“It feels good to come out with a win,” Elder said. “It’s shorter than it looks. I’m just working on moving my arms and getting out in front and getting a good start and then coming down the straight first.”
Her steepest competition, Sharon’s Nina Kyei-Aboagye, who beat her at the Meet of Champions, didn’t compete Saturday.
“I had the confidence knowing that I could maybe come out and win, but I also definitely like the competition,” Elder said. She’s hoping to set a personal record at Nationals March 12-15.
Natick senior Emmanuella Edizen ended the last 55 hurdles race of her high school indoor career with a pair of somersaults after she crossed the finish line first in 7.93 seconds.
“I used to be a gymnast my whole life, before track,” she said. “So I guess that’s where the somersaults came from.”
Edizen is a commit to Arkansas, where she will continue competing in the hurdles and long jump.
Central Catholic’s relay team of Kyla Breslin, Emma Finch, Leighton Hickey and Avery Strickler won the 4×400 with a personal-best time of 3 minutes, 59.53 seconds. Strickler, a freshman, anchored the race, and she enjoys that pressure.
“It’s so competitive. This is the race of New England,” Strickler said. “We were so excited, because this is where we actually prove ourselves. And the competition was so great.”
Oliver Ames junior Mitchell Callender won the shot put with a distance of 62 feet, 1.75 inches, more than three feet ahead of his closest competition. Last weekend’s blizzard meant he could only practice twice, totaling fewer than 40 attempts this past week.
“I really think I had a 65-66 throw in me,” Callender said. “My last throw, the form is definitely there. Came off my fingertips a little bit bad.”
Callender will try for his 65 at Nationals. He’s working toward 70 feet next year.
Brookline’s foursome of Tony Carballo, Ibrahim Abdel-Dayem, Jonathan Traub, and Harry Flint won the boys 4×800 meter relay (7:51.03).
