Meet the 2023 T&G Hometeam high school boys' track Super Team
The following athletes were named to the T&G Hometeam boys' track and field Super Team, as selected by the T&G staff.
Athlete of the Year
Theo Puterbaugh
Parker Charter
Senior, Discus, Shot Put
Puterbaugh again ranked among the state’s very best in the throwing circle, and for that he was honored as the Hometeam Athlete of the Year. The 6-foot-2, 305-pounder finished first in the shot put at the Division 6 state meet, second at the Meet of Champions, fifth at the New Englands and 19th in the championship division at the Nike Outdoor Nationals. His top effort of 58 feet, 7¾ inches was a school record and ranked second in the state this spring. Puterbaugh was equally successful in the discus, finishing first at the Division 6 state meet, second at the Meet of Champions and fifth at the New Englands. His best effort of 162-6 was a personal record by more than five feet and checked in third in the state. Puterbaugh will continue his track career at the University of Rhode Island. He is the son of Emily Goss and John Puterbaugh of Sterling.
Benjamin Bartow
Lunenburg High
Senior, Javelin
Bartow had a senior season to remember. He finished first in the javelin at the Division 6 state championships with a throw of 163 feet, 2 inches. That was an improvement of seven places and nearly 26 feet from his junior season at the same meet. And his explosive effort was a school record, one that eclipsed the 11-year-old mark by nearly 15 feet, and ranked 19th in the state this spring. Bartow, who also was a member of the Blue Knights’ 400-meter relay team, went on to finish ninth at the Meet of Champions as one of just two competitors from Central Mass to qualify in the field of 23.
Mubeshire Bradshaw
Littleton High
Junior, Pole Vault
Bradshaw soared to new heights in the pole vault. He went undefeated in dual meets as the Tigers went 6-0 and finished atop the podium at the Central Mass. Division 2 championships to help the Tigers place second in the team standings. Bradshaw then took first at the Division 6 state meet after placing third as a sophomore and sixth at the Meet of Champions, an improvement of five spots over last season, to advance to the New Englands. He cleared 13 feet — a height tied for sixth best in the state this spring — multiple times to better his personal record entering the spring by half a foot. Bradshaw’s most memorable moments of the season were competing in the “big meets” and developing camaraderie with all the vaulters he went up against. He is the son of Keri and Andrew Bradshaw of Littleton.
Ron Burton III
St. John’s High
Junior, Triple Jump
It was a big leap forward in the triple jump for Burton. He finished first at the MSTCA Warrior Invitational, second at both the Weston Twilight Invitational and Catholic Conference Classic before going on to finish 10th at the Division 1 state meet and eighth at the Meet of Champions. Burton’s top hop, skip and jump measured 42 feet, 5¾ inches, which was a personal record by more than a foot. On the track, Burton helped the Pioneers finish 11th in the sprint medley relay rising stars division at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor. Burton, whose hobbies include boxing, received leadership and ethics awards while participating in a program at the West Point Academy in June. He is the son of Iliana and Ron Burton Jr. of Hubbardston.
Miles Lipka
Algonquin Regional
Sophomore, Multi-Event
What a spectacular sophomore season it was for Lipka. He finished fifth in the 110-meter hurdles, 400 hurdles and triple jump at the Division 2 state meet to help the Titans place 10th in the team standings. Lipka went on to finish fourth in the 400 hurdles at the Meet of Champions, where he was the top underclassmen in the field of 25 while posting a school-record time of 56.47 seconds. He showcased his versatility by winning the Central Mass. Decathlon with a school-record total of 6,153 points, which bettered the field by more than 600 points. Lipka’s most memorable moment of the season was helping the Titans take top honors at the CMass relays one year after they failed to win a meet. He is the son of Sarah and Ron Lipka of Northborough.
Emmanuel Mahoney
St. John’s High
Senior, 100
It was another consistently excellent season for Mahoney as he advanced to the Meet of Champions for the second straight year in outdoor track after doing the same on the indoor circuit. This team captain finished second in the 100-meter dash at the Catholic Conference Classic, seventh at the Division 1 state meet, fifth at the Meet of Champions and, in a school-record time of 10.97 seconds, seventh at New Englands. His most memorable moment of the season was helping the Pioneers complete a rousing, late comeback to finish second in the team standings at the conference championships. Mahoney will major in business administration and continue his track career at Merrimack College. He is the son of Ime Akpan Mahoney and Richard Mahoney of Worcester.
