Caitlin Ly ’27 and Ela Budzinski ’28 warm up on the blocks.
A small cohort of athletes on Boys and Girls Indoor Track & Field traveled to Harvard University for the USATF New England (USATF-NE) Championships on February 16. The meet hosted New England’s top-performing competitors in a competition to end the season. It featured contestants across a variety of ages and several preparatory schools, including Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) and Governor’s.
According to Gracie Aziabor ’26, who threw 34’ 4” for second place in the Shot Put, the atmosphere inside the Gordon Indoor Track Facility was full of energy and supportiveness.
“The atmosphere was definitely very energetic. It’s one of the biggest meets that we go to every year. There were hundreds of people, a bunch of different teams, and all different ages. It was really busy and there was always something going on. I just thought it was super fun. Andover did a great job cheering each other on and supporting each other even though we had a lot smaller team numbers. It was just really great. Everyone at the meet was super nice and supportive. We got to see a lot of records get broken,” said Aziabor.
Aziabor praised her teammate Ethan Brown ’27 in his stellar 200-Meter performance and high energy. Brown finished his race in 22.95 seconds, placing sixth among 73 competitors.
“A stand-out was Ethan Brown. He’s new to the team this year, new to Andover. He just did a really great job, running with a lot of confidence and putting himself out there. At this meet, it can be super intimidating to run against people who are a lot older than you because the meet is open to all ages. He also was just a good teammate who had a lot of great energy,” said Aziabor.
Michelle Onyeka ’27 praised Ela Budzinski ’28 for her impressive 400-Meter race, in which she ran 59.94 and qualified for New Balance Nationals Indoor in the freshmen division.
“[Budzinski is] a freshman and throughout this season, she barely had any chances to run a 400[-Meter]. The first time she did, she didn’t run as [well] as she wanted to. She wanted to qualify for freshman nationals. [During the race,] everyone was cheering for her at the end of her 400. I could really see her determination; she broke 60 seconds which was insane and qualified for Nationals for freshmen,” said Onyeka.
According to Onyeka, the USATF-NE Championships, in its competitive nature, benefited athletes who had not yet qualified for Nationals. At the meet, New Balance Nationals Indoor qualifiers in the Women’s 800-Meters included: Amelia Alvazzi ’26, who placed second in 2:15.61, and Anya Budzinski ’26, who finished in 2:18.93.
“The meet was good for some people more than others: this meat was their chance to qualify for Nationals. It was pretty big for them… and there were also really big wins. Lots of people qualified for Nationals,” said Onyeka.
Towards the end of the meet, a Harvard athlete jumped 7’ 3.75” in the High Jump, breaking the university’s school record. Aziabor commented on the impressiveness of the feat and the inspiration it provided the team.
“Right before the team was about to leave, we got to see a Harvard student set a new school record in the high jump. It was really cool to watch because it was a bonding moment for the team. We all got to watch him and cheer him on together, but it’s also cool to see people performing at such a high-level. It’s something to motivate the team even though our season is over. A lot of people are going to be continuing into outdoor season and so I think it was nice to see someone perform so well and use it as inspiration for later progress,” said Aziabor.
On Sunday, several athletes will travel to Boston University for the Last Chance Indoor National Qualifier meet. From March 13-16, five athletes will compete at the storied New Balance Nationals Indoor: Co-Captain Emma Hagstrom ’25, Caitlin Ly ’27, Anya Budzinski ’26, Ela Budzinski ’28, and Amelia Alvazzi ’26.
Editor’s Note: Gracie Aziabor is a Layout Editor for The Phillipian.
