The 2018 MIAA All-State Championship once again witnessed multiple Old Rochester Regional track and field athletes putting on their best performances. Though the Bulldogs were unable to walk away with a first place finisher this year, they did see Meg Hughesfinish fifth in the 400 meter with 57.22-second run and the 4×400 meter relay team – consisting of Hughes, Rachel Fantoni, Lea Bourgeoisand Caroline Murphy– finish sixth with a 4:02.75 run, setting a new Old Rochester record in the 4×400.
The 4×400 unit will move on to compete at the New England Interscholastic Outdoor Track and Field Championship, as will Hughes as an individual, with both finishing in the Top 6 in their respective events.
“[Hughes’] time wasn’t far off from her time last year (56.56 seconds) when she won the 400 in All-States,” Old Rochester track and field coach Cindy Tilden said. “We knew the 400 was loaded going into All-States. We were hoping for a top-five finish, since she was ranked fifth going in. You know ideally we would’ve gotten a higher place, but making it to New Englands, she’s happy with that.”
In fact, Tilden feels that Hughes is more excited about being a part of a unit that’s moving on to the New England tournament than taking the next step as an individual.
“Doing it with the group of girls that she did it with, they were excited,” Tilden said. “They were hoping to run 4:02. They knew they could run 4:02. So they were hoping that was the outcome and they squeaked in and made it. So she was happy about that.”
Bourgeois also had an impressive meet at All-States, finishing third in the shot put with a new personal best 29-foot 7.5-inch throw. She was half an inch away from finishing in second. She also came in seventh in the 800 meter (2:38.78) and ninth in the 100 meter hurdles (16.96 seconds).
Mikayla Chandleralso had a great day, logging a personal best in the shot put with a 6.55-meter throw. Chandler and Old Rochester graduate Joshua Winsper, who are both Little People, have been invited to be two of the 24 Americans to represent the country in Ireland at the World Para Championships.
“It’s kind of like a preview to the Paralympics,” Tilden said. “It’s a huge deal for the two of them to get invited.”
On the boys’ side of the track meet,Harry Smithhad the highest finish for the Bulldogs, coming in 10thin the 110 hurdles in 15.07 seconds, his season high.
The New England Interscholastic Outdoor Track and Field Championship will take place on Saturday at the University of New Hampshire.
ORR baseball finished the regular season 11-9, ranked number 10 in the MIAA Division 3 South Tournament. The Bulldogs will visit No. 7 Sandwich (13-7) on Friday at 4:00 pm.
Old Colony
Old Colony baseball earned itself a bye in the MIAA Division 4 South Tournament after finishing the regular season 15-3, ranked third in the bracket. They will face the winner of the preliminary round matchup between No. 19 Westport (9-11) and No. 14 Coyle Cassidy (10-10) on Friday at 4:00 pm at Pope Park.
Drew Sullivanfinished the regular season as the Cougars’ leader on offense, hitting .492 with 30 hits, 24 RBI, 10 doubles, leading the team in each category over 18 games. He also finished with the team’s highest OPS, a whopping 1.237.
On the mound, Jacob Wordendominated over his team-high 47 2/3 innings. The right-hander led the Cougars with 39 strikeouts and a 2.35 ERA, though Matt Bumpusaveraged more strikeouts per nine innings, averaging 11.96 to go with his impressive 2.66 ERA. Also, through 16 innings of work, Nick Hedlundnever allowed an earned run to cross the plate, posting a perfect 0.00 ERA – striking out eight and walking four, while winning both of his starts (and making one relief appearance where he did not factor into the decision).
Old Colony softball enters the MIAA Division 4 South Tournament ranked No. 8 after going 12-6 during the regular season. They will host No. 9 Sturgis East (11-6) on Saturday at 3:00 pm.
Hannah L’Heureuxhad a big year at the plate for Old Colony, finishing with a team-best .529 batting average and a 1.373 OPS. She also led the Cougars with eight RBI and five triples. Emily Littlesfinished second on the team with a .518 average, but her work on the mound was most important for Old Colony. The senior finished 11-6, missing only two starts on the season, posting a 3.79 ERA while striking out 142 over 98 innings. She’s currently 32 strikeouts away from reaching the 500 career strikeouts mark.
High School Sports
By Nick Friar