ESSEX — Track and field teams from Middlebury and Vergennes union high schools faced some of the tougher teams in Vermont at the Essex Vacational Meet this past Wednesday. None of the local squad placed very high in the team scoring, but two Tigers claimed individual titles in the field events; and a quartet of Commodore seniors claimed second and third places in relay races, plus two of them scored in individual events.
Middlebury junior Nick Beauchamp arguably had the best day, in what could be described as typically inclement Vermont spring weather. Beauchamp scored all of the Tiger boys’ team points by garnering 1st place in the shot put with a heave of 40 feet even (12.19 meters), and fifth in the discus with a 102-foot, five-inch (31.21m) throw.
Fellow Tiger junior Hannah Buttolph matched her finish in last year’s Division II state championship meet by coming in first. Her leap of 5 feet, 2 inches (1.57m) was equal to the mark of Essex High School’s Sade Hankey, but Buttolph won by clearing the bar with fewer misses.
Vergennes senior Chris Castillo had a hand in three out of four of the Commodores’ point-scoring events. He was second in the triple jump with a mark of 36 feet, 4.5 inches (11.08m) and ran on the two relays. Castillo was joined by Jake Dombek, Sebby Crowell and Evan Meyers in claiming second in the 4X100m (48.41) and third in the 4X400m (3:58.55).
Dombek also came through with third place in the 400m dash in 57.69.
The Commodore boys posted the highest placing among local teams, claiming 7th with 28 points. The Tiger boys were 10 and the girls were 11 of 16 teams, with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Commodore track and field is scheduled to compete at Colchester on Tuesday and both Vergennes and Middlebury are slated to compete at the Burlington Invitational on Saturday.