Cambridge Rindge & Latin’s Kylee Bernard finishes with flourish, wins girls’ 400-meter race at Meet of Champions

Kylee Bernard of Cambridge Rindge & Latin took an early lead and never looked back en route to winning the girls' 400-meter dash in Fitchburg.Vincent Alban For The Boston Globe

FITCHBURG — With her decorated Bay State career winding down to one final race, Cambridge Rindge & Latin senior Kylee Bernard was determined not to let her disappointing fifth-place finish in Thursday’s 200-meter dash be her closing act.

On Saturday, Bernard made no mistake.

After bursting out to an early lead, Bernard cruised to a dominant 400-meter victory (55.38 seconds) on Day 2 of the MIAA Meet of Champions at Fitchburg State, finishing more than a second ahead of Norton senior Ali Murphy (56.42).

“She understood on Thursday, she made a tactical error by not running well in the trial, which gave her a difficult situation to overcome [in the 200-meter final],” Cambridge coach Jamalh Prince said. “But that’s who she is. Immediately after, we had a conversation about putting that behind you, taking the good stuff, and moving forward.”

Saturday’s performance was Bernard’s season-best 400-meter time, topping her winning effort at last week’s Division 1 Championship (55.70) as she builds towards a track career at Boston College.

“I just had to keep repeating and telling myself, ‘You got this, you got this,’” Bernard said of her thought process between races. “It was a big thing for me today, to embrace that … it tells you that one race doesn’t define you.”

Tewksbury's Jayani Santos was helped to her feet by Breanna Braham of Dennis-Yarmouth after the girls' 400-meter dash.Vincent Alban For The Boston Globe

Bishop Stang senior Jacob Cookinham capped his state career with a dominant shot put win (65 feet, 8 inches), finishing nearly 7 feet ahead of runner-up Theo Puterbaugh of Parker Charter (58-7¾). The victory marked Cookinham’s fourth straight state title between indoor and outdoor, and 43rd consecutive win at MIAA-based meets — a streak that dates to his freshman year in 2020.

“I had such a great time competing here in Massachusetts,” said Cookinham, who will throw at Kansas next year. “It’s sad to go, but I know I’m ready for bigger and better things.”

Cookinham is yet to win an end-of-season national competition, finishing sixth at Nike Outdoor Nationals in 2021 (60-10¾) and 2022 (62-2¾), and third at New Balance Indoor Nationals (63-6¼) this past March despite entering as the favorite. Following next week’s New England Championships in Orono, Maine, he will have one more crack at a national crown at Nike Nationals in Eugene, Ore., the following week.

The girls’ mile started at a feverish pace, but Newton South senior Amelia Everett held steady before taking command in the final 300 meters for her third consecutive outdoor mile state title (4:54.02). Wellesley junior Charlotte Tuxbury set the pace and ran a nearly two-second personal best (4:55.89), fueling Everett down the home stretch.

Newton South's Amelia Everett stood head and shoulders above the competition after winning the girls' mile run.Vincent Alban For The Boston Globe

“It was a pretty loaded field with a lot of really great runners, so they pushed me pretty hard,” Everett said. “My fitness has kept improving in the last couple of weeks, so I’m feeling really good right now.”

At last year’s outdoor Meet of Champions, Hopkinton’s Sean Golembiewski finished third in the 110-meter hurdles and did not compete in the 400-meter hurdles.

One year later, the senior won both events, building on his 400-meter hurdles victory Thursday (53.82) with a 110-meter hurdles win Saturday (14.49).

“I knew this year, the field would kind of open up a little bit,” Golembiewski said referring to Winchester’s Easton Tan and Lawrence’s Jordany Volquez, who each graduated last year and topped him in the event. “I just knew I had to keep working and improve at both events. It paid off. It’s a perfect ending.”

Weymouth's Casey Dempsey stretched to the limit in the girls' long jump on the second day of the Meet of Champions.Vincent Alban For The Boston Globe

After breaking a 48-year meet record in a thrilling boys’ 2-mile victory Thursday (8:59.29), St. John’s Prep senior Nathan Lopez returned Saturday with even more firepower — becoming the meet’s lone triple winner behind victories in the mile (4:12.99) and 4x800 relay (7:52.13), where he anchored the final leg.

