Home cooking did its work for the Londonderry High boys’ and girls’ track and field team members at their own Londonderry Invitational last Saturday, May 23.
The Lancer males and Lady Lancers tallied a bunch of top-three performances at the annual event – which focuses on individual and relay performances and not team scores – on their home track, with Starlin Ortiz coming up big for the LHS guys and his fellow senior Natalie Howes doing likewise for her Lady Lancers.
BOYS
Ortiz, who has been a scoring machine for Londonderry High’s boys’ indoor and outdoor track and field squads for four years now, proved unbeatable in the 110-meter hurdles (time of 15.16 seconds), the high jump (6 feet, 2 inches), and the long jump (20’10 1/4″).
Another Lancer win was collected by Trevor Guay in the 300-meter hurdles (39.51).
The host team also got second places from Derek Davies in the pole vault and Kyle Foden in the shot put, and thirds from Eric Fairweather in the 110 hurdles and the 4×800-meter relay quartet of Davies, Lukas Charbonneau, Keith Perry, and Jared Kane.
GIRLS
Like Starlin Ortiz, Natalie Howes was all over the place in the final event results.
The skilled senior won the javelin (129’3″), tied teammate Jordan Dufresne for first in the pole vault (10′), and ran the third leg in the victorious 4×100 relay team’s win (50.57). Her three relay teammates were Jessica Brien, Ellie Goodspeed, and Starlin Ortiz’s younger sister Yorgelis.
Yorgelis Ortiz also snagged a first place of her own in the 100-meter dash (12.67).
Other top-three finishes for the Lady Lancers included a second from the 4×800 relay quartet and thirds from Lexy Freire in the 300-meter hurdles, the 4×400 relay team, and Rachel Larkin in the pole vault.