Brookline’s Walter doubles up
The MIAA’s Meet of Champions represents a chance for the state’s best in indoor track to compete against one another in their best events, regardless of school size. The focus is on best times and not placements and maximizing team points, like one would see when chasing down a state title.
In the boys’ 600 meters Saturday afternoon at Reggie Lewis Center, Brookline’s Cameron Walter, the Division 1 runnerup, was hanging just behind Bishop Stang junior Michael Veegh, the Division 4 champion.
Walter was coming down from the 800, while Veegh was coming up from the 400.
“I knew if I sat on his shoulder, made my move on the back straight, it would be a solid race,” said Walter, who had the top seed when Acton-Boxborough’s Ajay Raina chose to enter the 1,000.
With 150 meters to go, Walter made his move to the outside and pulled away from Veegh, winning in 1 minute, 21.13 seconds, narrowly missing his season-best time of 1:20.96.
“I would have liked a [personal best], but I didn’t have the legs for it today,” he said. “I was a little under the weather this week, but I am super happy, super stoked. I’ve wanted to win a state championship since running the bottom of conference championship meets.”
After the race, Walter announced he will be attending Brown in the fall and running for the Bears while studying mechanical engineering.
“He’s one of the best runners in the state in the middle distances,” said Brookline coach Mike Glennon. “We’ve got weeks to go. We’ve got to run New Englands next week and nationals after that.”
Walter followed that up by anchoring Brookline’s winning 4x800 relay team (8:02.60), combining with Argi Protopapadakis, Kailas Ciatto, and Vito Alpeza to hold off Algonquin (8:02.90).
Also coming away with two titles was Haverhill senior Natanael Vigo Catala, who breezed to victory in the 300 in 34.32, but it was a time that left him disappointed.
“I didn’t feel great. I wanted that state record, and I didn’t even [do a personal best],” Vigo Catala said of the 34.22 meet record set in 2019 by Watertown’s Mange Camara that was only .03 seconds better than his seed time (34.25).
Vito Catala, who will be running for Georgetown next year, anchored the Hillies’ 4x400 state title relay, chasing down Ayer Shirley’s Arthur Riberio by about 35 meters over the final 150.
Top seeds had a solid showing in the boys’ events as Brockton’s Lucas Andrade (55 hurdles, 7.44 seconds), Christopher Brooks of Wellesley (55 dash, 6.42), BC High’s Chris Larnard (mile, 4:14.01), Peabody’s Alex Jackson (shot put, 58 feet, 3 inches), and Xaverian’s 4x200 relay (1:30.32) were all victorious.
Collins the closer
Caroline Collins did not compete in indoor track last winter, her junior season at Nashoba Regional derailed by recovery from a stress fracture in her left tibia suffered at the end of her sophomore year.
On Saturday, Collins left Reggie Lewis Center as an all-state champion in the 2-mile, recording a personal best of 10:59.41, beating her previous mark by 4½ seconds.
“It means a lot after dealing with all my injuries,” said Collins, who plans to run at Boston University in the fall.
Collins had to earn the victory; she entered the final lap in sixth place. But she took the lead in the final lap and finished comfortably ahead of Westfield’s Megan Moran (11:02.05).
“It became a mental battle after the first mile,” Collins said. “But I believe in my kick, and I got it done.”
Norton junior Zoe Santos soared 5-8 in winning the high jump, the best mark in the state this season and the sixth best in the country.
“I started the season jumping 4-10, and I came in today hoping to jump 5-4, so this just proves that hard work pays off and that you can do anything,” Santos said.
Billerica junior Nyrah Joseph won the 55-meter hurdles, blazing to a personal-best of 8.26 seconds, also the state’s best clocking this year.
She has struggled with her starts, but her execution was on when it mattered.
Wellesley junior Charlotte Tuxbury legged out a seasonbest 4:56.35 to win the mile, and was also the anchor on the Raiders’ victorious 4x800 (9:27.74), a team that also included her sister, Emma, a sophomore, along with Delaney Dyer and Kayla Bohlin.
“Everyone was bundled up at the start [of the mile], and people were tripping over each other,” Tuxbury said. “But I kicked it hard in the final 800 meters, so I knew I was in a good spot.”
Wellesley had another champion with Annie Comella in the long jump (18-2½).