Before Heading (With A Relay In Tow) To Track Nationals, Krafian Places Twice at New Englands

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Photo: They’re back! Anoush and the Belmont Boys (this photo is from last year’s event) return to the National Outdoor track meet this weekend. (Heather Krafian, photo)

Before she leaves Thursday for the 2018 New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet in Greensboro, N.C., Belmont High’s recent graduate Anoush Krafian traveled to the New England Championships in Durham this past Saturday, June 9, and had double the fun of the other athletes.

The Dartmouth-bound track not only competed in her specialty, the 100-meter hurdles against the best runners and jumpers in the five-state region, Krafian also took time to compete in the high jump. That meant Krafian ran a preliminary round and the finals over the ten hurdles while taking a number of attempts at the jump. In the end, arguably Belmont’s best all-around track athlete in school history had quite an afternoon on the campus of the University of New Hampshire.

After taking the Massachusetts state championship last week in near record time of 14.26 seconds, Krafian took second to senior Katherine Jacobs of Connecticut’s Northwest Catholic High School as the Babson-bound hurdler came home in 14.84, four one-hundred of a second in front of Krafian’s 14.88. 

Earlier in the morning, Krafian cleared 5-feet, 5 inches, equalling the fourth highest jump with five other athletes which was good enough for sixth place due to the number of misses she accumulated. 

On Friday and Saturday, Krafian returns to the Nationals to compete in the two-day heptathlon, in which participants gain points on how well they perform seven track events – 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200-metre run on the first day; and the long jump, javelin, and 800-meters on the second day. Last year, Krafian finished in fifth with 4,496 points, about 450 points behind the winner Kaitlyn Kirby of Palm Harbor, Fla. 

Like last year, Krafian will have company from her hometown in Greensboro as a team of four Belmont High seniors will compete in the 1,600-meter Sprint Medley Relay (comprised of two 200 meters legs, a 400 meters leg then finishing with an 800 meters anchor) as Bryan Huang, Max Serrano-Wu, Mel Nagashima and Belmont High 400 meter record holder Calvin Perkins will attempt to earn All-American status. 

Belmont’s sprint medley relay team which will compete at Nationals this weekend.

Track: Krafian Repeats As Hurdles State Champ; Perkins 2nd In Record Time

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Photo: Anoush Krafian

Belmont High School Senior Anoush Krafian finished her Massachusetts High School track career in style by repeating as champion in the 100 meters hurdles, coming within one-one hundredth of a second of the state record as she left a talented field in her wake at the MIAA All-State Outdoor Track and Field Meet held at Fitchburg State University on Saturday, June 2. 

The Dartmouth-bound Krafian flew over the 10 33-inch barriers in 14.26 seconds, a personal best and a Belmont High School record to win by more than half-a-second over runner-up Saige Tudisco of Pentucket Regional in 14.80. Krafian’s time was .01 of a second back of the state record of 14.25 set in 2011 by Brockton’s Vanessa Clerveaux who currently runs for Haiti internationally.

Earlier in the meet, Krafian jumped to a fourth-place finish in the high jump with a 5-foot, 6-inch effort, which tied with two other athletes for the second highest attempt (Krafian took fourth on the number of misses she accumulated in the meet) behind Anna Jordahl-Henry of Wellesley who won scaling 5’8″.

On Thursday, Krafian came close to repeating as the state’s pentathlon champion – a title she won indoors in February – as she broke her own state outdoor record by nearly 150 points. But she was overtaken by sophomore Jada Johnson of Sharon who destroyed her own personal best by 300 points to win the five-event competition, 3,529 to 3,408.

With her first, second and fourth place showings, Krafian earned all of Belmont’s 23 points to place 6th out of 71 schools scoring in the meet. 

On the boys’ side of the ledger, Belmont High Senior Calvin Perkins repeated last year’s All-State result placing second in a school record 48.16, this time to Phillips Magre of Somerville who dipped below the 48 second line in 47.98. Perkins took a half-second off last year’s race time to come close to the state record set by Boston College High’s Mike Greene 35 years ago. 

