WEST SPRINGFIELD — Track athletes from Amherst, Northampton, Frontier, Holyoke, Hampshire and South Hadley made an impression at the 2023 Dr. George Steele Relays on Saturday. 

The Blue Devil girls had a big day, taking first in the 4x1600 (23:25.6) and 4x800 relays (10:30.12), earning fourth in the 4x100 meter hurdle relay (1:17.15), fifth in the 4x100 relay (55.46), third in the 4x400 relay (4:32.09), and second in the distance medley (14:09.82). 

Individually Evelyn Smith placed fifth in the discus (24.52 meters), Allie Sullivan won the high jump (five feet), Yelena Caldanaro tied for fourth in the high jump (4-7), Camilla Brewer took second in the triple jump (9.74) and Ella Hoogendyk earned fourth in the triple jump (9.18). 

“We started things off with a win in the mile,” Northampton’s Norah Reade said. “The 4x800 was great, too, with another win. The weather was crazy. It made things harder. It’s fun to be in the relays because we have a really supportive team. It takes the pressure off.” 

The Amherst girls placed second in the 1600 spring medley (4:29.88) and third in the distance medley (14:19.43). Individually Courtnegail Rose came in fifth in the shot put (8.95) while Bevin Montgomery-Gehrt, Marisol Bonifaz and Ruby Austin tied for eighth in the high jump (4-4). 

The Frontier girls 4x100 hurdles team earned a first place finish, completing the race in one minute, 12.14 seconds. 

After a pair of injuries during warmups, the Redhawks had to adjust the lineup going into the race but still managed to earn the win. 

“It was really good,” Frontier’s Hannah Davis, who competed on the 4x100 hurdle team, said. “We had two girls who got injured right before so we were running with two alternates. It was a big accomplishment for us.”

The Steele Relays differ from a normal dual meet, with all the running events serving as relays while each field event is scored based on how the team did, not how each individual performed.

This type of meet is something that many enjoy, with athletes wanting to perform for their teams. 

“It was a lot of added pressure,” Davis said. “You don’t want to let your team down so you want to perform well. It was really cold and rainy so it was hard to stay warm.” 

The Frontier girls placed sixth in the 4x1600 relay (25:33.50), 10th in the 4x100 relay (56.23), sixth in the 1600 sprint medley (4:41.90), fifth in the 4x800 relay (11:29.97) and 10th in the 4x200 relay (2:02.21). 

Individually for the Redhawks, Caroline Crocker came in fifth in the long jump (4.61) and Ayla Starr won the pole vault (9-6). 

Frontier, currently unbeaten in dual meets, is hoping to keep the momentum gained on Saturday going into the remainder of the season. 

“We all ran down the field and did our dynamic stretches and hoped for the best,” Anna Petrin, who was part of the 4x100 hurdle relay team, said. “Our season has been really good so far. There are a lot of seniors on the team so we’re hoping our younger kids can step up and be leaders going forward.”  

The Hampshire Regional girls took third in the 4x1600 relay (24:12.30) and third in the 4x800 relay (11:20.12) and fifth in the 4x400 relay (4:38.19).

South Hadley won the 4x200 relay (1:51.86) while Emma Sanford came in fourth in the shot put (9.48). 

Holyoke took third in the 4x100 relay (54.25) and fourth in the 4x200 relay (1:55.92). 

On the boys’ side, Northampton came in first in the 4x1600 relay (19:15.44) and the distance medley (11:28.1), third in the 1600 medley (3:52) and  third in the 4x200 relay (1:36.96). 

Blue Devil Silas Coles tied for fourth in the high jump (5-8). 

“Today was great,” Northampton’s Alex Sirois said. “The boys worked really hard. We won the distance medley and the 4-by-mile. I had a PR in the mile so it was a great performance by everyone.”

With it being a cold and rainy day, the Blue Devils didn’t know what to expect, but they fought through it to show well. 

“We were looking at the weather forecast and feeling down,” Northampton’s Ari Daube-Valois said. “It all turned out well. I PR’d in the 800 and we had a bunch of wins. It was a great day.” 

With this meet including schools from all over western Massachusetts, it was a good way to prepare for the postseason meets that aren’t too far away. 

“We had a good day,” Amherst’s David Pinero-Jacome said. “We’re getting ready for the postseason and getting ready for the regular season.” 

Amherst took second in the 4x1600 relay (19:19.67), first in the 1600 medley (3:45.65), third in the 4x800 relay (8:50.71), second in the 4x400 relay (3:39.22)

Amherst’s Logan Alfandari won the discus (44.55) and shot put (15.10), Moniha Krouch took fifth in the discus (33.62). 

“Things went well,” Amherst’s Inigo De Los Reyes said. “We got gold in the sprint medley relay and were close to the national qualifying time. That’s exciting and hopefully we can get that before the end of the season.”

Frontier’s Erich Brown walked away with a fourth place finish in the high jump (5-8). 

For team finishes, the Redhawks took fifth in the 4x100 relay (46.6), fifth in the 4x800 relay (8:57.67), fifth in the 4x200 relay (1:38.62) and second in the distance medley (11:40.85). 

“It was a very good day,” Brown said. “It was a good all-around day. Everything you do is in a group. Overall we got medals in a lot of events and had a bunch of new kids who had great times in the relays. This has been a great season for us.” 

Aiden Dredge came in third in the javelin (41.3 meters), Alex Schreiber came in ninth in the discus (29.42) and Julian Adams placed 10th in the discus (28.92) to round out the top 10 finishers for the Redhawks. 

]]>