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Season Preview: Girls’ indoor track team focuses on achieving goals

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Head coach Steve George said the strength of his team, which is coming off a 2-3 season in 2016-17, lies it its potential and the abilities of its untested newcomers.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ indoor track team is ready to hit the ground running, and fourth-year head coach Steve George remains focused on growth.

“While victories would be outstanding for us all, we really focus on improvement, getting all our kids to achieve their personal goals and maximize that potential we see,” George said.

George said the strength of his team, which is coming off a 2-3 season in 2016-17, lies it its potential and the abilities of its untested newcomers.

“Nearly half of our student-athletes have never competed in track and field previously,” George said. “Twelve days of practice won’t provide the conditioning or experience they will need to succeed. But we’ll all work unrelentingly until we get there.”

A few of those newcomers George is referring to are freshmen Emma Rogers and Isabelle Amado, both of whom have caught his eye.

“They have the perfect combination of having the ability to compete in multiple events and the willingness to take on the task of [multiple events],” he said.

While there is an influx of young talent, the Panthers are still going to rely heavily on their veterans – spearheaded by senior captains Camryn Boyce, Lillian Perkins-Reisdorf and Nicole Norve.

“All three girls are not only terrific athletes, but first-class leaders when healthy,” George said. “We’ll need them all healthy if we’re going to make an impact.”

With that trio, along with the likes of juniors Dorothy DiMascio-Donohue and Allison Bartlett and sophomore Samantha Perkins near the top of the roster, George said he feels his club will be relatively strong in mid-distance and sprints/hurdles events.

“Right now, I think we have the making of a terrific 4×200 relay team, and I am confident in our 55-meter hurdles and 300 events,” George said. “I’m optimistic in the 1,000 as well. But beyond that we will have to mix and match to find the right combinations.”

However, George noted while his team has the potential to yield a formidable 4×200 relay team, he would like to see an improved performance in that event from last season, along with the shot put. That will come with time as the team finds a way to replace multi-event school record holder Alex Santos, along with Lily Nolan, Olivia Morse and Olivia Reed.

“I’m confident we’ll get there with the young talent on the team, but we may need to tough it out in a couple of meets first,” George said.

The girls will be back in action on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 4:30 p.m. at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury against Duxbury.

“So much about track is based on the individual performance of each athlete which differentiates it from other sports,” George said. “There are no set plays like football, no assists like basketball and baseball. It’s pretty much youversus the clock.”

Coletti runs to West Point

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Samantha Colleti will run at Army West Point next season. The Whitman-Hanson Regional High senior is a heralded runner.

One local Hanson resident is taking her talents to the collegiate level by a different route.

Samantha Coletti has officially received her appointment from the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

Coletti, a senior at Whitman-Hanson Regional High, first showed interest in attending the United States Military Academy before the school year began. Coletti reached out to the track coach about it via email over the summer, and said she was thrilled when she heard the news that she was accepted.

“I remember running downstairs in excitement after getting a call from [the track coach] a few days later,” Coletti said.

W-H girls’ indoor trach head coach, Steve George, said Coletti is the type of athlete coaches dream of having. Screen Shot 2018-01-14 at 11.00.13 AM

“Samantha is one of those student-athletes that comes along rarely, if ever, for most coaches,” George said. “I was aware of Samantha when she was in middle school, but didn’t have the opportunity to work with her until two years ago when I got the Whitman-Hanson coaching position. I kidded one of Samantha’s neighbors while I was still coaching at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham that I would be happy to pay Samantha’s tuition if she would transfer to NDA.”

Coletti said she has been running for about nine years, with four at the high school level. Her list of achievements while running for Whitman-Hanson Regional High Schoolis immense.

“My biggest accomplishments so far have been being the first Whitman-Hanson girl to win two state titles in one day,” Coletti said. “I won the MIAA Division 3 indoor mile and the MIAA Division 3 1,000-meter races.”

George said Coletti’s success stems from her passion and dedication to running.

“She is physically gifted, mentally tough, and follows our training platform to perfection, but running for her is not drudgery as it is for some,” George said. “It is what she enjoys doing. Loving your work makes it easier to succeed.”

Coletti said she has gained a wealth of knowledge over her time in high school.

“What I’ve learned at Whitman-Hanson is how important team is,” Coletti said. “You can’t do anything by yourself. On the track team, everyone is important.”

Coletti is a year-round competitor. She ran cross country in the fall, is running indoor track this winter and will run outdoor track in the spring.

As for the next level, Coletti said she is most excited to be a part of the traditions at West Point and to build strong relationships with her fellow cadets and eventually become a leader in the Army.

When Coletti isn’t running, she said she has an interest in art and an eagerness to spend time with friends andfamily. There is one more message that she would like to convey to everyone who made this opportunity come true.

There is one more message that she would like to convey to everyone who made this opportunity come true.

“I want to say thank you to anyone who has supported me,” Coletti said. “My family, coach, friends and teachers, I really appreciate everything you have done for me.”