Records fell at the annual SCC Holiday Relays for indoor track, but the Old Rochester girls’ team did not. The Lady Bulldogs pulled off a dominant victory in the large school division on Saturday, scoring a whopping 70 points, 33 more points than the second place finishers, Dighton Rehoboth.
“Our depth definitely showed,” said Senior Captain Abby Hiller. “Not only did we have standout wins, including a record-breaking 4×2 lap, but we were able to run A, B, and C level relay teams in some events. Our ‘A teams’ were not the only ones to place, which I think really shows the talent we have on the team.”
The girls proved to be very well rounded in all areas of the sport; they were spot on with their sprinting, jumping, and hurdling. The most impressive performance of the day was the 4×2 lap relay, where Ally Saccone, Hannah Walsh, Paige Santos, and Morgan DaSilva crushed the old meet record, winning with a stellar time of 3:24. These four girls have experience in the event, as they placed first in their state division last year and made it all the way to Nike Indoor Nationals.
Each of the 4×2 lap champions assisted the team in other ways, too. Saccone and Santos paired up with freshman Alexis Alfonso to win the high jump relay. Santos also helped to win the shuttle hurdles, along with Kristen Fuller, Bailey Truesdale, and Meagan Bell. Walsh, DaSilva, Saccone, and sophomore Arden Goguen also won the shuttle dash with a time of 23.9 seconds.
The boys also had a good showing at the Holiday Relays. The Bulldogs finished second to Greater New Bedord Vocational Tech by 16 points. The distance medley team of Dan Donohue, Fred Murolo, Nick Pacheco, and Mike Wyman came in first place with an impressive time of 11:25. The boys also won the 4×800 meter relay, where after trailing Seekonk for three legs, anchor leg Wyman kicked and out-leaned the Seekonk team for the win.
However, not all of the Old Rochester sports teams had as much success as the track squads. The boys’ basketball team lost their season opener at Bishop Stang, 61-45. The young Bulldog team lacking varsity experience couldn’t seem to stop the Spartans on defense, resulting in the loss. That being said, sophomore Raekwon Phillips debuted with 11 points, making him the only Bulldog to get into double figures for the night.
By Michael Kassabian
