Sports

Girls Track Sprints Past Cushing

The Andover girls track team showed their sportsmanship last Wednesday against a five-athlete squad from Cushing. Andover showcased its depth, winning every point in the entire meet, running the score to a ridiculous 118-0. Cassie Tognoni ’05 had an impressive day at the high jump mat, where she managed to leap over the bar at an astounding height of 5’2”, her highest jump ever. Captain Lissy Robie ’04 competed in the 800m and the 4x400m relay, a new event for her. Her victory in the 800m with a time of 2:24.8 seconds tied her personal best, a good sign for her peak at Interschols. Ali Holliday ’06 ran a steady race to take second place at 2:30.7 with Becca Howe ’06 finishing shortly after. In the 1500m Abbe King ’07 ran an impressive race, crossing the line with a time of 5:30, a solid mark for the end of the season. Debbie Khun ’05 followed in a time of 5:51, and veteran distance runner Celia Alexander ’04, returning from injury, finished in under 6 minutes. Freshman star Colleen Thurman ’07 won the 100m dash in 13.4. Rosie DuPont ’06 and Alison Occhiuti ’06 followed in second and third, respectively, to clinch more points for Big Blue. In the 200m dash, Annie Wilkin ’05, Maura Mulroy ’07 and Occhiuti completed the sweep for Andover, with times all under 30 seconds. Old hands to the hurdles, Tognoni and Marty Schnure ’06 finished first and second, respectively, in both the 100m hurdles and the 300m hurdles. In the 100m hurdles, Tognoni and Schnure finished just a tenth of a second apart crossing in 17.3 seconds and 17.4 seconds, respectively. Surprisingly, their difference in the 300m hurdles was the same, with their times of 50 and 50.1 seconds. Both Tognoni and Schnure will be vital in Andover’s hope to take home the trophy on Saturday with their teamwork and depth. Jeannette Francis ’06 won the Pole vault uncontested, launching herself over the bar at 6’6”. Schnure, Thurman, and Mulroy returned in the Long jump where they completed the sweep for Andover. Schnure jumped 15’6”, with Thurman just a few inches adrift. Schnure’s newfound skill in the long jump has been a pleasant surprise this season for the coaches’ commitment to increase Andover’s already deep team. Freshmen Thurman and Mulroy took first and second in the triple jump. Thurman’s leap of 31’4” is an impressive mark for a junior and brought her ever closer to the class record. In the shot put, Aba Temeng ’06, Ashley Gray ’05, and Yaa Frimpong ’05 combined for nine points for the big blue. Temeng hurled the shot a daunting 30’4”, and Gray and Frimpong were not far behind, marking distances of 28’10” and 28’8” respectively. Johanna Marmelejos ’04 won the javelin throw, tossing for 84’6”. Jenn Mecham ’06 followed close by in second with a distance of 82’7” Andover’s 4x100m-relay team experienced some difficulty with their handoffs but still managed to win convincingly by over ten seconds. Both the “A” and the “B” 4x400m relay teams managed to beat the Cushing team by over 30 seconds, truly exemplifying the depth of the Andover girls team.