Westfield’s Aly Morin runs to one of two first-place finishes she enjoyed in the mile and 2-mile events. (Photo by Chris Putz)
WESTFIELD – The Westfield High School indoor track distance runners have come a long way in a short amount of time.
Westfield seniors Blake Croteau and Tim Dostie finished 1-2 in the mile and 2-mile runs, respectively, and Bombers’ junior Ally Morin won both events for the girls in the Pioneer Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference championship meet Monday night at Smith College in Northampton to ensure the program’s dominance in the long distance competition.
All three individuals have been seen routinely dominating the track/cross country scene in the region.
Morin trimmed more than two seconds off her season-best time in the mile to begin her two-event run, finishing in 5:17.45. In the two-miler, she finished first with a time of 11:13.40.
“I feel proud to be able to contribute to my team,” said Morin, whose team finished fourth with 38 points. East Longmeadow (71.50 points), Northampton (62), and Amherst (52) were the top three girls’ teams.
“I put in a lot of hard work – I’m glad it paid off,” Morin added. “I broke out the spikes to see what would happen.”
Morin said it was the first time all season that she ran with spikes on her sneakers. It may have been a bit of a gamble, but she went on to spike the competition.
Jessie Pratt (300 meters/2nd place/43.33) and Bridget Hartnett (600 meters/3rd/1:43.63) managed to crack the top three for Westfield.
Westfield’s Blake Croteau rounds the track during Monday’s PVIAC championship meet at Smith College in Northampton. Croteau won the mile and 2-mile event. (Photo by Chris Putz)
BOYS’ RESULTS
“We use this to build up for our other races,” said Croteau, after he and Dostie placed first (9:41.70) and second (10:04.24) in the 2-mile.
If Monday’s race is any indication, the rest of the state has to be on the lookout for these two runners in their rearview mirror as the state competition nears. They likely won’t be behind for long.
Not only did Westfield’s top two athletes dominate the competition, but the Bombers, as a team, nearly pulled off the improbable with a second-place finish overall (61 points). Amherst won the meet with a 68. Central and Chicopee Comp tied for third (48).
“It worked out in our favor quite well,” Dostie said.
Other notable top Westfield finishers included Charles Newman (55 meters/3rd/6.78) and the Bombers’ 4×200 relay team (first, 1:36.28).
