Westfield senior Juan Maysonet and junior Nick Jacques won gold medals Saturday, helping elevate the team to third in the Western Massachusetts’ track and field championships at Westfield State University.
Maysonet leapt to first in the 110 hurdles (14.80) and Jacques sprinted to first in the 400-meter dash (52.06). Both track stars partnered up with two other Westfield sprinters to garner a third-place finish in the 4×100 relay race (43.97).
Bombers’ Charlie Newman tied for second in the 100 meters (11.42).
Maysonet, who was dealing with lower back pain prior to the 110 hurdles event, stormed back from a slow start to eclipse Central’s Perry Nowell just before the finish line.
It was no surprise that the Westfield senior made a strong move at the end – he’s been rushing quarterbacks at the defensive end position for the football team as well.
Maysonet was the lone Westfield athlete to finish first at the Pioneer Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference Championships with a 14.94. He will attempt to pull off the feat for a third straight week.
“I would be happy to finish in the top four (at states),” Maysonet said. “It’s going to take hard work and dedication.”
Jacques said the atmosphere breeds more success.
“Running against faster people definitely makes you run faster yourself,” he said. Jacques, who also competed on the indoor track and cross-country team, ran the first leg of the 4×400.
“I think I did really well,” he said.
Newman attributed his success to “a lot of adrenaline …mostly adrenaline. It was tough, real hot. I had to drink a lot of water.”
Tim Dostie (mile, 8th), Blake Croteau (2 mile, 6th), Quinn Barbeito (long jump, 5th) also medaled for Westfield.
Amherst won the championship with 81.5 points, followed by runners-up Central (53), and Westfield (44), who improved upon their 11th-place finish of a week ago.
SCHMIDT MEDALS: Southwick-Tolland Regional senior Tim Schmidt earned a medal with an eighth-place throw in the discus (120-3). Schmidt had the team’s highest finish one week earlier with a second-place toss.
