Boys' track
Coach of the Year
Jim Blackburn, Newton North
 DIVISION 1 |
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Blackburn took home his second state championship of 2004 earlier this month, when his Tigers dominated the rest of the state in Holyoke, winning by 37 points to add to the indoor championship he won in February. Blackburn credits his assistant coaches, John Waldron and Mike Boner, for his run of success, not to mention his team's ``great talent.'' In the outdoor season, his team went undefeated in the Bay State league, and won the State Relays, Division 1, and MIAA state meets. Blackburn is in the MSTCA Hall of Fame after his 44 years coaching, 15 of which have been at Newton North. He is a graduate of Somerville High and Villanova, and ran track at both schools. | |
Runner of the Year
Victor Gras, Belmont
MILE |
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While he's no Broadway Joe, Belmont's Victor made a brash prediction of his own on a recruiting trip at Stanford a few months ago. He bumped into Stanford runner Andy Powell who just happened to hold the state record in the mile that Gras coveted. ``Watch out for your record in June,'' Gras told Powell politely. Gras delivered at the MIAA state meet, running 4:05.14 which beat Powell's five-year-old mark by more than second. Gras was also the Division 3 winner in the mile, setting a meet record with a time of 4:11.82. He was an All-Scholastic in the winter for the 1,000 and the fall in cross-country. To add insult to injury, Gras will take his talents to the University of Michigan rather than run for the Cardinal. | |
The All-Scholastics
Chris Barnicle, Newton North
2-MILE |
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After five All-Scholastic selections this year, we're thinking of keeping Barnicle's picture on file. He was a selection for cross-country, was a double honoree in the winter (mile and 3,200 relay) and for the outdoor season is on here twice again for the 3,200 relay and 2-mile. In the spring, Barnicle set a state 2-mile record at an event in Hartford, running 8:50 and beating Globe Runner of the Year Gras in the same race. His time shattered his personal best by 14 seconds and solidified him as one of the best, if not the best, distance runner in the state. At the Division 1 meet, Barnicle ran 9:20.75. At the MIAA state meet, he ran 9:10.90 and ran the anchor leg of the winning 3,200 relay. | |
Jed Carpenter, Newton North
TRIPLE JUMP |
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Carpenter was Mr. Do-It-All for the state champion Tigers. In the Division 1 meet, he was the triple jump winner (44-11 ), the 400 meters winner (49.56 seconds), and was a part of the winning 1600-meter relay (3:23.63). At the MIAA state meet, he was the runner up in the triple jump (46-8 ), third in the 400 (50.04) and ran the third leg of the winning 1600 relay (3:22.71). At the New Englands, he finished third in triple jump (45-7). He also finished third in the triple jump at the Penn Relays. The 6-foot 2-inch junior also owns the Newton North school record in the triple jump. Carpenter also ran for Newton North during their state championship winning indoor season. | |
Enrique Cuesta, Lawrence
200 |
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Cuesta, a native of Colombia and Panama, moved to Lawrence in the fall with hopes of repeating the success that he had in his home lands. In the winter indoor season he was an All-Scholastic for being part of Lawrence's 400-meter relay. He continued he success in the states in the spring by being Massachusetts' top 200 runner, winning the MIAA state meet with a time of 21.97, which was his personal best. The next week, he went on to finish second at the New Englands (22.30). For the season, he was undefeated in dual meets in both the 200 and 400. The sophomore also plays soccer and runs in the Junior Olympics and with the Merrimack Valley Strides. He enjoys watching movies and reading books and hopes to study journalism in college. | |
Courtney Evans, Milton
LONG JUMP |
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What does Evans enjoy doing when he's not honing his skills in the long jump? Practice. It's that dedication that made Evans one of the state's best. He was the Bay State League champion in both the long jump and 100-meter dash. In the Division 3 meet, he took home gold in the long jump (21-10) and was third in the 100, running 11.42. At the MIAA state meet, he finished second with a jump of 22-4, which was a -inch off the winner. Last season, he finished fifth in the divisional meet in the 100 meters. The 5-foot 10-inch 162 pound Evans also competed in the indoor season, where he finished fifth in the Division 3 meet. | |
Julio Faria, Lowell
POLE VAULT |
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The 5-foot, 8-inch Faria was consistent in his domination of the pole vaulting scene in Massachusetts this season. In the Division 1 and MIAA state meets, he topped out at 13-6, which was six inches better than his closest competitor and he cruised to the Merrimack Valley Conference championship. At the New Englands, he again vaulted 13-6, which was good for third. In the fall, Faria was an all-conference selection for football and played in Friday's Shriners Game. In the winter he participated in indoor track. The senior is an honor roll student and is a member of the Lowell High School Engineering Academy and studies in a dual enrollment program at UMass-Lowell. In the fall, Faria will attend UMass-Amherst. | |
