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By Douglas McCulloch
Hometown Weekly Staff
The Wellesley boys track team has started out the season strong, with wins at its first two meets of the spring season.
The team opened the season with a meet against Dedham on April 13. Wellesley beat Dedham with a final score of 107-29.
For head coach Larry Corda, the team’s early successes this season has him hopeful of the team’s prospects heading further into the season.
“I felt we received contributions from both our veterans and newcomers,” Corda said. “So I feel pretty good about our prospects.”
This year, the boys team is the largest team Corda has ever managed, with over 100 athletes on the team. With the extra numbers, Corda noted that the team has strong athletes for every group.
“We are very strong in sprint, jumps and the throws group,” Corda said. “I think we're the most balanced since I've become head coach.”
Corda credited this year’s captains are Stu Badstercher, Matt Preston, Tyler Lee, Ryan Parker, Thomas D'Anieri and Matt D'Anieri with helping lead the team to their early victories, as well as several key contributors.
Badstercher won three events during the Dedham meet, including the HJ triple jump and the 110 hurdles.
Josh Cohen brought Wellesley’s wins in the javelin 152’ 7”, and Matt Russell won the 100 and 200 dashes and came in third in the HJ.
The distance group also provided a lot of depth during their runs, with Thomas and Matt D'Anieri, Ben Matejka, Sam Gilman and Jamie Mazzola excelling in their runs.
Looking forward, Corda hopes to see the newcomers to his team blend in well with the experienced veterans who have been competing for years.
“Our vets have shared their knowledge with our newcomers and it’s already helped us in our first meet,” Corda said.
