Led by PVIAC boys’ shot-put champion and Athol High School senior Kris Selanis, a core of local athletes will try to make their mark in Boston today at the MIAA Division V Indoor Track & Field Championship at the Reggie Lewis Center. The competition begins at 4:30 p.m.
Selanis, who won last week’s PVIAC meet by a healthy margin, is seeded second (54 feet, 10¼ inches) behind defending state champion Aiden Felty, a junior from Innovation Academy Charter School. The Red Raider is joined in the shot-put contest by Mahar Regional School senior Nick Sharp, who’s seeded sixth.
Mahar senior Aaron Hendry is seeded fifth in the 300-meter dash, and is joined in the event by Athol senior James Laford, the No. 21 seed.
Laford’s Athol teammate, junior Mason Barrieau, will compete in two events: the 55-meter hurdles, where he’s seeded ninth, and the 600-meter run, in which he’s seeded third.
In the latter, he’ll face off against Mahar’s Ash Shaw, who’s seeded eighth. The senior Senator is also seeded third in the high jump, an event in which he narrowly missed the title at the PVIAC Championships with a jump of 6-2.
Four local runners will compete in the boys’ long jump, including second-seeded Pioneer Valley Regional School junior Scott McDonough. McDonough comes into the contest with a season-best jump of 21-4½, just eight inches short of the meet record set by former fellow Panther Darion Sadri in 2014. Mahar senior Hugo Frost is seeded seventh, while Mohawk senior Luke Veins and Athol senior Gabe Roberts fill the No. 19 and 20 seeds in the long jump.
The girls’ long jump will feature a pair of Mahar athletes, fourth-seeded junior Anna Wetherbee and No. 15 seed sophomore Kamryn Reilly.
Mohawk Trail Regional High School junior Meghan Davis, who comes off a school-record time of 5:16.49 in the mile at the PVIAC Championships, is the No. 2 seed in the 2-mile run today. Greenfield High School senior Amy O’Sullivan, the runner-up in the 2-mile race last Friday, is seeded ninth.
Mohawk junior Gabby Shean is the sole local thrower in the girls’ shot put competition, with the Warrior penciled in as the No. 11 seed.
In the boys’ team competitions, the Senators find themselves seeded second in both the 4×200 and 4×400-meter relays, and in both competitions their best performance narrowly trails top-seeded Watertown High School. Athol will also compete in both events as the fifth and No. 15 seeds, while Mahar is seeded 12th in the 4×800 meter relay.
Athol junior Dennis St. Jean will also compete in Boston, where he’s the No. 14 seed in the 1,000-meter run.