Hold the lead. Hold the lead.
That thought raced through Kayla Bohlin’s mind as she anchored the 4×400-meter relay for the Wellesley girls. Once Emma Tuxbury handed her the baton in the meet’s final event, Bohlin flew around the track at the Reggie Lewis Center, staying well ahead.
“I noticed we had a really big lead when I was getting the baton, so mentally, I’m always thinking, ‘Hold the lead,’ ’’ Bohlin said. “The 4×400 is really stressful, especially when you’re anchor.
“When I have a big lead, it ignites it even more — I want to hold it. You don’t want to let your team down.’’
Her determined effort solidified Wellesley’s spot atop the MSTCA Division 2 Relays on Saturday morning. Wellesley finished with 46 points, besting Woburn (41) and Hopkinton (34.48) for the Raiders’ second title in three years.
“It’s a great feeling,’’ said Wellesley coach John Griffith. “We came into this meet feeling good about ourselves. We brought the energy here to this building, and it was great — it really helped our kids compete. Woburn gave us a great test . . . We’re excited about the win.’’
Though Woburn held the advantage through the first few events, Wellesley’s depth racked up enough points to pull ahead. The group placed second in the 4×200 (1:48.93), second in the 4×800 (9:43.73), and first in the distance medley (12:52.17).
“That’s why we love this meet. It’s a bunch of girls together, working as a team, collectively,’’ said Griffith.
Wellesley’s success wasn’t limited to the track. In the long jump relay, Annie Comella — who ran the first leg of the 4×400 — Sara Gander, and Tara Battaglino jumped a collective 15.19 meters, beating Dennis-Yarmouth’s meet record from 2003.
“We’re grateful to have a super amazing coach who really knows what he’s doing,’’ said Comella, who will run track at Michigan. “We have a really tight group that we practice with, and we feel each other’s energy.
“We’re really positive going into it.’’
The winner of the boys’ competition had similar depth. Despite winning only the 4×50 hurdles behind Nate Solivan, Aidan McGarry, Trey Kean, and Santiago Alvarez, North Andover tallied 56 points to top Hopkinton (41) and Peabody (39).
“We love our depth,’’ said North Andover coach Jason Guarente. “We had a couple of ‘B’ teams score on the high jump and shot put, which is pretty awesome.
“It’s a team event, and we look forward to this meet every single year. The team came together and came through.’’
The win came on Guarente’s 34th birthday. Call it a present, but don’t call it a surprise. The North Andover boys have won the Division 2 relay title every year the competition has been held since 2019.
“We’ve been on a pretty good stretch,’’ said Guarente.