Belmont’s 4X400 relay team of seniors Max Serrano-Wu, Mel Nagashima, Bryan Huang and junior Nicholas Picardi took 7th in finals in 3 minutes, 24.75 seconds. 

Belmont’s Boys finished 25th with 10 points out of 77 teams scoring.

Krafian Smash EMass Division 2 Pentathlon Record

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Photo: Anoish Krafian (far right) with her fellow competitiors.

Belmont High School Senior Anoush Krafian destroyed the EMass Division 2 record in the multi-event pentathlon at Greater New Bedford Voc Tech High School on Thursday, May 24.      

The Dartmouth-bound trackster compiling 3,409 points, nearly 500 points greater than the record set last year by Tyler Orlandella of Beverly. Krafian’s dominance was seen by finishing first in three of the events (100-yard hurdles, long jump, shot put)  and second (high jump, 800 meters) in the other two. 

Also competing on Thursday were Belmont’s two pole vaulters, sophomore Soleil Tseng and freshman Sarah Firth. Tseng, a member of the 2018 All-American indoor 4X400 mix relay, vaulted 8 feet and a half for 7th place, while Firth just missed on her attempts.

Krafian now looks to Monday, May 28, where she’ll compete in the individual events in the EMass D2 championships. Having run in Division 3 last year, Krafian will be seeking her first titles in her dominate event, the 100 hurdles, and compete in high jump and long jump. 

Next Thursday at Fitchburg State, Krafian will seek to defend her All-State pentathlon title as she meets last year’s runner-up Natalie Marshall of Newton North. Marshall set the Division 1 record on Thursday with a season leading 3,426 points.

Belmont Track’s Krafian, Calvin, Relays Shine At Coaches’ Invitational Meet

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Photo: MSTCA State Coaches Meet director Mike Miller and the field of an athlete of the meet Shira Stoller (left) and the Overall athlete of the meet Anoush Krafian (right). (photo credit: MSTCA)

In a warm-up for the league, division and state championships upcoming in the next three weeks, Belmont High top track athletes are hinting at some big results after putting forth some outstanding performances at the Massachusetts State Track Coaches’ Association Invitational on Saturday, May 12.

At the boys’ events held at Durfee High in Fall River, senior Calvin Perkins destroyed a talented field in the 400 meters, powering home to win in 48.98 seconds, a full second and a half in front of Boston College High sophomore Shawn Carter. Perkins then anchored Belmont’s 4×400 relay to his second victory of the day, again in impressive fashion as the quartet finished in 3 minutes and 27.95 seconds, two seconds clear of the second place squad.

Also showing his talent in two events, junior Merrill Barnes finished in fifth in the long jump (19 feet, 2 and a quarter inches) and tied for eighth in the high jump (5 feet, 10 inches). Senior Mike Pomer raced to 10th in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:00.64.

As for a glimpse into the future, Belmont freshman Preston Jackson-Stephen won the freshman 100 meters in 11.88 seconds, the Marauders’ sophomore 4×100 placed fifth and sophomore Stephen Carvalho dipped under 10 minutes in the two miles in a time of 9:56.77 to place 10th.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Belmont senior star Anoush Krafian came away with her share of silverware as she strode to an easy victory in her specialty, the 100 meter hurdles, in 15.31 second (she qualified for the finals in 15.17) while finishing second in the high jump (5 feet, 2 inches) and a tie for ninth in the long jump with a leap of 16 feet and a half inch. At the end of the competition held a Sharon High School, despite some outstanding performances – including Natick junior Grace Connolly breaking Olympic bronze medalist and New York City marathon winner Shalene Flannigan’s state two-mile record set in 1999 – Krafian left with the Outstanding Overall Athlete of the Meet.

Belmont Girls’ 4×400 relay took home fourth in 4:15.81 while freshman Victoria Meringer finished sixth in the freshman mile in 5:34.23.

Belmont Tracksters Bring Home All-American Honors from Nationals

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Photo: Flanked by Belmont High’s Boys’ (Bill Brotchie) and Girls’ (Brian Dunn) indoor track coaches are Belmont High’s All-Americans: (from left) Calvin Perkins, Max Serrano-Wu, Anoush Krafian, Emily Duffy and Soleil Tseng. 

