Another school record falls for Avon 4×800 relay team at New Englands

Avon’s Amanda Holtzman, Molly Hamel, Maddi McHugh and Sara Stokesbury

BOSTON, March 2 – Perhaps Avon High’s 4×800 relay team needs a new name. How about record breakers?

For the fourth time this winter, the Avon girls 4×800 relay broke a school record. The team of junior Sara Stokesbury and sophomores Amanda Holtzman, Molly Hamel and Maddie McHugh finished 11th at the New England Indoor Track and Field championships Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center on the campus of Roxbury Community College.

The Falcons finished with a school record time of 9:45.79, shaving two seconds off the time of 9:47.09 that they ran two weeks earlier when they were fifth at the State Open. Connecticut champion Hillhouse won the event by over five seconds with a time of 9:16.47.

Canton senior Matt Graziano made his first appearance at the New England indoor championship meet in the shot put and finished 28th with a throw of 42 feet, 10¾ inches. It was a step back from his last two major competitions. Graziano had set a new school record of 48 feet, 5½ inches when he finished fifth at the State Open two weeks ago. At the Class S championship meet in February, he threw 46 feet, 6 ½ inches.

It was the first appearance of Avon athletes at the indoor New England championships. Canton had participants in 2009 and 2010. Brian Magna completed in the 1,000 meters in 2009, finishing ninth while Mike LeDuc was 13th in 2010 in the 3,200 meters. Canton’s 4×800 relay team was 15th in New England in 2010.