Russell Leads Rockets on the Track

Needham High senior Katina Russell placed fourth in the 2-mile Friday at the Eastern Massachusetts Division II Track and Field Championships.

Russell, pushed by teammate Kate Connolly the entire way, ran a personal-best 11 minutes, 30.43 seconds in the race at Cawley Stadium in Lowell. Connolly, also a senior, would finish sixth with a personal-best of 11:35.87.

Their coach, Chris Van Cott, said there was no specific teamwork plan going into the race, but he was happy to see the girls help each other to high finishes and career bests.

"At one point, about halfway through the race, [Russell] didn't look all that smooth, all that confident," he said. "[Connolly] then took the lead, and I think it really helped [Russell] get back on pace."

The twosome ran second and third in a chase pack behind two leaders for most of the way.

Van Cott said Russell's a tough runner who doesn't back down from a challenge.

"Outwardly, she's very unassuming," he said, "but she has a natural competitive drive when she steps on the track. She zones in and gets down to business."

Russell's finish automatically qualifies her for next week's All-State Meet at Westfield State College. The top four competitors in each event from each Division across the state, along with the next best 15 performances overall, move on to the meet, which is used to determine state champions. The meet is at 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 5.

Russell and Connolly also teamed-up in the 4x800-meter relay with fellow senior Katherine Ashenfelter and junior Hannah Alpert. The team finished ninth in 10:10.44 with Alpert running the fastest leg in the leadoff spot.

Alpert, seeded 19^th coming in, finished 13^th in the mile, while Ashenfelter, seeded 18^th, moved all the way up to seventh in the 800-meter with a 2:24.76.

The team's 4x400-meter relay, of Kristie Schott, Lauren Anzalone, Olivia Nolan and Hallie Armstrong, ran a season's best time of 4:23.08 to finish 18^th.

As a team, the girls finished 22^nd. Mansfield High won the girls' meet with 86 points, while Central Catholic in Lawrence, 71 points, took home the boys' crown.

Junior Peter Farlow had Needham's highest finish on the boys' side, finishing eighth in the 400-meter hurdles. Van Cott said Farlow is due for a breakout senior season.

"Right now, he's working out all of his kinks," he said. "He's improved dramatically in the last year, and next year, he's going to be a year faster, a year strong. He should be able to compete with the best at the state level."

Farlow was also on a 4x100-meter relay team, which finished 10^th, with juniors Ryan McGloin and Brian Hazzard and freshman Kevin Walsh.