Saturday morning, the boys track and field team filed into a bus at Gary Kehler Stadium for a trip to Franklin High School to compete in the Group 4 Championship. What is usually a two-day meet—Friday and Saturday—had been condensed to a one-day marathon. This change was due to the unhealthy air quality levels in and around New Jersey caused by Canadian brush fires. The fires did not stop Westfield from putting up impressive performances across the board, but it was not enough to capture the win. The Blue Devils’ 56 points would not be enough to tackle Pennsauken’s 66.
Westfield’s day was highlighted by its dominant showing in the 1600 meters, which was won by sophomore Ryan Daly and his time of 4 minutes 16 seconds.
“It was a great performance,” said head coach Chris Tafelski. “And it was a great team performance.”
Tafelski was referring to those who followed Daly: senior Daniel Cortese (4:17.52) and junior Tage Mehta (4:17.76), who placed second and fourth, respectively. Mehta has missed most of the spring season with an abdominal sprain, but in his fourth race back, he ran a 1.46-second personal best in the 1600.
Westfield’s 4×800 squad gave the Blue Devils a much-needed second-place finish, with all runners breaking the two-minute barrier in the race. Most notably, Alex Valencia ran a 1:56.59, a 1.41-second personal best in the event. Valencia was followed by Eamon Mason (1:58.6), Jimmy Gildea (1:57.6) and Liam Maurillo (1:59). Their collective time of 7:51 is good enough for sixth all-time at Westfield. “Valencia ran a much-needed strong first leg,” said Tafelski. “And it was Eamon Mason’s first time breaking two minutes in the 800, so good performances across the board.”
The Blue Devils had three point scorers in the throwing events. Seniors Finn Mindak and Joe McGovern threw 159 feet 8 inches and 153 feet 8 inches, respectively, in the discus. These marks gave Mindak the third-place finish and McGovern the fourth. Senior Mason Marino captured second in the javelin with his throw of 165 feet 8 inches. Westfield scored 18 points in the throwing events, a nearly unheard-of feat but a testament to the depth on which Westfield prides itself.
Avery Keith set the WHS junior record in the 3200 with his time of 9:08, placing fourth in the race. The team will now shift its focus to the Meet of Champions on June 14, with a number of the athletes awaiting the release of the wild card spots. When asked, Cortese said simply, “Oh, we’re excited.”
