Andover Track and Field had a strong performance at the New England Prep School Track Association (NEPSTA) Division I Championships this past Saturday at Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH). The Girls team stood out with an impressive second place finish out of the 12 teams competing. The Boys team concluded the day in eighth place out of 12.
Co-Captain Charlie Jarvis ’15 said, “I’m so proud of all the hard work of the girls on our team. This Interschols was by far one of the best I’ve been able to go to, and every single person fought hard and long for our second place finish. The team has been both hard working and supportive of each other all season, and it really culminated in our second place finish on Saturday.”
Jarvis led the Girls team with an exceptional performance. She placed first in the 300-Meter Hurdles with a time of 46.89, earned second place in the Long Jump with a distance of 16’6” and was a member of the first place 4×400 Meter Relay team that finished in 4:03. She has both fulfilled her role as Co-Captain throughout the season and closed out her Andover career in impressive fashion.
“Competing at Interschols for the fourth year in a row allowed me to really see my growth as an athlete. I was excited to get second in the long jump, especially because I’ve had a lot more time to focus on the event this year, and it was nice to see myself improve. The competition in the 300-Meter Hurdles definitely got harder since last year, so it felt good to be able to win again with a faster time. We had two distance runners, as well as [Caroline] Shipley [’16], really step up to the plate in the relay as well, and we were able to beat Hotchkiss’s team which is always good,” said Jarvis.
Shipley finished in second place in the 400-Meter in a time of 58.56 and ran on the winning 4×400 team with Jarvis.
Carmen Bango ’16 claimed first place in the 800-Meter with a time of 2:19.37 and was another member of the winning 4×400-Meter Relay team with Jarvis and Shipley. She also earned third place in the 1500-Meter, with a time of 4:43.83. Bango had a great meet and looks to be an effective member of the team next year.
“My favorite moment of Interschols was competing in the 4×400 Relay. It was truly special to feel the adrenaline, excitement and love for the team when we came across the line in first place,” wrote Bango in an email to The Phillipian.
For the Boys team, Ralph Skinner ’16 finished fifth in the 800-Meter with a time of 1:55.11.
Co-Captain John Gorton ’15 earned fourth place in the 1500-Meter with a time of 4:09.63. Gorton has been outstanding all season and ran exceptionally well under the pressure of NEPSTA.
Gorton said, “My race at NMH was probably the toughest race I have run in my time at Andover. I have never been more tired in the minutes after racing and never felt more certain that I gave all I had to give. I feel lucky to have had such an awesomely tough day for my third and final Interschols.”
Noah Ward ’17 had an impressive performance on the field, as he placed third in Discus with a throw of 148’5” and fourth in the Shot Put with a throw of 48’4”. Ward will continue to be an integral member of Andover’s team in the next two years.
Ward said, “It was a tough meet with a lot of competition, but the throwers came out ready to go. Even though many of the throwers had to compete in multiple events, which is exhausting, we were able to place and get points to contribute to the team.”
Andover Track and Field will travel to Phillips Exeter Academy on Saturday in its final meet of the season.
