Wildcats Enjoying Rare Run to New England Track Meet
Wilmington's 4x400 relay team of Alex Bischoff, Rachel Alatalo, Cassie Grasso and Michelle Barnes joins runner Steve Halas and shot putter Eli Jennings at Saturday's event.
Steve Halas, seen here during the cross country season, will be among the Wilmington participants in the New England Meet on Saturday.
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Thomas Bradley’s winter track and field season is usually wrapped up by this point each year. But thanks to one group of runners, he’s making a trip he’s made just three times.
Bradley, the Wilmington High School girls track head coach, will join his 4x400 relay team at the New England Meet on Saturday, a competition he has had athletes qualify for just twice during his winter coaching career and once during the spring season.
“It’s a huge meet,” said Bradley. “It doesn’t happen very often.”
During the state competition on February 23, the Lady Wildcats ran to a fifth place finish with a time of 4:05.99. The team that will run on Saturday ranked No. 9 entering their event is made up of Alex Bischoff, Rachel Alatalo, Cassie Grasso and Michelle Barnes.
Those four runners won’t, however, be the only Wilmington athletes at the event.
Boys team members Steve Halas and Eli Jennings also earned spots in New Englands thanks to their own state performances. Jennings heaved his way to a sixth-place result in the shot put while Halas was seventh in the 1,000-meter run during the state competition.
Entering Saturday’s meet, Halas is seeded 12th while Jennings is ranked as the No. 9 shot putter in the region.
Bradley said he is currently looking into if the girls relay team broke the previous school record, as he can’t recall a faster time in his 16-year tenure or before. Regardless, he said he’s enjoying the run the Lady Wildcats are on.
“They’ve all had their moments to shine, and have been a great source of pride for everyone on the team and in the school,” said Bradley. “It’s a big deal.”
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webmom
8:38 am on Friday, March 1, 2013
Good luck to all the athletes!!!! Enjoy these times and thank you for representing Wilmington at these meets!
Mary Buscone
4:47 pm on Friday, March 1, 2013
Good job girls! Coach Tracy worked you all very hard this year and look where it got you! Great job coach!!! The girls are lucky to have you!
Matt Schooley
5:49 pm on Friday, March 1, 2013
You are correct, Mary. Coach Bradley was sure to mention when we spoke that assistant coach Tracy Botehlo was a big reason the girls reached the New England Meet. She was able to help set it up so the relay team could practice at Reading High School's indoor track facility when the weather made it difficult for them to practice outside. Without that he said their time probably wouldn't have been as fast as it was.