by Jacob Gurvis

Throughout the past 25 years, girls’ indoor track has enjoyed large success statewide, and that was no different this year, as the Tigers captured their 21st Bay State Conference title in that time.

The team ended with a perfect 6-0 record, and took home the State Relay Championship for the fifth consecutive season. The Tigers placed second in the Division I meet, losing to Cambridge by just two points, 55-53.

According to coach Joe Tranchita, in the All-States, the team defeated previously unbeaten Weymouth and Needham, and both meets came down to the final event.

Tranchita said the Tigers’ biggest strength was “working well as a team and competing well as a team.”

Senior Maeve Greeley, a captain with seniors Evie Heffernan, Sunny Lehmann, and Michaela Smith, said that the team’s humility has been a huge positive this season.

“The team is doing well in that we are accepting the fact that we are not automatically the best in the state anymore. It’s sometimes hard to come out of winning so much, but the team has done an amazing job of getting past that and having fun while we enjoy the sport for what it is, rather than for winning,” she said.

Despite the success, Tranchita believes that the Tigers need to be more consistent, especially with their “execution during competitions.”

According to Greeley, the team needs to “strengthen our middle group.”

Greeley and Tranchita both noted Smith as a player who has stood out all season. Smith was the state champion in shot put, and set the school record with a throw of 42’ 3/4”.

Greeley also mentioned that Lehman,  junior Kaila Hatcher, sophomore Annie Green, and freshman Angela Denucci are all “performing very well.”

“All of those athletes have showed lots of determination and heart when it comes to the sport and how they can contribute to the team,” Greeley added.

According to Tranchita, in the Division I meet, in addition to Smith’s impressive performance, senior Mad Raso had “a huge personal record in the shot put (34’4”), good for third place.”  The team’s 4×800 relay squad placed second, and the 4×200 and 4×400 both came in fourth.

Those successful runs brought the Tigers their fifth straight State Relay Championship, an achievement that Greeley fully appreciated.

“The highlight of the season was winning the D1 state relays. That was an incredible accomplishment for the team, and it showed how well we meshed together and worked together to obtain this team oriented championship, rather than the regular State Championship that puts more weight on individuals,” she said.

Overall, it was yet another successful and dominating season for the Tigers. Even with their history of such success, the players and coaches still appreciate their performance.

“Just to be in the position that we were in today, with the team that we had, was an outstanding achievement on our kids’ part,” said Tranchita. “We never could have predicted this after our first three weeks of the season. This team really matured and learned how to get the most of their abilities from meet to meet.”