Best of 2007

Here are the stories (in no particular order) that made my personal "top ten list" for Mass. H.S. Track and Field/Cross-Country in 2007.


Fantastic Five: Moriarty Over Amirault in All-State 1000m

Meaning no disrespect to Rob Gibson and Ryan Collins, the 1000m at the 2007 All-State meet was THE sexy event, featuring three-time state champion Mark Amirault vs. a stellar field. Amirault ran well, but Jeff Moriarty ran brilliantly, to win as four runners went under 2:29, and the fifth, Matt Stewart, ran 2:30.00. All five were state champions in their HS careers. It must have been the deepest HS 1000 in Mass. state history.

Yes, That Good: Bridget Dahlberg Wins Indoor and Outdoor Mile Titles

Newton South's Bridget Dahlberg beat Emily Jones Indoors and Keely Maguire outdoors to win two All-State mile championships against two footlocker finalists. Indoors, her 4:51 looked easy. After she ran a 10:52 2M at Weston in May, NS fans wondered what she might do in the fall if she ran cross-country instead of playing soccer.

2007 Indoor All-State - Girls 1M (2nd Half)

Lean Muscle: Paschal Nips Wornum in 300m

Milton's Eric Wornum ran the perfect race for 299 meters. In the last meter he lost the indoor state 300m title -- by 0.01 seconds -- to Meikle Paschal. Outdoors, Wornum would dominate the 200 and win the state title, while Paschal would win the 400m title.

2007 All-State Meet 300m Video


David Smith Dominates Indoor Shot Put

The 2006 Outdoor State Champion in the Shot Put, David Smith let everyone know how good he was going to be before the 2007 indoor season... and then he backed up his words by winning the All-State and New England Titles. And he high-jumped 5-7.


Dream Girls: Jones Over Barton in 2M at Weston Twilight Meet

The race featured four great runners -- Jess Barton, Bridget Dahlberg, Emily Jones, and Colleen Wetherbee -- each one a MULTIPLE all-state champion. The race did not disappoint. After a "slow" first mile of 5:26, Jones and Barton started running insane splits. Jones ran her second mile in 5:08, Barton in 5:10. Jones' PR of 10:34.78 was the fifth fastest 2M in the country to that point in the season; Jess finished close behind, running 10:37.11, a personal best by 20 seconds. Dahlberg finished third in 10:52, a fine time and her first time under 11 minutes.


FasterThanU: With four individual titles, Darius Walker Leads an Unstoppable Lexington Team

Darius Walker was THE MAN indoors and out in 2007. Indoors, he ran 6.38 to win the 55 dash, won the long jump, and ran a leg on the winning 4x400 team. Outdoors, he won the 100m and long jump, and again contributed to a scoring relay. On a team with other individual champions (Paschal, Longo), Walker was the stud.


Tiger Fans Bid Track Adieu

I know some will question my inclusion of this as a top ten story, but considering the history associated with the Newton North track, the demolition of the crumbling oval send shock waves well beyond the streets of Newtonville.


Brookline's XC Team Wins National Acclaim

We all knew they were going to be good, but taking 1-2-9-10 at the State Meet? Winning the NTN Northeast Regional Meet? Finishing 7th in the Country? In these and many other achievements, Mike Glennon's team laid claim as one of the best XC squads in Mass. state history.


Wicked Good: Lincoln Sudbury Girls Win State XC Title, NE Regional

They might have hit a speed bump at the Div I meet, but Lincoln Sudbury was the class of Mass. for most of the season, and proved it at the All-State meet, winning the title over Dual-county rival Newton South. They then went on to nearly match the Brookline Boys by winning the NTN Northeast Regional and finishing 8th at the national meet.


Upset of the Year: Newton South Girls Win EMass D1

The dual county league had more than one great xc team this year. Although somewhat over-shadowed by L-S, The Newton South girls stepped out into the sunshine at the EMass meet, as Kelsey Karys and Madeleine Reed went 1-2 to lead the Lions to the team title with an astounding team average of 19:08. The L-S and N-S Boys weren't bad either... Could one team win both state titles in 2008?

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Honorable Mention:

Lincoln-Sudbury girls 4 x 800 run 9:11.79 at NSIC

Framingham's Jordan Maddocks wins Indoor and Outdoor HJ Titles

NN Boys Win State Title in 4x100

Brockton Boys 4 x 800 runs 7:44.54 at NON.

Jones, Maguire Make Footlocker XC Finals