BURLINGTON — Mount Abraham Union High School freshman Lydia Pitts finished fifth in the annual Vermont high school girls’ decathlon championship, which was held this past Monday and Tuesday at the University of Vermont.
Woodstock senior Kathryn Bassette won the event with 4,281 points, followed by her sophomore teammate Anna Diefenbach. St. Johnsbury’s Hannah Ryan (4,010) and Harwood’s Emma Russo (4,006) were next, followed by Pitts at 3,945 in a tight race.
Pitts’ best performances came in the 100 hurdles (17.23) and the high jump (4 feet, 7 inches), events in which she placed third. Pitts took fourth in the long jump and in the 400-meter race, sixth in the 100, 12th in the mile, 14th in the discus, 17th in the pole vault, 30th in the shot put and 43rd in the javelin.
Eagle freshman Emma Radler also competed in the girls’ decathlon and finished 28th among the 49 competitors. Radler’s best event was the pole vault, in which she finished seventh, and she also cracked the top 20 in the long jump (15th), high jump (16th), javelin (20th) and mile (20th).
Three Eagle boys also competed at UVM. Only sophomore Andrew Raymond completed all 10 events and ranked in the final standings; he was 38th out of 61 competitors with 3,300 points.
Raymond’s best events were the pole vault (19th), the 100 (22nd) and the javelin (22nd).
Senior Cullen Jemison fared well in the javelin, taking seventh, and the high jump, finishing 19th. Junior Nick Turner’s best effort came when he took 21st in the long jump.
Mount Mansfield senior standout Alec Eschholz won the boys’ decathlon with 6,326 points, the fourth-highest total in the event’s 40-year history.