Everett boys track defeat Malden behind the solid performances of Nunez, Joseph, but lose to Somerville

Tide girls, despite three first place finishes, lose both ends of the tri-meet

By Joe McConnell

The Everett High School boys and girls indoor track teams took on Greater Boston League (GBL) rivals Malden and Somerville in a tri-meet on Dec. 19. The boys were able to pick up a win against the Golden Tornadoes, 49-37. only to lose to the Highlanders, 70-20. The girls, however, ended up losing to both teams. They dropped a close decision to Malden, 46-32, while Somerville was all over them to the tune of 75-15.

After the meet, coach Jehu Cimea offered some positive assessments of his team since the first meet of the year. “We have made many improvements, with several athletes, in particular, achieving personal bests in their respective events over the last few weeks,” he said.

The coach then went on to say that the boys have already accomplished one of their goals this year, and that was to beat Malden.

In the win over Malden, senior captains Kervens Joseph and Lucas Nunez led the way with 10 points apiece.

“Kervens turned in an impressive performance in the 55-meter dash with a personal best time of 6.69, which is just 0.09 seconds shy of the school record that now stands at 6.60,” said Cimea.

Joseph has since gone up against the state during the MSTCA Boston Holiday Challenge at The Track at New Balance complex in Allston two days after Christmas, where he finished 26^th in 6.88 seconds. A total of over 60 runners participated in the dash from all over the state.

Junior Sandesh Pun (7.32, personal best) was close behind Joseph in the dash, coming in third.

Senior Ian Herrera (10.49, personal best) came out on top in the 55-meter hurdles. Senior captain Antonio Iraola (10.83, personal best) was third. Nunez (4:54.78, personal best) breezed to victory in the mile. Junior Domenico Delle Rosa (5:49.51) came in third.

Junior Carlos Pagan Landeo (1:44.74, personal best) accounted for a second-place finish in the 600. Junior Cristopher Portillo Cruz (3:12.60, personal best) and senior captain Jeremy Whitlow (3:12.68, personal best) topped the ticket in the 1,000.

Joseph (38.06, personal best) returned to pick up his second first place finish of the day in the 300. Nunez (12:12.76) did the same in the two mile.

Sophomore Jonathan Hernandez (14-8) bested the entire field in the long jump. Iraola (13-8) was credited with a third-place finish. Senior Christopher Roberts (32-3.5, personal best) scored a point for his teammates with a third-place finish in the shotput to help secure the overall victory.

The Everett girls against Malden were led by senior captain Akanksha Neupane (6:40.18) and sophomore Shashi Pokhrel (16:19.05) with first place finishes in the mile and two mile, respectively. Faith Dunbar (13-6), another sophomore, was credited with a first-place finish in the long jump.

Junior Amina Mekic (12.18, personal best) recorded a second-place finish in the 55-meter hurdles. Senior captain Shinead Riley (8.19) did likewise in the 55-meter dash. Junior Brigitte Parada Medina (2:32.30, personal best) maintained the trend in the 600, along with sophomore Nathalia Dos Santos (4:10.34, personal best) in the 1,000 and junior captain Graziella Foster (29-4.5, personal best) in the shotput.

Dunbar (12.35) also ended up third in the 55-meter hurdles. Sophomore Jacklyn Vo (2:43.36, personal best) followed that same script in the 600.