Wellesley's girls distance crew dominates MIAA indoor track & field meet of champions

One Tuxbury took out the MIAA Meet of Champions girls mile. The other one finished it.

Sophomore Emma Tuxbury grabbed the lead early Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Center. She couldn't hold the pace and fell back to the pack.

Her junior older sister Charlotte hung with the pack, battling bodies and avoiding trips before seizing her moment in the last 800 meters.

She ran the last two laps out front and unopposed, winning in 4 minutes, 56.35 seconds. That set the top time in Massachusetts this winter.

"It feels really big. It was an indoor (personal record)," she said. "It was good to race against all of these competitive girls and come away with a win."

With one more year of eligibility next year, she's aiming higher than the podium.

"I hope I'll be able to get some of these meet records," Charlotte said.

It's also another year of opportunity to run with her sister and mentor her.

"I love being able to race with my sister. It's a unique experience that not everyone gets to have," Charlotte said. "She's young, she has to learn, she has to go up front and die. There's lots we can work on together."

They combined their powers with Delaney Dyer and Kayla Bohnlin to win the 4x800 relay in 9:27.4. It set the second quickest time in the state this year and ranks No. 22 in the country.

"She pushes me to do better, and when I do bad she always motivates me," Emma Tuxbury said.

Annie Comella added another gold medal to the Raiders haul when she cleared 18 feet, 2.5 inches in the long jump. She overcame top overall seed Gabrielle Pierre from Lincoln-Sudbury, who was second (18-1.5). The Wellesley junior wasn't pleased with the way she jumped for most of the winter and rebuilt her process before the meet, moving back her starting point to allow for more speed down the runway.

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"I wanted to use this meet as an opportunity to show I can do more than that," Comella said.

She also placed fourth in the 55-meter dash (7.14).

Framingham's Abby Desmarais channeled a disappointing, for her, 55 into a championship 300. She emerged from a tight field to win the title in 39.99 seconds. The Holy Cross-bound senior eyed Whitinsville Christian's Avery Glidden as another sub-40 second seed across the track.

"I knew she would get a strong start, and I would have to make up the stagger by the first curve," Desmarais said. "I had some extra motivation because I wasn't super happy with my 55, so I had to redeem myself."

She gutted through at the end, edging second place by .01 seconds. The top three runners finished within .06 seconds of each other.

"Every single one of those girls in that heat was super fast, I knew I'd have to push hard the whole race," Desmarais said.

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Desmarais took third in the girls 55 in 7.08 seconds followed by Annie Comella of Wellesley (7.14).

Framingham sophomore Sasha Lamakina sprinted to second in the 600 in 1:35.43.

The Algonquin girls 4x200 meter relay of Arianna Gentile, Olivia Labelle, Audrey Helwig and Mackenzie Clark placed second in a razor thin finish. They crossed the line in 1:46.00, just .07 seconds behind Mansfield and .03 ahead of Marblehead.

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Franklin filled up the girls shot put podium. Junior Lily DeForge tossed it 40 feet, 6.5 inches for second place. Her teammate Elizabth Hopkins finished fifth (38-0).

The Panthers pentathlon powerhouse Sarah Dumas brought home a third place medal in the 55 hurdles (8.35).

Wellesley's Brooks out front in boys meet

Wellesley's Christopher Brooks embraced his need for speed to win the boys 55-meter dash. He blazed through the Reggie Lewis infield in 6.42 seconds for the All-State title.

"When I get out and I get up I'm moving pretty fast. It's kind of crazy because you feel the wind going on your face and feel a little unstable," Brooks said. "It's pretty awesome."

The top overall seed followed through despite the target that presents.

"It is a lot of pressure because there's a lot of pressure on you to win and preform still better than everyone if you're already the top seed," said Brooks, a senior committed to William and Mary. "Everyone around me in finals, they're all really friendly. I love talking to them, we hype each other up. It loosens those nerves a little bit."

Algonquin's Stephen White, twice a champion at the Division 2 meet, emerged from a crowded pack to take second in the mile in 4:19.54.

"When I first ran a mile this season, I had a big kick, and that's just how I do it now. I don't plan to do it," he said. "But there comes a point in every race where I'm just like, 'I can give it my all now.'"

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The Titans also took second in the boys 4x8 (8:02.9) with the legs of Joseph lamburn, Jonah Gould, Aiden Ruiz and Matthew Zhang.

Lincoln-Sudbury sophomore Nico Begic continued his sterling season in second in the 300 (34.84). Brooks was fourth at 34.99.

Franklin placed second in the boys 4x2.

Quinten Hardt, Stephon Reed Jr, Bryce Dragsbaek and Theo Yetman completed the race in 1:31.57.

Miles Lipka tied for third in the high jump for the Titans, clearing 6-4.

Ari Levine of Hopedale became the first field athlete in program history to qualify for the New England championships when he took fourth in the shot put (52-3.75).

Hopkinton's Russell Perryman set a personal record in the weight throw at 52-10.5.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Wellesley's Charlotte Tuxbury wins 2 at MIAA indoor meet of champions