AGAWAM — Longmeadow scored points in every way it could on Sunday afternoon, which led to a Western Massachusetts Division I track and field championship title decided by over 50 points.
“We’re not the winners in every event, but we have depth,” Lancers coach John Pantusco said. “I think we’re strong in just about every event that we enter.”
The meet started with a Longmeadow victory when Evan Lyons was the first to cross the finish line in the two-mile run. It was a tight contest with Lyons, Northampton’s Theodore King-Pollet and West Springfield’s Reno Caronna all finishing within five seconds of each other, and closing out the race in less than 10 minutes.
“It’s good to see your competition go out and compete well, and you hope to run with them,” Caronna said.
The Lancers also earned a first-place finish in the pole vault, as Nathan Adams willed his way over the 11-foot-6-inch bar to score 10 points for his team.
Noah Delgado qualifies for nationals in javelin
Westfield’s Noah Delgado unleashed a javelin throw that stayed in the air for 166 feet and seven inches, and also earned him a national qualification. With the Bombers not having a home track, Delgado credits independent efforts for Saturday’s performance.
“You got to do it on your own,” Delgado said. “You have to train mentally to know that you can do it.”
He understands his Western Mass. Championship performance is a stepping stone to something potentially larger with nationals.
“You got to know your place and know what you can do in yourself, so you just got to prove it,” Delgado said.
Antonio Adams wins high jump
After finishing second in Western Mass. in the high jump only as a sophomore in 2022, Westfield’s Antonio Adams aimed to soar to the top this year.
“You can’t let (your opponents) just jump higher than you and just talk down on yourself,” Adams said. “You got to have self-confidence, and you got to tell yourself, ‘you’re getting over this bar,’ and that’s what I did. I went into this meet locked in.”
The elite performances of Delgado and Adams guided Westfield to a seventh-place finish.
Donald Kuloba shines in sprints
West Springfield’s Donald Kuloba opened his day up by winning the 200-meter sprint with a time of 22.79 seconds. He followed that up with a runner-up finish in the 100-meter sprint. Despite the elite individual performances, much of the excitement he provided was in the final event of the day.
Kuloba was the last leg of the 4×400 relay, and the Terriers were trailing when he was handed the baton. On the final straightaway, he entered about 10 feet behind the runner in first, but ended up bolting by him to win the race in 3:30.96.
The 4×400 victory along with Kuloba’s top-two finishes in the 100 and 200-meter sprints helped lift West Springfield to second place overall in the event.
First-Place Finishers
100-Meter Sprint: Noah Brathwaite, Minnechaug – 11.01
110-Meter Hurdles: Nolan Moore, East Longmeadow – 15.83
200-Meter Sprint: Donald Kuloba, West Springfield – 22.79
400-Meter Run: Ibrahim Ayouba, Central – 51.01
800-Meter Run: David Pinero-Jacome, Amherst – 2:02.59
One-Mile Run: Charlie Klatka, East Longmeadow – 4:28.87
Two-Mile Run: Evan Lyons, Longmeadow – 9:53.89
Pole Vault: Nathan Adams, Longmeadow – 11-06
Triple Jump: Jacob Lozado, Chicopee – 41-10.75
Long Jump: Kymari Latney, Central – 22-01.75
High Jump: Antonio Adams, Westfield – 6-04
Shot Put: Logan Alfandari, Amherst – 49-06.5
Discus Throw: Logan Alfandari, Amherst – 157-04
Javelin Throw: Hunter Corthell, Minnechaug – 178-09
4×100 Relay: Minnechaug – 45.16
4×400 Relay: West Springfield – 3:30.96
4×800 Relay: Northampton – 8:34.28
Team Results
- Longmeadow – 117.75
- West Springfield – 72.5
- Minnechaug – 68.75
- East Longmeadow – 64
- Amherst – 62
- Central – 60
- Westfield – 54
- Northampton – 47
- Ludlow – 45
- Chicopee – 38.25
- Chicopee Comp – 28.75
- Sci-Tech – 18
- Putnam – 12
- Agawam – 8
- Holyoke – 5