LUNENBURG — Another day, another record-breaking performance by Frontier’s Jack Vecellio at the MIAA West/Central Div. 2 Track & Field Championship.
Vecellio broke the meet record in the pole vault on Thursday, and followed it up by winning the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 55.95 seconds on Saturday.
The time was a meet record, breaking the previous mark set by Sutton’s Jason Dimmick in 2014 of 56.34 seconds.
“I felt great going out,” Vecellio said. “My goal was to pass my guy on the right by the first hurdle. From there, I was just trying to take advantage of the wind on the back stretch. I heard my dad shout out ‘Twenty-five’ at the first 200 so I yelled out ‘let’s go!’ I was super happy because I was trying to hit 26 on the first 200 so I knew I had a pretty good time. Then I just tried to hold my form the rest of the race.”
The junior had Greenfield’s Theo Popusoi on his heels throughout the race, with Popusoi taking second place behind a time of 57.37 seconds.
Vecellio knew Popusoi wasn’t too far behind, and he said it gave him the extra boost he needed for the final stretch.
“On the last 300 I heard someone yell ‘he’s gaining on you’ so that’s when I locked in and got going,” Vecellio said. “That last stretch was killer with the head wind. I had to give everything on that race if I wanted to hold my time.”
With the All-State meet next week, Vecellio said he is focused on improving his times and hopefully continuing to beat his personal bests.
To qualify for nationals, he’d need to improve his pole vault height by two inches and take his 400 hurdle time down 0.5 seconds.
“It’s the best way to build confidence going into states,” Vecellio said. “I’m more than excited for that. My goal for pole vault and 400 hurdles is to qualify for nationals. I hope to qualify for those at states.”
Vecellio wasn’t the only Recorder area athlete to win an event on Saturday. Greenfield’s Liviu Mihailicenco won the high jump with a leap of six feet, two inches.
The leap tied his personal best in the event.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt that much adrenaline before,” Mihailicenco said. “I was focused the entire time and every jump I did, I made on my first attempt. I was really close on 6-4 which would have been my PR. When I did the first jump at 5-6, all the nervousness washed away. I was taking laps and was in the zone the entire time.”
The junior also came in third in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.94, just missing the qualifying mark for states.
Mihailicenco said he was within reach of winning the hurdles.
“When I saw the video after I hit the last hurdle,” Mihailicenco said, “I think I could have came in first if I didn’t. It was just unlucky. I definitely think I could have PR’d.”
Greenfield teammate Mason Meadows took third in the high jump with a leap of five feet, 10 inches. Frontier’s Erich Brown finished sixth with a jump of 5-8.
Frontier’s Jesse Kurkolonis finished 13th in the 110 hurdle prelims with a time of 18.48 seconds.
Frontier’s Jackie Phong earned a third-place finish in the shot put (43 feet) with Franklin Tech’s Ryan Duclos placing eighth (39-9½). Mahar’s Max Gilmore took first in the 100 para with a time of 20.57 seconds while also winning the shot put para with a toss of 17 feet.
Mohawk Trail’s Cullen Brown finished 10th in both the 100 (11.85 seconds) and 200 (23.45 seconds). A pair of Warriors also placed in the discus, with Dylan Wooldridge finishing sixth with a toss of 110 feet, three inches and Michael Harrison coming in 12th with a throw of 101 feet, five inches.