Manchester-Essex has its first-ever state track and field champion. Freshman Olivia Lantz raced to victory at the State Division 4 meet last Saturday in a personal best time 5:10.05 in the mile. Weston senior Olivia Brackett (5:10.91) was runner-up for the second year in a row. Lantz was fourth as an eighth grader in 2011.
Lantz, who used smart race tactics and a strong kick on the final lap to get the win, found herself in an unusual position in the middle of the pack of a slow paced race. She held position patiently until the pace picked up, followed the leaders as the field began to thin out, and with two 200-meter laps remaining pulled up on Brackett's shoulder. At the bell for the final lap Lantz surged to the lead, opened a slight gap on the back straight, then held it strongly to the finish.
Lantz now moves on to next Saturday's All State meet where she will face off with the top 3 milers in each division and the next 12 best times over the four combined divisional state meets.
If Lantz's mile was the highlight of the meet for the Hornets, it was far from the only bright spot.
Sophomore Fiona Davis took sixth in the girls' two-mile in 11:48.89, nearly equaling her best set at last week's Cape Ann League meet. Davis is still waiting word on whether she will be competing in next week's All States. After three meets, hers was the fifth-fastest among runners not in the top three with the Division 1 race going off on Sunday.
Davis and Lantz then combined with senior Melissa Moore and sophomore Sarah Lewiecki to take seventh in the 4 x 800 meter relay (10:31.49). The two points earned gave the Hornets three scorers in three events, a total 15 and good for 13th place among 130 Division 4 teams competing.
On the boys' side the day began in uncertainty as senior co-captain Joe O'Neil, the team's top 300-meter runner and anchor runner on the 4 x 200m relay, became ill on the morning of the meet. Not only did O'Neil compete, he ran an outstanding come from behind race to win his heat in the 300 with a personal best time of 38.57.
In the preceding heat junior John Beardsley, not long off an ankle injury, improved his best to 39.44.
Senior co-captain Stephan LaForge ran a solid 7.02 in the 55-meter dash to take fourth in his heat, just a tenth of a second shy of making the final. The 4 x 200m relay provided the boys' only points and the first ever for Manchester-Essex sprinters, as LaForge led off with an all-time best 23.7 leg. Sophomore Sam Nesbit (26.1) held position and Beardsley (24.5) and O'Neil (24.4) brought the team home first in its heat and seventh overall in a school record 1:38.68.
This is the second year of varsity competition for Hornets' indoor track and the best combined boys' and girls' showing to date. The all-state meet will be held Saturday February 26 at the Reggie Lewis Center (1:00 p.m).
