Published December 6, 2018
NORTH READING — The North Reading High School girls’ indoor track and field team has hit an all-time high in enrollment with 48 participants signed up to take part in the sport for the incoming winter season.
The Hornets are coming off a successful 2017-2018 season in which they were 3-1 in the regular season, won the Cape Ann League Open Championship, the Division IV State Championship Relay and the Division IV State Championship finishing in a tie with the Pentucket Sachems. Despite graduating several seniors and the overall drop in athletes signed up for sports in the winter season, head coach Sotirios Pintzopoulos is optimistic for another successful season in 2018-2019.
Assistant coaches Ryan Spinney (Distance), Joe Davis (High Jump) Kirsten MacLellan (Hurdles), and Andrew Falanga (Shot Put) as well as volunteer coaches Tom Ledoux and Katie Equi join Pintzopoulos, who will work with the sprints, relays and long jump. The team is made up of both junior varsity and varsity athletes that will train together and compete at a variety of meets including junior varsity level, varsity level, state invitational, and state level championships at facilities ranging from the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury, St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Phillips Andover, Andover High School, and Ipswich High School. They will sprint, run, jump, hurdle and throw as they seek to better themselves as athletes and individuals.
THE GIRLS’ indoor track and field team will look to build off last year’s state championship. The 2018-19 Hornets start their campaign this weekend at the Reggie Lewis Center. (John Friberg File Photo)
The coaching staff is confident that the team has tremendous potential but will certainly need to put in a lot of work if they desire to repeat as state champions in what is a highly competitive division at the state level having recently moved up a division due to the increase school population.
Captains Abigail Griffin, Megan Lawlor, and Kaitlyn Shevlin will lead this year’s team. Returning senior athletes include Erica Burgholzer, Grace Hadley, Ryan Hunter, Samantha Martel, Abigail Martin, Meredith Martin and Kerry O’Brien.
The junior class has many veterans and some new members including Elena Cogan, Ava Jolie Femia, Samantha Galvin, Makenna Lamont, Lindsay MacLellan, Lauren Meaney, Talia Monteleone, Isabella Parrett, Meagan Phillips, Caitlin Raimo, and Isabella Raso.
The sophomore class highlights the depth in numbers with nineteen athletes led by returning varsity athletes Katelyn Gorgenyi and Julia Thorstad. Mary Kate Lundy and Kerri-Ann Sexton are already showing improvement in the sport as they seek to move up into the varsity ranks, while the remaining 15 sophomores are also showing promise and looking to make their mark on the team.
The freshman class is small at eight individuals but has already shown great improvement in just the first week of practice. Look for many of them to be a part of the varsity squad.
The junior varsity level opens up its competitive season on Friday, Dec. 7 at Ipswich High School starting at 3:30 p.m. The varsity athletes will start their season the next day on Saturday, Dec. 8 starting at 12 p.m. at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury as they compete against Pentucket Regional High School and Triton Regional High School. Come cheer on the Hornets at their season opener.
