroyed his previous best of 4:31. "They were a crew of pacers honestly. I had too much left in the tank that last 400."
Pentucket had wins from Joel Spaulding in the 100 (11.02) and the 4×100 (43.10), but was able to outlast a gritty Norwell squad to take the boys competition with 66 points to the
Clippers' 64 points. Norwell had big wins in the 4×800 (8:09.45) and 4×400 (4:26.63) to cut into Pentucket's lead late in the meet.
Norton's terrific sprinter, Jillian Strynar, captured the 100 in 12.41 while Middleboro swept the hurdles with Isabel Wheeler winning the 100 hurdles (15.00) and Charles Montross clinching the 110 hurdles (14.77). Quabbin's William Hood dipped under 50-seconds in the 400, winning in a quick 49.74 and Matt Rooney of Dover-Sherborn strained hard to win the 800 in 1:57.48.