FITCHBURG - Newton North dominated the sprinting and jumping events to earn 52 points and win its third consecutive Girls’ All-State Outdoor Track and Field Championship Tuesday night.
“It’s always special when you keep winning these, different teams, different performances,’’ said Newton North coach Joe Tranchita. “This is a real thrill.’’
The Tigers were paced by junior Carla Forbes, who won the triple jump (40 feet) and long jump (19 feet, 1 inch), and also ran the third leg of the second-place 4 x 100 relay team (49.78 seconds). Forbes accounted for 28 of the Tigers’ points.
“I felt OK about [my triple jump],’’ Forbes said. “It wasn’t my best performance, I think I was lacking a little bit in my aggression.
“There were definitely things I could have improved.’’
Newton North also claimed second-place finishes in the 4 x 800 relay (9:24.23) and the 100 hurdles, and took second and third in the pole vault.
“We got two firsts and four seconds, it doesn’t get much better than that,’’ Tranchita said. “It’s really hard to make the comparisons . . . [the championships are] all different in their own sense because the competition is different each year.
“Our whole focus is to come in and compete. We don’t think about the points, we don’t think about the score. We just compete one event at a time and get the most out of each event that we can.’’
Wachusett finished second with 36 points while Brockton (28), Winchester (24), and Mansfield (22) rounded out the top five.
In the 100 hurdles, the Tigers’ Kayla Wong placed second to winner Vanessa Clerveaux of Brockton.
Clerveaux (14.36) was the top seed in the event and was expected to claim an easy victory. But with Wong closing in, Clerveaux hit a hurdle, which slowed her down heading to the finish.
“I completely just smacked it,’’ Clerveaux said. “I ran my hardest and I hit a hurdle, I guess that happens when you run an event with things in your way.
“But I’m happy that I won, I’m happy that my regular times are in the high 14s.’’
Clerveaux also ran the opening leg of the winning 4 x 100 relay, helping her team to a win in 48.94 seconds, just over a second off the meet record.
Wachusett joined Brockton and Newton North as the only teams to win multiple events, taking first in the 4 x 400, the high jump (Amy Collins, 5-08), and the 800 (Laura Williamson, 2:12.66).
Also securing a solid victory was Arlington’s Rebecca Robinson, who won the 200 (24.76), securing her first All-State championship in the event. This is the first season the Syracuse-bound senior has run the 200, shifting from the 400, where she won the All-State championship last year.
“I think the 200 is so much easier, it’s a lot less painful at the end. I really enjoy running it and I’ve had the chance to perfect my start,’’ Robinson said. “It’s been a good season, I’ve enjoyed myself.’’