by Adam Rabinowitz
Avenging their close loss to Cambridge in the Division 1 meet last year, girls’ indoor track, 6-0, came in first place at the Division 1 meet Wednesday, Feb. 11.
The Tigers finished the meet with 60 points, with Cambridge finishing second with 56 points, and Lexington finishing in third with 50 points.
According to Isabella Reilly, a captain with seniors Adrianna Batista,  Olivia Gomez, and Elena Schwartz, winning the meet was the team’s goal, and achieving it was very special for the team.
“Overall it was great because we came out with the team win. We had great performances all around and everyone really stepped it up,” she said.
According coach Joe Tranchita, the team was not in place to win the meet until very late.
“Going in to the relays, Cambridge had a commanding and seemingly insurmountable lead with 46 points.  We only had 13. The real battle in most minds seemed to be centered around who would get second place – Lexington, Lincoln-Sudbury, Wachusett or Andover – we were not even in the discussion,” he said.
Cambridge then won the 4×200 and had 56 points, making it seem like the meet was over.
According to Reilly, the Tigers had other plans. The team then went on a huge winning streak by placing in the next five events,  giving them a huge boost.
“We ended up placing two girls in the high jump, two girls in the long jump, and placing in the 4×400, all of which happened to take place roughly at the same time, so we were able to make a comeback and take first,” she said.
With such a grrat performance, many Tigers qualified for the All-States meet. According to Gomez, to qualify for the All-State meet, one has to get fourth or better in their event, and many Tigers were able to achieve that.
“We have a handful of girls who are in that category but not a huge team, so I don’t know how much we can expect at the all state meet, just because we won’t have girls in that many events. We’ve been surprised before though, that’s for sure!” she said.
Gomez added that she is very proud of the whole team’s performance in the meet.
“All of our girls put forth an amazing effort today, whether it was in their races or in their cheering. I’m really proud to be part of such a tight-knit, talented, and supportive team!” she said.
She also added that a lot of the credit for the team’s success is due to Tranchita.
“He’s the mastermind behind all of this. He inspires us and equips us to be our best selves,” she said.
When looking towards the All-State meet, Batista said that Tranchita does not think they need to do anything different to succeed.
“Our coach said that for the All-State meet he expects us to go out there and compete the way we’ve been competing all season and I agree with that completely. We don’t have to do anything spectacular or out of the ordinary,” she said.
Tranchita also noted that the Tigers have now won a state title in either indoor or outdoor track each of the past 6 years, to go along with six straight years of State Relay titles, saying that it is now “time to collect the jackets and add another year.”
The All-State meet will be  Saturday, Feb. 21 at the Reggie Center.