New England Rankings: 7th Release

The New Balance Grand Prix resulted in major changes to the New England rankings.

 

It was a high profile week in New England, with New Balance sponsoring two elite events geared towards assembling some of the fastest fields on the East Coast.  Thankfully for track fans, both events delivered as promised.

The New Balance Grand Prix at the Reggie Lewis Center (Boston, MA) crowned a new regional leader in the girls mile after Cayla Hatton (Philips Academy, MA) took the pace out hard and put a scare into the entire field. Hatton would eventually finish second in 4:51.37 and secured a US#7 ranking in the process.  Also in the field was Sarah Gillespie (NW Catholic, CT) who finished 7th in 4:58.02 (NE#3), Madison Granger (Belchertown, MA) in 8th (5:00.96 / NE#4), and Molly Keating (La Salle Academy, RI) in 9th (5:01.02 / NE#5).

The boys mile did not result in a change in the top spot of the New England rankings - Nick Christensen still holds that at 4:12.65 – but teammates Joel Hubbard and Kevin Thomas of Marshfield (MA) moved to NE#2 and NE#3 after their respective 4:14.35 and 4:15.15 finishing times.  Mike O’Donnell (Methuen, MA) and David Taranto (Burlington, MA) also cracked the New England Top 10 after finishing 7th (4:17.05) and 8th (4:18.08).

The relay events at the Grand Prix provided some exciting finishes, but it was Chariho (RI) who made headlines for the second week in a row. They broke their own state record (set only a week earlier) with a 7:50.25 performance at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York.  Back in Boston, Pembroke moved to NE#2 with their 7:55.86 school record breaking performance, and Acton-Boxborough moved to NE#3 after finishing third in 7:57.60. Brookline (8:02.69 / NE#4), Lowell (8:04.96 / NE#4), and St. John’s of Shrewsbury (8:09.25 / NE#8) also move up the rankings following their performances at the Grand Prix.

Mollie Gribbin of South Burlington made a statement and solidified her spot as the best track athlete in Vermont.  Gribbin won four events at the Vermont State Championships and took over the top spot in New England with a 7.08 clocking in the 55m.  She also impacted the rankings with her other events; winning the long jump in 18-9 (NE#4), the triple jump in 38’7.5” (NE#4), and the 300m in 41.14 (NE#8).  It’s frightening to think what she will do at the New England Championships after she narrows her event selection.

Tim Murphy of New Fairfield (CT) has been traveling the East Coast in search of the best pole vault competition he can find.  The effort has started to pay off as Murphy launched to the top of the New England rankings with a 15’6” clearance at the Southwest Conference Championships.  The mark also has him ranked #8 in the country.

John Vinnenberg (Bow, NH) opened the week with a New England #1 performance of 2:27.72 at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational.  He finished third that day, but the race did not escape controversy.  Several athletes were disqualified for cutting in early and a 2:27.x performance by Joe Vercollone of Pembroke (MA) was wiped from the record books.  The issue was of little consequence to Vinnenberg, who used the momentum to set two New Hampshire Division II records later in the week.  On Sunday, he won the 1000m (2:32.40) and the 1500m (4:06.50) to help his team to a 7th place finish at the New Hampshire State Championships.

Other news in the 1000m was made by Henry Wynne (Staples, CT) who won the FCIAC Championships in 2:31.66 (NE#3), and Harry Warnick (Fairfield Warde, CT) who finished second in 2:32.89 (NE#5).  In addition, National Mile Champion Josh Lampron (Mansfield, MA) made his first true appearance of the season after suffering a season ending injury in the fall.  Lampron was instructed to run a controlled pace in the 1000m at the MSTCA Last Chance to Qualify meet and cruised to a NE#3 time of 2:32.83. 

 

New England Leaders as of 02/07/12

Click on the event name to see the full rankings.  Please email pbendzick@milesplit.us with corrections or additions.

