The Andover Boys Track and Girls Track teams opened up their respective seasons with disappointing losses against Tewksbury High School. Although the meet showcased some great talent on the Big Blue team, Tewksbury’s depth and experience guided them to a 67-28 win. In the field events of the meet, Tewksbury took control. Led by a sweep the high jump, the visiting team gained valuable points. Martin Serna ’07 won second place with a throw of 41’6.” Another bright spot was Jae-Youp Kim ’07’s winning performance in the long jump. Dave Wilson ’09’s victory in the 2-Mile. Wilson grabbed a slim lead at the start and pulled away with a time of 10:25. Also in the distance events, Eli Howe ’09 took second place in the mile, with the race coming down to the final straightaway. Although Tewksbury had secured victory, the most exciting race of the day was the final event, the boy’s 4 x 400 relay. The Andover relay team of Captain Peter McCarthy ’07, Olamide Babatunde ’09, Tudor Radoaca ’08 and Alex Hugon ’07 came from behind to win the race in a time of 3:53.80. Even though the Boys Track team fell short on Wednesday to a more experienced opponent, several great performances at both the varsity and junior varsity levels indicate that they have the potential for a successful season. Next Wednesday, Andover welcomes Masconomet Regional High School to the Cage for what is sure to be a tough meet. Regarded as one of the top Girls Indoor Track teams in the state, Tewksbury came out on top, 56-42. Cohan won the mile in 5:44.5 then the two-mile in 12:17.3, over a minute ahead of the second place finisher. Captain Kit Harris ’07 won her event, the 600. In the dash, Simone Hill ’08 won the race in a time of 6.55, while teammate Colleen Thurman ’07 gathered second place. Thurman put forth another excellent effort in the long jump, winning with a jump of 14’8”. Like the boys’ team, the Andover girls fought from behind to win an exciting 4×400 relay. The relay team, comprised of Harris, Sophie Shimer ’09, Eliza Nguyen ’09 and Cohan, ran hard from start to finish and pulled out a tight race. Once again, it was Cohan coming up big for Andover, as she overcame a sizable gap on the final leg. Despite the close loss, Girls Track remains optimistic about the future of their season. They look to bounce back next Wednesday in their meet with Masconomet Regional High School, a strong team that beat Andover last winter.
