Melrose picks up season-opening win over Wilmington

Published in the April 13, 2018 edition

By JENNIFER GENTILE 

MELROSE—The Melrose High girls’ track team has started their spring off on the right foot when they picked up their first victory over Wilmington, 80-61, during their season opener on the road on Monday. This Friday, Melrose will host their first home meet of the season when they take on Stoneham at Pine Banks at 3:4 p.m.

For Melrose head coach Shannon Kane, being 1-0 is the perfect place to be. “We have some very good, new talent coming in and tons of returning talent, so it’s a nice balance,” says the coach. 

THE MHS girls’ track team started their season off with a win on Monday over Wilmington. (file photo)

Many of her athletes just competed on the MHS indoor track team (who enjoyed one of their best seasons in years) which means the forecast looks for for this competitive squad, who will be led by captains Sarah Herron, Kara Fahey, Tara O’Shea and Holly Moore. 

On Monday, Melrose enjoyed a balanced effort from the team and saw several standout performances. Those included Mia Catalini and Kaiya Thompson in the hurdles, Nora Daly, Lucia Seide in the 100 and Kaleya Thompson and Nicole Nzui in the 200. 

In the 400, Melrose enjoyed top finishes by Sarah Herron and Jenna Champagne, while Kate Bidgood shined in the 800. Melrose showed strength in distance running with Alex Cotugno topping in the mile and Katie Duffy impressing in the 2 mile. Nia Kovacev took the triple jump, Grace Donahue placed first in the 400 hurdles and Chelsea Otaluka shined for Melrose in the field events with a top spot in the discus. 

With a massive 80-plus girls on the roster, coach Kane is afforded a large pool of talent to work with. This season, with lots of hands on deck, Melrose has their eye on the prize: a league championship. Don’t rule the possibility out. When Melrose competes for the Middlesex League meet next month, expect to see some of their top athletes take home medals. In the the meantime, there is plenty of meets to compete in, including Stoneham, whom Melrose hosts at home this Friday. The Spartans could be a tricky foe, as their indoor team narrowly edged Melrose for a league title over the winter. 

“I’m optimistic that we started off with a solid win even though we were down a few runners,” says the coach. “We had girls step in and helped us finish strong. It was a good sign.” 

Check out the Lady Raiders this Friday afternoon at 3:45 p.m. at Pine Banks.