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National qualifiers lead HHS girls track to TVL title

by | Feb 12, 2020 | Sports

After an undefeated Tri-Valley League dual meet season, the Hopkinton girls indoor track and field team capped off its impressive campaign by winning the league showcase meet Feb. 1, leaving no doubt as to the top squad in the TVL this winter.

The Hillers amassed 99 points, easily outpacing second-place Norton, which finished with 45 points. Hopkinton also will have multiple athletes competing among the nation’s best.

Senior Schuyler Gooley has qualified for nationals in the 800 meters, the mile, the 2-mile and the 5,000 meters. This winter Gooley set school records in the mile, 3,000 meters and 2-mile.

Gooley also joins Delaney Mick, Hailey Tolson and Caroline Estella in putting together a national qualifying time in the sprint medley relay.

Estella’s primary event is the 300 meters, but she also has run the 4×400 relay and has had success in the dash. Coach Jean Cann has been impressed with Estella’s leadership.

“She is very sweet with the younger girls,” Cann said. “She is always looking out for them. I think she remembers being a very nervous freshman herself and takes it upon herself to be like a mother hen to them.”

Mick won the dash at the showcase meet and finished second in the 300. Cann has been impressed by the sprinter’s versatility.

“She has really stood out,” the coach said. “We can put her in the hurdles and she can score in that as well.”

Olivia Jones earned national qualifying times in the 5,000 meters in the championship division. The junior can also compete in the “emerging elite” 2-mile.

Angie Grabmeier earned a second-place finish in the high jump at the showcase and also placed in the high hurdles.

“She is more known for volleyball, but she is a phenomenal athlete overall,” Cann said, noting that Grabmeier set a program record in the weight room by squatting 245 pounds. She also had to overcome an ankle injury that slowed her earlier in the season. Once her ankle was better she became part of the hurdles team that won the state relay meet.

Overall, Grabmeier was part of three medal-winning teams at the relay meet, which Hopkinton won as a team. The Hillers last captured the relay title when the current seniors were in their freshman year. They finished second and third the past two winters.

“It was pretty cool to win that,” Cann said. “For the seniors, it bookended their indoor career. That’s a hard meet to win, you have to be deep in every event, and we placed in nearly every event.”

Maggie Allen is another versatile senior for the Hillers. Primarily a hurdler, she also has competed in the long jump and high jump, been thrown into the sprinting mix from time to time, and been part of the 4×200 relay team that qualified for the state divisional meet.

Cann praised assistant coach Brian Prescott for making sure the team is as versatile as possible.

“We try to move them around,” Cann said. “Brian will encourage them to try other events out of their comfort zone, he can see little things in people that show they might excel in something else.”

Despite being a senior-laden team, Hopkinton is not devoid of youth athletes who excelled at the varsity level.

The Hillers welcomed Kate Powers to the team this winter. The sophomore came to track after playing basketball a year ago with and went undefeated in dual meet competition in the shot put. She also won the event at the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association Large School Freshman-Sophomore Meet and finished second at the TVL showcase.

“She threw the discuss last year during outdoor season and she loved track so she figured she would join us this year,” Cann said. “It’s great to have some younger people coming up.”

 

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