The
annual Girls Indoor Track and Field Banquet was held in the school
Cafeteria on Wednesday, March 2, 2011. Fifty five of the girls
came very nicely dressed for the ocassion and many of the parents came for the
traditional ceremony after the Pizza and Salad dinner. This
year's edition was especially meaningful to the girls as they
accomplished something that very few of the girls teams have ever done.
The were undefeated during the dual meet season. They won
the Hockomock Championship for the third year in a row. The won
the State Division 2 Championship for the third year in a row and they
won the All State Championship for the second time in the last three
years. These accomplishments show the dedication and
determination of a group of young ladies who were poised and confident
when they went to the starting line, long jump pit or high jump pit.
As the coach of this unique group of student-athletes, it gives
me great pleasure to honor them and thank them for another memorable
year. The banquet included announcing awards as voted on by the
girls on the team. The
Most Improved Performer for the Indoor Season
was Paige Grimes, who developed into one of the top hurdlers for the
Hornets, garnering a 5th place finish at the Division 2 Championships
and just missing qualifying for the All State 55 meter hurdler finals.
Paige finally broke 9 seconds for her event, a goal she had
focused on since the first 55 meter hurdle race at Reggie Lewis. She
ended the season with a best of 8.76. The
Unsung Hero Award was
given to Brittany Greene, who is one of the hardest working athletes on
the team, running the 4x400 relay, the 600 meters and throwing the shot
put. She improved tremendously this year, running a 61.6 relay
leg on the team that won the Hocks and placed at the Division 2
Championships. She qualified for the state meet in the 600,
running a personal best of 1:45.79 and she was the second best
shot putter. The
Most Valuable Performer for the team was
Jen Esposito, who had a terrific season. She was the second best
300 meter runner in the state. She set a school record in the 300
meters and the 600 meters and she was second in the 55 meter hurdles at
the All State Meet. Esposito also ran a 56.62 for the 400 meters.
At
the conclusion of the slide show and sharing of the team marble sheet
cake honoring their All State Championship, this year's four captains
(Amanda Zieselman, Lauren Columbare, Kristen McDonagh and Emily
Broyles) announced the captains for next year's team. The 2012
indoor captains will be Jen Esposito, Jess Grainger, Molly Jenssen and
Dana Foley.
Finally, the Mansfield athletes that were selected
to the Hockomock All Star team included: Amanda Zieselman, Brittany
Greene, Jess Verbic, Emily Broyles, Kristen McDonagh, Kayla Comer and
Jen Esposito. The Hockomock Indoor Track Coaches also selected
Jen Esposito as the MVP of the Hockomock League.
To all the
girls, we want to take this opportunity to congratulate you on a terric
season and thank you all for letting us be a part of a very
special group of young ladies.....