Boys New England Leaders

1000 Meter Run (5,279) 2:27.72 Jon Vinnenberg NH Bow High School
1500 Meter Run (1,054) 4:06.50 Jon Vinnenberg NH Bow High School
1600 Meter Run (1,139) 4:23.43 Jake Feinstein CT Newtown High School
200 Meter Dash (2,455) 22.75 Nick King MA Mansfield High School
300 Meter Dash (6,973) 34.72 Donovan Henry MA Catholic Memorial High School
3000 Meter Run (655) 8:38.92 Matt McClintock ME Madison Memorial High School
3200 Meter Run (534) 9:22.50 Connor Rog CT Fairfield Prep High School
400 Meter Dash (1,162) 50.11 Ryan Kelly CT Greenwich High School
4x200 Meter Relay (1,663) 1:31.33 Relay Team MA Chelmsford High School
4x400 Meter Relay (1,654) 3:26.79 Relay Team MA Acton-Boxborough High School
4x800 Meter Relay (809) 7:50.25 Relay Team RI Chariho Regional High School
55 Meter Dash (11,354) 6.39 Jerickson Fedrick NH Salem High School
55 Meter Hurdles (4,953) 7.67 Liam Cross MA Falmouth High School
600 Meter Dash (5,452) 1:21.67 Andre Rolim MA Somerville High School
800 Meter Run (1,212) 1:55.70 Zachary Campo RI South Kingstown High School
Distance Medley Relay (226) 10:17.40 Relay Team MA Marshfield High School
High Jump (3,166) 6-9 Adam Couitt MA Somerset High School
Long Jump (4,993) 22-5.5 Yosa Nosamiefan MA Boston College High School
One Mile Run (4,652) 4:12.56 Nick Christensen MA Peabody
Pole Vault (734) 15-6 Tim Murphy CT New Fairfield High School
Shot Put (7,897) 56-2 Jeremy Octeau RI Westerly High School
Sprint Medley Relay (418) 3:35.68 Relay Team MA Peabody
Triple Jump (657) 45-8.5 Ryan Rei RI Cumberland High School
Two Mile Run (2,727) 9:22.21 Kevin Thomas MA Marshfield High School
Weight Throw (641) 76-11.75 Joseph Velez RI Classical High School

 

Girls New England Leaders

Event Mark Athlete Team
1000 Meter Run (4,413) 2:55.11 Sarah Gillespie CT Northwest Catholic High School
1500 Meter Run (565) 4:39.40 Maddy Berkson RI Classical High School
1600 Meter Run (811) 5:07.00 Sarah Gillespie CT Northwest Catholic High School
200 Meter Dash (2,129) 26.02 Joya Helander CT Daniel Hand High School
300 Meter Dash (6,301) 38.84 Precious Holmes CT Hillhouse High
3000 Meter Run (353) 10:01.86 Kellie Davis CT Hillhouse High
3200 Meter Run (367) 11:05.03 Reid Watson CT Glastonbury High School
400 Meter Dash (936) 55.32 Precious Holmes CT Hillhouse High
4x200 Meter Relay (1,589) 1:43.24 Relay Team RI Hope High School
4x400 Meter Relay (1,500) 4:00.59 Relay Team CT Hillhouse High
4x800 Meter Relay (731) 9:16.68 Relay Team RI La Salle Academy
55 Meter Dash (10,889) 7.08 Mollie Gribbin VT South Burlington
55 Meter Hurdles (5,972) 8.00 Nicole Genard MA Somerville High School
600 Meter Dash (4,805) 1:32.61 Precious Holmes CT Hillhouse High
800 Meter Run (1,010) 2:12.90 Maddy Berkson RI Classical High School
Distance Medley Relay (189) 11:53.36 Relay Team RI La Salle Academy
High Jump (3,581) 5-8 Dakota Dailey-Harris RI La Salle Academy
Long Jump (4,304) 19-6.5 Carla Forbes MA Newton North High School
One Mile Run (3,426) 4:51.37 Cayla Hatton MA Phillips Academy Andover
Pole Vault (676) 11-8 Casey Teska MA Nashoba Regional High School
Shot Put (6,783) 43-6.5p Cherraine Davis CT Southington High School
Sprint Medley Relay (449) 4:07.11 Relay Team CT Hillhouse High
Triple Jump (753) 40-10 Carla Forbes MA Newton North High School
Two Mile Run (1,968) 10:48.35 Bethanie Brown ME Waterville High School
Weight Throw (293) 51-8.75 Adrienne Thornton MA O'Bryant High School

More information.......

2011 New England Championships

National Rankings

State Rankings - CT | NH | MA | ME | RI | VT