Mat Frankel, Newton North
SHOT PUT |
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Though he'll put down the shot when he goes to Brown next season to play football, there's no denying that Frankel left his mark in the shot put. Frankel helped his team take home championships in both the Division 1 and the MIAA state meets by winning his event in both, throwing 57-6 and 58-6 respectively. He took home the New England crown by throwing 60-2. He was also the top thrower in the Bay State League and the State Coaches Invitational. Frankel was also an All-Scholastic choice in the shot put in the indoor season. Frankel was a New Balance Indoor All-American. As a football player, he was a two-time league all-star and team captain. He's an honor roll student and enjoys weight lifting and listening to music. | |
Brian Gagnon, Lowell
800 |
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Gagnon is a year-round runner, competing in indoor track and cross-country, where he was an All-Scholastic selection. In the spring season he was the top runner in the 800, winning the New England championship (1:53.81) and taking home gold at the Division 1 meet, where he ran 1:55.3 and the MIAA state meet, where he clocked in at 1:54.06. He was the Merrimack Valley Conference champ and his time at the state meet is a Lowell school record. Though Gagnon only runs the 800, his personal best in the 400 (49.3) would have beaten every competitor at the state meet and his mile time would have put him in the top-6. The 5-foot-8-inch 135-pound Gagnon also competes in the Bay State Games. | |
Tyler Gasper, Bellingham
JAVELIN |
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Gasper had no equal this season in Massachusetts and he may go down as one of the best javelin throwers in the state's history. He set several meet records this spring including the Tri-Valley League championship (186-feet 7-inches), Coaches Invitational (188-5), Division 4 (187-6), and the MIAA state (188-9) meets. Not surprisingly, he holds the school record, throwing a 200-1. As a junior, he was the Division 4 winner. The 6-1, 205-pound senior was a two time Tri-Valley League All-Conference selection as a defensive end in football. He enjoys weightlifting and will attend UMass in the fall. | |
Victor Gras, Belmont
MILE |
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While he's no Broadway Joe, Belmont's Victor made a brash prediction of his own on a recruiting trip at Stanford a few months ago. He bumped into Stanford runner Andy Powell who just happened to hold the state record in the mile that Gras coveted. ``Watch out for your record in June,'' Gras told Powell politely. Gras delivered at the MIAA state meet, running 4:05.14 which beat Powell's five-year-old mark by more than second. Gras was also the Division 3 winner in the mile, setting a meet record with a time of 4:11.82. He was an All-Scholastic in the winter for the 1,000 and the fall in cross-country. To add insult to injury, Gras will take his talents to the University of Michigan rather than run for the Cardinal. | |
Shawn Leonard, Stoughton
HIGH JUMP |
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As good as Leonard is in the high jump, he's proven himself to be an all-around athlete, not just one that can leap over a bar placed 6-feet-7-inches high. In the fall, Leonard served as Stoughton's starting quarterback and kept himself busy in the winter by being a part of the Hockomock league winning Stoughton basketball team. His athletic prowess also helped him during the outdoor track season where he qualified for the MIAA state meet in five events: high jump, triple jump, 400 meter relay, and both the 110 and 300-meter hurdles. In the state meet, he was at his best, jumping an EMass season high, 6-7. The 6-foot 1-inch junior was also the Division 2 and Coaches Invitational champ and finished fourth at the New Englands. | |
Kyle Morse, Hingham
DISCUS |
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In May, Morse's throw of 169-feet 10-inches at the Louch Games in New York (which he won) was not only feet, but yards better than his closest competitors in EMass up to that point. Morse was better in the MIAA state meet where he threw an eye-popping 172-10, again beating his competition by 20 feet. Morse was top dog at the South Shore Principals, Weston, State Coaches, Patriot League, State Relays, and Division 3 meets this season. He finished second in the New Englands, throwing 162-3. In the winter, Morse competed in the shot put during the indoor season when there is no discus event. His interests include playing guitar, fishing, and watching Seinfeld reruns. Morse will attend Northfield-Mt. Hermon for post-graduate studies and then hopes to attend a school in a warmer climate. | |
Johan Rafael, Lawrence
100 |
