Revere girls hit the track with major goals after recent success

By Dom Nicastro

The Revere High School girls track team comes into the outdoor season sporting some ridiculous results the past few seasons.

Take a look:

• 2023-2024 winter indoor unbeaten Greater Boston League champs
• 2024 outdoor unbeaten champs
• 2024-2025 winter indoor unbeaten champs

What’s next? More of the same, if you go by the crop of returning competitors for the Patriots.

Racquel MacDonald-Ciambelli comes into this spring in her fifth year as head coach of the outdoor track and field team. Prior to that, she was an assistant for three years focusing on hurdles and high jump. She was also a track athlete at RHS under Peter Digiulio and Sam Ros and ran Division 1 Track and Field at Boston College from 2012-2016.

With a roster of 80 girls and only two coaches, the success of our team hinges on the dedication and commitment of the team’s nine captains:

• Marwa Riad: An expert in the 400-meter and long jump. She is a leader and teacher and has been crucial in the early-season development of our young sprinters and jumpers.
• Manal Hazimeh: Another 400-meter expert, she has been leading all of the new sprinters and teaching both form and block work.
• Ava Cassinello: She is another strong leader focusing on our shorter sprints (100-meter, 200-meter). She has been integral in leading workouts and providing mentorship for new additions.
• Francoise Kodjo: Revere’s shotput expert, and second-place GBL finisher in the shotput. She has been able to lead the throws team and continues to pass on her knowledge to freshmen. The coach expects her to continue to be a top performer in the GBL in the shotput.
• Jocelyn Lazo: She is the javelin and discus captain. She is the Patriots’ top performer in the discus and has been leading practices in this event where Revere graduated the majority of its team last year. Revere expects Lazo to continue to be in the top five in the GBL in the javelin.
• Daniela Santana Baez: Santana Baez is the distance event captain. Even battling injury, she continues to be one of the top 2 milers in the GBL.
• Hiba El Bzyouy: El Bzyouy has experience in the 400-meter hurdles and 800-meter, and the Patriots expect her to continue to develop younger athletes in these two events.
• Ashley Cabrera Rodriguez: She is the team’s top sprinter and top 400-meter hurdler. She also is a top-two triple jumper in the GBL. The coach expects Cabrera Rodriguez to bounce between multiple sprint events this season and hopes to see her student-athlete break the coach’s own school record in the 400-meter hurdles.
• Liv Yuong: Yuong is a top hurdler, long jumper and high jumper in the GBL. She is on the cusp of two more school records (outdoor high jump and outdoor long jump), “and I expect her to continue to dominate these areas,” MacDonald-Ciambelli.

“We should continue to be a very strong team in the hurdles and mid-distance events, led by Liv Yuong, Ashley Cabrera Rodriguez and Gemma Stamatopoulos,” the coach added. “Olivia Rupp should continue to make our team competitive on the distance side. We also have freshmen who have shown some great early-season efforts in the 200-meter and javelin.”

The biggest area for growth for Revere is in the throws, a consistent theme the last few years in the absence of a dedicated throws coach.

“Our captain Francoise Kodjo has thrived in the shotput and will continue to develop and perform this outdoor season,” MacDonald-Ciambelli said. “However, we did graduate the majority of our discus throwers last year and are struggling to find some new talent in this area. However, I am confident that we have some returners who will be willing to take up this new event and secure points for the team even though it may not be their primary area of focus.”

Stamatopoulos has been a standout since joining the track program but really took off this past indoor season. She broke the 800-meter school record, 600-meter school record, was one second off of the 1,000-meter school record, was voted co-GBL Track Athlete of the Year and was undefeated in the 600-meter in the GBL. She also broke school records as a member of the high jump relay team, sprint medley relay and distance medley relay.

“I really think Gemma will continue to shine in the mid-distance events in outdoor and continue to break some school records,” MacDonald-Ciambelli said. “She also should be a top contender in the 400-meter hurdles throughout the GBL, as well as the high jump and long jump on the field side.”

Rupp also had a standout season this indoor, dropping her mile PR time by over 20 seconds since last year and finishing the season with a 5:35.60.

“Olivia should continue to be a top performer in the GBL in the mile and is also hoping to expand her skills in the 2-mile,” MacDonald-Ciambelli said. “Olivia is at peak fitness and we are excited to see how she competes.”

Rania Hamdani is a key member of the 400-meter training group. The coach is confident that she will be a top 400-meter performer in the league and be a key member of the 400-meter relay, DMR and SMR teams.

“The girls team has shown incredible success these last two years with undefeated seasons and GBL Championships,” MacDonald-Ciambelli said. “We obviously hope to continue this pattern of success with strong performances each GBL meet. However, I also have goals for the girls to continue to make their presence known on the state, and even national level. I am confident we will have some top 10 performers at D1 states this year based off of our indoor successes.”

MacDonald-Ciambelli noted the team has 80 girls on its roster. This means that the word is getting out about this team and girls are eager to join and be a part of something special, according to the coach.

“I think one of the most important parts of a successful athletic team is fostering an environment where young girls feel like they belong and can better themselves,” she said. “My hope is that the team continues to be a safe space for RHS girls, and we continue to gain the respect of our community.”