Though he was fighting fatigue after the two individual victories, Lopez felt it was important to cap his state career by competing for the Eagles’ top-seeded relay squad alongside his younger teammates.

“We got some younger guys who still have a couple of years left, and I really want to inspire them to take those talents to the next level and really just prosper as they go through to their next few years,” Lopez said. “So I just put my best foot out there, and wanted to [help] get another big win.”

Competitors were off and running in the boys' mile run at Fitchburg State University.Vincent Alban For The Boston Globe

Results

BOYS

MIAA Meet of Champions

at Fitchburg State University

100m — 1. Darwin Jimenez, Methuen, 0:10.66; 2. Christopher Brooks, Wellesley, 0:10.69; 3. Everton Muir, Newton North, 0:10.73.

110m hurdles — 1. Sean Golembiewski, Hopkinton, 0:14.49; 2. Will Tinkham, Stoughton, 0:14.77; 3. Ean Hynes, Newburyport, 0:14.92.

200m — 1. Christopher Brooks, Wellesley, 0:21.42; 2. Alex Landry, Acton-Boxborough, 0:21.45; 3. Dan Killian, Winchester, 0:22.06.

400m — 1. Johnny Emmanual, Malden, 0:49.32; 2. Neil Chowdhury, Andover, 0:49.44; 3. Quincy Scott, Newton North, 0:49.46.

400m hurdles — 1. Sean Golembiewski, Hopkinton, 0:52.82; 2. Noah Stegmeier, Acton-Boxborough, 0:54.94; 3. McKenna O’Hara Gibson, Lexington, 0:56.37.

800m — 1. Ryan Connolly, North Andover, 1:54.11; 2. Dennis Satchek, Boston Latin, 1:55.19; 3. Colin Kirn, Andover, 1:55.42.

Mile — 1. Nathan Lopez, St. John’s Prep, 4:12.99; 2. Brendan Wilder, Waltham, 4:13.44; 3. Sam Burgess, Framingham, 4:17.12.

2-mile — 1. Nathan Lopez, St. John’s Prep, 8:59.29; 2. Sam Burgess, Framingham, 9:03.45; 3. Aidan Ross, Uxbridge, 9:03.82.

4 x 100 — 1. Lexington, 0:42.8; 2. Winchester, 0:43.05; 3. St. John’s Prep, 0:43.16.

4 x 400 — 1. Newton North, 3:20.88; 2. Lexington, 3:22.09; 3. Needham, 3:24.11.

4 x 800 — 1. St. John’s Prep, 7:52.13; 2. Natick, 7:53.18; 3. Boston Latin, 7:55.66.

High jump — 1. Jon Mignacca, Bishop Feehan, 6 feet 6 inches; 2. Camren Allain, Carver, 6-4; 3. Ryan Cuvier, Tewksbury, 6-2.

Long jump — 1. Amari Mow, Lexington, 21 feet 10.5 inches; 2. Kuzey Kaya, Winchester, 21-8.5; 3. Antonio Wiafe, St. John’s (Shrewsbury), 21-7.5.

Pole vault — 1. Ryan Swenson, Andover, 14 feet 0 inches; 2. Alan Nguyen, Westborough, 13-6; 3. Sawyer O’Riorden, Nashoba, 13-6.

Triple jump — 1. Zyeem Charles, Attleboro, 45 feet 5.75 inches; 2. Parker Burns, Triton, 44-1; 3. Jalen Wise, Newburyport, 43-7.

Shot put — 1. Jacob Cookinham, Bishop Stang, 65 feet 8 inches; 2. Theo Puterbaugh, Parker Charter, 58-7.75; 3. Alex Jackson, Peabody, 56-8.

Discus — 1. Kaden Cassidy, Lexington, 161 feet 10 inches; 2. Theo Puterbaugh, Parker Charter, 159-11; 3. Mark Etienvre, North Attleborough, 153-8.

