There was no near miss for the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Girls Track team this time.

A year after placing second despite leading for the majority of the meet, the Titans claimed the New England Division III Track & Field title with a dominant performance at Marianapolis Prep School in Thompson, Connecticut, on May 18.

Coach Danielle Vartabedian’s team won with 65 points, topping the field of 35 teams by 16 points. In short, it was a convincing win for the Titans.

On the boys side, the Titans placed seventh.

Quotes

Coach Vartabedian on winning the New England title: “Winning the championship was so exciting. To see the final scores and that we actually did it. It felt like it was a year in the making, because last year we were in the lead the entire meet, and then in the last event, lost by six points. The girls have been on a mission to get redemption and take home that title. But to see that it actually happened, it takes a bit to sink in.”

Coach Vartabedian on the key to winning the championship: “To win, your team needs depth, and luckily our top girls are very versatile. Arielle (Chechile) had the high and triple jump covered, as well as the 400, and Abby (Dorunda) and Jala (Witherspoon) were holding down the sprints and the long jump. Adrianna (Chechile) made a huge sacrifice for her team three weeks before champs, knowing the two sprinting positions were going to be taken. She ran a 400 in one meet, and then an 800 in the next and qualified for New Englands in both. The train of thought being, she could spread out the points for her team, even though she had been a 100 and 200 runner-up to this point. Adrianna also long jumped, and all four ran in the 4x100, which broke the meet record. They all placed high in their events, (with) a lot of firsts, seconds, thirds and fourths. So, what does it take (to win)? Some amazing talent, a team player and lots of grit.”

Arielle Chechile ’24 on the Titans placing first after taking second in 2023: “Winning the title felt like the proper conclusion to my senior season. After we missed out on the win last year by a handful of points, winning with points to spare was amazing … the culmination of years of hard work and effort. I’m so, so excited for and proud of our team.”

Abby Dorunda ’24 on WMA winning the championship: “It was a great way to end my senior season at WMA and make a comeback from last year. The girls and I have worked so hard this year. I’m glad to see it all come together in the end.”

Medal winners (top 6)

Girls

High jump – t4. Arielle Chechile 4-8

Triple jump – 2. Arielle Chechile 34-1

4x100 relay 1. Arielle Chechile, Adrianna Chechile, Jala Witherspoon, Abby Dorunda 50.20 (meet record)

100 – 2. Abby Dorunda 12.42, 3. Jala Witherspoon 12.51

400 – 2. Arielle Chechile 1:01.8, 4. Adrianna Chechile 1:02.0

800 – 4. Adrianna Chechile 2:27.8

200 – 2. Abby Dorunda 25.54, 3. Jala Witherspoon 25.70

Boys

Shot put – 4. Korbin Dixon 42-2.5

1,500 – 5. Michael Dorunda 4:15.3

110 hurdles – 5. Korbin Dixon 16.92

400 – 2. Evan Reeves 52.48

300 hurdles – 3. Korbin Dixon 41.6

3,000 – 5. Michael Dorunda 9:33.1

4x400 relay – 1. Adil Kamara, Evan Reeves, Korbin Dixon, Michael Dorunda 3:32.78