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Norton sprinters Jillian Strynar and Ali Murphy spent a busy two days at the Reggie Lewis Center.
After a Tri-Valley League dual meet Friday night, the talented speedsters were back Saturday for the MSTCA Coaches Small School Invitational continuing what they’ve been doing all season: Dominating the competition.
Strynar never let the field get near her in Saturday’s 55. She was out clean in the final and cruised to an easy win in 7.38 seconds for her third invitational win of the season. That win came on the heels of a pair of victories the night before.
Murphy, who already is one of the top 300 sprinters in the state, had a career day as she made up for an early stagger and surged away from Shayla Ford of Stoughton for a new personal best of 39.87. Ford finished hard to take second in 40.82.
Strynar and Murphy believe their friendly rivalry has only made them better.
“Honestly, I don’t think I’d be where I am if she wasn’t on the team,” said Strynar. “Last night I was super nervous, but today my start felt good in the preliminary. I’m really focusing on my start out of the blocks.”
Murphy came into the meet hoping to run 40 seconds and was pleasantly surprised by her personal best.
“Everything felt good,” she said. “I pushed on the back curve and held it right through. We’re like neck and neck and always push each other in races and workouts. We really help each other out.”
Murray Copps of Old Rochester picked up a sizeable personal best of his own, breaking his previous mark by seven seconds for a well-earned 4:24.99 win. The senior was planning to follow the pace, but when it started to lag he decided to make the long run for home. He finished comfortably ahead of Plymouth South’s Dylan Brilliant (4:27.32) and Bradford Duchesne of Newburyport (4:27.67).
“I was trying to sit but I realized at 700 it was slowing down,” said Copps. “I wanted to go a little later but I knew I had to do it then.”
The two mile turned into a burner as Timothy Rank of Littleton pulled away from Burlington’s Rithikh Prakash and surged across the finish line in a scalding 9:18.54, smashing his personal best by 40 seconds. Prakash finished strong in 9:25.92.
An accomplished miler with a 4:21 best, Rank was running just his second competitive two mile race and first indoors and was still feeling fresh with a kilometer left.
“I really didn’t know when it was supposed to hurt,” he said. “I started to push the pace with 800 to go. This is right where I want to be.”
Ean Hynes from Newburyport bolted to a time of 7.84 to edge Charles Montross of Middleboro (8.02) in the 55 hurdles. Ernie Panias of St. Mary’s of Lynn clinched the 55 in 6.67 to edge Justin Serrecchi’s 6.71 and Grafton’s Aditya Kaki (6.72). In the 55 hurdles, West Bridgewater’s Ally Bassett clocked an 8.80 for the win.
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