Alan Nguyen
Westborough High
Senior, Multi-Event
Nguyen capped off his successful career by being selected to a T&G Super Team in track for the fourth time in the last two years. He successfully defended his title in the 110-meter hurdles and took first in the pole vault and fourth in the long jump at the Division 3 state meet. Nguyen placed second in both the 110 hurdles and pole vault at the Meet of Champions before finishing 16th in the long jump in the rising stars division at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor. His top efforts of 13 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault, 14.86 seconds in the 110 hurdles and 22-4 in the long jump ranked fourth, seventh and 12th, respectively, in the state this spring. Nguyen will continue his track career at Northeastern University. He is the son of Chanh Nguyen and Le Doan of Westborough.
Sawyer O’Riorden
Nashoba Regional
Junior, Pole Vault
O’Riorden’s career goal in track is to be the best pole vaulter he can be. He certainly took a big step forward in that regard this spring. O’Riorden cleared 13 feet to place third at the Weston Twilight Invitational and 12 feet while finishing atop the podium at the Division 4 state meet for the second straight season. Then, in a return trip to the Meet of Champions, O’Riorden finished third overall and first among non-seniors with a personal-record effort of 13-6. That was his most memorable moment of the season. O’Riorden also competed in the 110-meter hurdles, high jump and 1,600 relay for the Wolves, helping set an outdoor school record in the latter event with a fourth-place finish at the Division 4 state meet. He is the son of Theresa and Stephen O’Riorden of Stow.
Timothy Rank
Littleton High
Junior, Mile, 2 Mile
Rank again proved he could go the distance while being selected to a T&G Super Team for the third time this year and fourth time overall. He placed second in the 2 mile, third in the mile and first in the 3,200-meter relay at the Division 6 state meet to lead the Tigers to a runner-up finish in the team standings. Rank went on to finish eighth in the mile at the Meet of Champions before competing in the mile, 1,500, sprint medley relay, and — highlighted by a fifth-place showing in the rising stars division — distance medley relay at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor. Rank’s top times of 4 minutes, 20.6 seconds in the mile and 9:26.41 in the 2-mile checked in 15th and 25th, respectively in the state this spring. He is the son of Megan and Douglas Rank of Littleton.
Parker Rogers
Marlborough High
Junior, Discus
It was a breakout campaign for Rogers. He finished first in the discus at the Central Mass. Division 1 championships and added a seventh-place showing in the shot put. Parker went on to take second in the discus at the Division 3 state championships after finishing fourth as a sophomore. He saved his best for last, placing eighth in his debut at the Meet of Champions. Parker’s medal-collecting effort covered 150 feet, 9 inches, which was a personal record by more than seven feet and ranked 16th overall and seventh among non-seniors in the state this spring.
Aidan Ross
Uxbridge High
Senior, 2 Mile
Ross capped a storied high school career, one in which he was selected to T&G Super Teams in cross-country, indoor track and outdoor track a total of eight times, by being honored as the Hometeam Male Athlete of the Year. The Wake Forest University commit successfully defended his title in the mile and also finished atop the podium in the 2-mile at the Division 6 state championships. Turning his complete attention to the 2 mile, Ross finished third in a stacked field at the Meet of Champions. His time of 9 minutes, 3.82 seconds shaved nearly 10 seconds off his school record and ranked sixth in the state this spring. Ross considers that effort along with finishing fifth in the 5,000-meter run in the championship division at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor, for which he was named an All-American, to be his most memorable moments of the season. He is the son of Sharon and Bob Ross of Uxbridge.
Antonio Wiafe
St. John’s High
Junior, Long Jump, Pentathlon
It was another record-setting season for Wiafe, leading to his second T&G Super Team selection this year. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder finished fourth in the long jump at the Division 1 state meet and went on to take third at the Meet of Champions, sixth at the New Englands and sixth in the championship division at the New Balance Nationals. His top jump of 23 feet, 9¾ was a school record and ranked first in the state this season. Wiafe also set school records in the pentathlon — with a third-place finish at the Meet of Champions — and 800-meter relay. Wiafe, whose hobbies include biking, cooking and reading, considers his most memorable moment of the season to be long jumping 23 feet for the first time. He is the son of Stephanie Wiafe of Shrewsbury.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Check out the 2023 T&G Hometeam high school boys' track Super Team