Javelin — 1. Edward Webb, Wellesley, 181 feet 0 inches; 2. Gauthier Bodet, Weston, 179-8; 3. Keenan Gosselin, North Andover, 170-6.

Pentathlon — 1. Brandon Riley, Weymouth, 3,402 points; 2. Aithan Benanson, St. John’s Prep, 3,313; 3. Antonio Wiafe, St. John’s (Shrewsbury), 3,231.

GIRLS

MIAA Meet of Champions

at Fitchburg State University

100m — 1. Sarah Claflin, Pembroke, 0:12.01; 2. Abby Desmarais, Framingham, 0:12.23; 3. Savanna Vargas, Peabody, 0:12.41.

100m hurdles — 1. Sarah Dumas, Franklin, 0:14.37; 2. Kiran George, Newton North, 0:14.53; 3. Cam Travis, Plymouth South, 0:15.11.

200m — 1. Jayani Santos, Tewksbury, 0:24.62; 2. Abigail Scott, Mansfield, 0:24.85; 3. Breanna Braham, Dennis-Yarmouth, 0:24.87.

400m — 1. Kylee Bernard, Cambridge, 0:55.38; 2. Ali Murphy, Norton, 0:56.42; 3. Giuliana Ligor, North Reading, 0:57.03.

400m hurdles — 1. Giuliana Ligor, North Reading, 1:02.69; 2. Nicole Gangi, Woburn, 1:03.38; 3. Avery Glidden, Whitinsville Christian, 1:03.62.

800m — 1. Amelia Everett, Newton South, 2:11.62; 2. Charlotte Tuxbury, Wellesley, 2:15.45; 3. Sasha Lamakina, Framingham, 2:16.34.

Mile — 1. Amelia Everett, Newton South, 4:54.02; 2. Charlotte Tuxbury, Wellesley, 4:55.89; 3. Dana Lehr, Belmont, 4:56.81.

2-mile — 1. Anna McElhinney, Billerica, 11:05.55; 2. Ava Criniti, Lexington, 11:10.05; 3. Aoife Shovlin, Cambridge, 11:16.3.

4 x 100 — 1. Pembroke, 0:48.98; 2. Newton North, 0:49.36; 3. Reading, 0:49.88.

4 x 400 — 1. Needham, 4:01.21; 2. Woburn, 4:02.54; 3. Bishop Feehan, 4:02.78.

4 x 800 — 1. Wellesley, 9:17.59; 2. Brookline, 9:25.12; 3. Lexington, 9:32.49.

High jump — 1. Lindsey Wilson, Peabody, 5 feet 6 inches; 2. Katie Caraco, Reading, 5-4; 3. Macy Daigle, Central Catholic, 5-4; 3. Diamani Canuto, Leominster, 5-4.

Long jump — 1. Grace Hanafin, Burlington, 18 feet 11.25 inches; 2. Annie Comella, Wellesley, 18-8.75; 3. Shakira Cadet, Durfee, 17-11.25.

Triple jump — 1. Nethica Auguste, Bridgewater-Raynham, 38 feet 3.25 inches; 2. Lily MacDonald, Norwell, 38-1.5; 3. Anya Neira, Central Catholic, 37-8.25.

Shot put — 1. Skye Petrie-Cameron, Newton North, 42 feet 2 inches; 2. Veronica Jones, Lowell, 41-9.25; 3. Catherine Sargent, Dedham, 40-9.

Discus — 1. Catherine Sargent, Dedham, 128 feet 3 inches; 2. Lauren Morales, Seekonk, 119-7; 3. Abigail Lilley, North Reading, 115-4.

Javelin — 1. Elizabeth Hopkins, Franklin, 131 feet 2 inches; 2. Alessandra Forgione, Peabody, 130-6; 3. Savannah Gao, Hudson, 125-9.

Pentathlon — 1. Sarah Dumas, Franklin, 3,341 points; 2. Emma Sanford, South Hadley, 3,141; 3. Nyrah Joseph, Billerica, 3,113.