Hamel finishes 18th in New England in 3,200 meters

Avon’s Molly Hamel finished 18th in New England in the 3,200 meters Saturday.

SACO, Maine, June 13 – Avon High senior Molly Hamel finished her high school career with the Falcons Saturday at the 70th annual New England outdoor track and field championships at Thornton Academy.

Hamel, who was eighth in the 3,200 meters at the State Open earlier this week, finished 18th in the field of 30 runners with a time of 11:42.31 on a hot day. The race was won by Staples’ outstanding Hannah DeBalsi in 10:35.03, who won the race for the second time in three years. DeBalsi beat Rockville’s Hannah Hasty by 21 seconds.

Farmington senior Dan Hardiman won the New England title in the discus with a season-best throw of 177 feet, three inches. He won by over 15 feet. Canton’s Will Briggs also competed in the event but fouled on all three of his throws.

Hardiman also took seventh in the shot with a throw of 53 feet and ¾ inches. Teammate Palmer Weimann was 12th in the 3,200 meters in 9:47.04.

On the girls side, Simsbury’s Vickie Milledge was seventh in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.23. She was seventh in qualifying with a time of 15.08 seconds. Farmington junior Annika Anderson took 14th in the 400 meters with a time of 60.04 seconds while Simsbury senior Nicole Husher was 14th in the pole vault with a leap of 10-3 feet.