In a week that saw Belmont High sports teams fall by the wayside seeking state championships, five Belmont High track athletes have come home from New York City as All-Americans after their performances in the New Balance National Indoor track meet held Friday through Sunday, March 9 – 11 at the New Balance Armory.

Senior Anoush Krafian took fifth in the girls’ pentathlon, less than a week after capturing the Massachusetts state pentathlon crown. Competing against the best in the country, the Dartmouth-bound multi-event athlete scored 3,392 points, edging out Chloe Royce from St. Lambe, Quebec, Canada (3,387) for fifth. She trailed the winner of the event, junior Anna Hall of Littleton, Colorado, who scored an impressive 4,054 points.

In the five events which were completed in six hours, Krafian placed sixth in the 60-meter hurdles (9.01 seconds, a PR), 11th in the shot put (27 feet, 4 1/2 inches), 6th in the long jump (17 feet, 4 inches), 4th in the high jump (despite being one of the shorter participants with a leap of 5 feet, 5 inches) and 10th in the 800 meter run (2:35.02).

Awarded All-American status were the four members of the mixed 4×400 meter relay, run for the first time at the meet. Seniors Max Serrano-Wu, Emily Duffy, and Calvin Perkins (who anchored in a scorching 48.23) joined sophomore Soleil Tseng in running the baton in 3 minutes, 38.73 seconds to come home in 6th place. The event was won by a team from Nansemond River, Suffolk, Virginia in 3:32.40. 

ALL-STATE CHAMPS! Perkins, Krafian Take Track Titles, Girls 400 Relay Breaks School Record

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Photo: Belmont’s All-State Champions; Calvin Perkins (left) and Anoush Krafian.

A pair of Belmont senior track athletes raced to the top of the winner’s podium at the 33rd annual MIAA Indoor Track & Field All-State Championship held at Boston’s Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center on Saturday, Feb. 24. 

Calvin Perkins broke the 80-second barrier in the 600 meters, taking first in 1 minute, 19.97 seconds, defeating Newton North junior Theo Burba (1:20.42) by nearly half a second in the two-lapper. 

It was deja vu for Anoush Krafian as the Dartmouth-bound multi-talent won her second all-state hurdle title – she took the 2017 outdoor 100-meter hurdle crown – by the same thinnest of margins, out diving Medway junior Ava Vasile by one-hundredth of a second, 8.26 seconds to 8.27 seconds. Krafian time lowered the school record in the event that she set a week previous winning the Division 2 state championship.

Krafian nearly took two titles, finishing second in the high jump, scaling a season-best 5 feet, 6 inches, only bested by Hingham senior Zoe Dainton who cleared 5’9″. Krafian also took 16th in the long jump, 16′ 6.25″, an event that took place immediately after the hurdles.

Belmont’s quartet in the 4×400 meter relay – seniors Emily Duffy and Carey Allard, sophomore Soleil Tseng and freshman Rachel November – finished in 7th in 4 minutes, 5.06 seconds, breaking the school record of 4:05.33 the team set last week. The Boys 4×400 squad made up of seniors Max-Serrano-Wu, Mel Nagashima, Bryan Huang and Perkins had a rough race with a dropped baton and finished in 3:33.81 for 15th.

The Belmont Girls finished in 6th place with 20 points while the Boys placed 15th with 10 points.



Krafian Named ‘Outstanding Performer’ At State Invitational Track Meet
 

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Photo: Belmont’s Anoush Krafian.


When Anoush Krafian runs or jumps, you can bet that most athletes are trying in vain to catch her. 


At the annual Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association Boys and Girls Invitational for Big Schools held Sunday, Jan. 28 at Boston’s Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, Krafian stole the show by winning one event and was knocking on the door for another, which earned the Belmont High senior the coveted “Outstanding Performer” of the meet award.


The multi-event talent won her speciality, the 60-meter hurdles, with a dominating performance winning in 8.45 seconds, nearly two-tenths of a second in front of senior Christina Speliakos of Milford High (8.71). 


