Coming off the best indoor track season in the program’s history, Hopkinton High School boys outdoor track and field coach Brian Prescott was hoping for a strong follow-up act in the spring. He got just that, as the Hillers marched through the Tri-Valley League undefeated and finished seventh overall at the Division 2 state championship against formidable competition.

“Overall, I would say it was a really productive year,” Prescott said. “We had a ton of seniors this year who were really impactful, but we had contributions from every age group, which was nice to see.”

Hopkinton’s captains helped lead the way this spring, with Jack Knutson, Jason O’Connell, Mason Barros, Harry Millar and Ryan Morin all taking on significant leadership responsibilities. Prescott noted that the older members of the team went out of their way to include their younger teammates at meals and other activities away from the track.

“Across the board, the seniors did a great job connecting with the younger athletes,” he said.

Prescott said Sean Finnegan was the driving force behind this year’s team. He captured the state championship in the 2-mile and set a school record. Finnegan also was just hundredths of a second away from a program best in the mile.

“His determination and his work ethic were infectious for so many of our distance athletes and, really, the rest of the team,” Prescott said. “When he works harder than everybody else, it just pulls others along.”

Jacob Logan, Matthew Logan and Max Keeler all stood out in the hurdles and competed at the state meet. The trio of juniors were joined in scoring points by classmates Connor Richardson in the javelin and Braden Lu in the jumps and hurdles.

Other contributors for the Hillers this spring included Dylan Tran in the jumps, Matt Fitzgibbons in the mile and Ian Weilding in the sprints. Parker Rivera and Anvay Salvi were versatile athletes for the team. Sophomores Daniel Ake and Owen Tomasino-Steuer, along with freshman Benicio Robledo, all put together standout seasons that leave Hopkinton in a strong position for the future.

The Hillers, who also finished fourth at the state relay meet, showed off their versatility at the state championship when a number of athletes stepped up to compete in events that were different from the ones they had tackled during most of the season, Prescott said.

“Everybody was in a positive mood, cheering and supporting each other,” the coach said. “At the end of the day, that is what I care about.”

Prescott stressed that he wants to continue to create an environment in which younger athletes want to join the team and stick around.

“That’s the sign of a really good program,” he said, “and one that prioritizes athlete connections.”