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Only a junior, Rafael carried the weight of being a leader, and did so with sparkling results. Rafael was a major factor in Lawrence's second-place finish at the MIAA state meet. He took home top honors in the 100 meters (10.93 seconds) and ran the anchor led in the Lancers' 400 relay team that also won first place with a time of 42.83 seconds. Not only was he also the Division 1 winner in the 100, he was unbeaten throughout the season in that event. Rafael has competed in the Junior Olympics, running in the 100 and the 400 relay and he also races for the Merrimack Valley Striders. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball and hanging out with friends. Rafael hopes to major in psychology when he attends college. | |
Robert Simpson, Brockton
400 |
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Simpson starred for Brockton all year. He was a Big 3 All-Star in football as a tailback, then won state championships in the 300 meters and 1,600 relay in the winter indoor season. After getting edged by Newton North's Carpenter in the Division 1 race, he came back and beat both Carpenter and his teammate Wofsy the next week at the MIAA State meet, running 49.61. His performances lifted Brockton to runner-up finishes at the divisional and state meets. The 6-foot-1-inch Simpson will be a two-way star for New Hampshire next season, playing tailback for the football team and running track. | |
Marcus Vaughn, North Attleboro
110 HURDLES |
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Vaughn was the Globe's Runner of the Year in the indoor season. It was more what Gras did, rather than what Vaughn didn't do. Vaughn was again North Attleboro's main cog, helping his team in its strong performances in the Division 2 meet, where it finished second and the MIAA State meet, where North Attleboro finished eighth. At the divisional meet, he won both the 110 hurdles (14.49 seconds) and the long jump (20-feet 10-inches). At the MIAA state meet in Holyoke, he again took home gold in the 110 hurdles (14.44), which gave him momentum for his third place finish in the New Englands (14.18). Vaughn will go from red (Rocketeer) to orange in the fall - he'll be running for Syracuse. | |
Terry Young, Mansfield
300 HURDLES |
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Young was excellent for Mansfield this season in both the 300 hurdles and the triple jump. He won the 300 hurdles at the New Englands, State Coaches Invitational, Division 3 (39.26 seconds) and the MIAA state meet where he ran 39.04 seconds. In the triple jump, he was the top dog at the Division 3 meet, where he bested the field with a top jump of 43-10. He was also the South Section Decathlon champion. But Young's success this season in the 300 hurdles was just a mirror image of what he did in his junior year where he was tops in Division 3, the state and New Englands. The 6-foot 1-inch Young also ran indoor track for Mansfield and will run for UMass-Lowell next year. | |
The Relays
Lawrence
400 RELAY |
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This quartet was the best the state had to offer in the event that demands the mastery of controlled chaos. Not only are the four teammates, they have become friends, helping to acclimate Cuesta to the country and running together during the indoor season. This spring, they were the undisputed best 400 relay team, winning at the Division 1 meet with a time of 43.98 seconds and the MIAA State meet, where they clocked at 42.83 seconds. In the New England championships, their time of 43.38 was good for fourth. Cuesta, an All-Scholastic in the 200, set the table for Gonzalez and Diaz who got the baton to the state's best 100-meter man, Rafael. Gonzalez and Diaz are both graduating, but Rafael and Cuesta should prove to be formidable next year along with whoever replaces the seniors. | |
Newton North
1,600 RELAY |
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To win a state championship, you need not only individual talent, but strong relay teams. Newton North had both. Their 1,600 relay team of freshman Avery Mitchell, senior Jon Wofsy and juniors David Slifar, and Jed Carpenter, was the top team at both the Division 1 meet, where they ran (3:23.63), and the MIAA State meet (3:22.71). Carpenter got Newton North points in both the triple jump and the 400 meters in the divisional and state meets. Wofsy, Carpenter, and Slifar all ran for the Tigers in the indoor season when they were also tops in the state. Mitchell also excels in the classroom, where he's made himself into an honor roll student. Wofsy has hit the books as hard as the track. He'll attend Harvard in the fall. | |
Newton North
3,200 RELAY |
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Though they sound like a pretty good law firm, Barnicle, Davis, Polgar, and Morse were a great relay team. Comprised of strong middle distance runners (Polgar, Davis) and dominant long distance runners (Barnicle, Morse), the four came back after a disappointing second-place finish (8:02.55) to Brockton in the Division 1, taking the MIAA state championship (7:53.90) on Barnicle's strategic kick in the last 200. Davis, Polgar, and Barnicle were members of the Tigers indoor championship team and Morse who has a penchant for filming making, competed on the Newton North Alpine ski team. All will be back except Davis, who will attend UMass-Amherst in the fall. | |