Krafian wasn’t done on the afternoon as she had a go in the high jump placing second with a leap of 5 feet, 4 inches, defeating three competitors with the same height but she had fewer attempts. Only a monster jump of 5 feet, 8 inches by Zoe Dainton from Hingham High School beat her out for the win.


And just for good measure, Krafian took part in the long jump, coming in a respectable 9th with a leap of 16 feet, 11 and 1/2 inches and ran the third leg in the 4×200 meter relay which finished 13th. 


Krafian wasn’t the only Belmont athlete to reach the podium as sophomore Soleil Tseng took an outstanding third in the 600 meters in 1:38.55, the fastest time by a 9th or 10th grader in the event.


Track Record Holders Named Boosters Athletes For December
 

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Photo: Anoush Krafian.


The Belmont Boosters named its December Athletes of the Month.


The Female athlete for December is Anoush Krafian of the Girls’ Indoor Track Team. This season, senior Krafian has set the school’s record in the 55-meter hurdles in 8.41 seconds and the indoor long jump with a leap of 17-feet, 5-inches.


The Male athlete for December is Calvin Perkins of the Boys’ Indoor Track Team. Also a senior, Perkins established a pair of new records: 35.67 seconds in the 300 meters and a 1 minute 21.42 second 600 meters which was the fastest High School time in the US last month.




Krafian Takes Hurdle Title at Dartmouth Relays, Breaks School Records
 

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Photo: Belmont High’s Anoush Krafian doing what she does best; breaking records and winning races.


Most high school students who visit the college they were accepted to will spend a few days to scout out the dorms, visit the town and get a lay of the land.


For Anoush Krafian, visiting Dartmouth College this past weekend was all about the business of being fast. 


The Belmont High senior who will be attending the Ivy League school in the fall arrived at the historic 48th Dartmouth Relays to take part in a trio of events and took way silverware from two.


Krafian won the girls 55-meter hurdles in 8.41 seconds to beat second-place Scarborough, Maine sophomore Emily Labbe by 0.10 seconds. 


Her winning time broke the Belmont High indoor record which Krafian already held. In fact, the state’s defending outdoors’ 100-meter hurdles champion has lowered her best time four times in the past three weeks, from 8.63. 


In addition to the hurdles record, Krafian also broke the school’s indoor long jump record with a leap of 17-feet, 5-inches at the Sprint Classic at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center during the holiday recess. 


In addition to the hurdles at Dartmouth, Krafian tied for third in the girls high jump with a leap of 5-feet, 2-inches and settled for 15th in the girls long jump with a 15-foot jump.  






Banner(s) Season For Girls’ Rugby, Boys’ Tennis, National Honor for Krafian [VIDEO]
 

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Photos: Banner day for Belmont Girls’ Rugby.


It’s been a banner 2017 spring season for Belmont High School sports as the school saw three state championships come through the door and some banners ready to be placed on the wall of the Wenner Field House.


Both Girls Rugby and Boys’ Tennis will see 2017 banners go up; rugby’s historic state championship and tennis’ fantastic post-season run defeating three higher-seeded squads to reach the Divison 2 North sectional finals.


		
		


On the individual side, junior track star Anoush Krafian not only captured two state championships this month as the All-State Outdoor Track and Field Meet – the 100-meter hurdles and the pentathlon – she extended her exceptional season by placing 4th in the 100 hurdles (14.80 seconds) at the New England Championships in Norwell on June 10 before heading to the New Balance National Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Greensboro, NC last weekend to compete in the multi-event heptathlon.


Against the best high school heptathletes in the nation, Krafian placed fifth in the competition that required her to compete in seven individual track and field events including the sprints, jumping, hurdles, middle distance running and throwing. 


During the meet, Krafian achieved personal bests in three events (shot put, high jump and javelin) as well as her total score of 4,496 points, trailing the winner, Kaitlyn Kirby of Florida, by less than 500 points.


Watch Krafin run the 200 meters at Nationals here. She is running in lane 7. 


		
		


Banners have also been hung this school year for Field Hockey (Champions/Middlesex), Girls’ Basketball (Co-champions/Middlesex), Boys’ Golf (Champions/Middlesex) and Baseball (Champions/Middlesex, Super 8 Tournament).