Milton’s Paul Connor
conquers a new event
By Justin A. RiceBut last year’s 400-meter All-State outdoor champ from Milton High School never dreamed he’d win this year’s 600 title at the Division 3 Indoor Track & Field Championships.
“The first time I did the 600, I ran a 1:30 and I thought it was good, but my coach was like ‘Yeah, it’s good, but you can get faster,’ ” Connor said Friday, after coming off the podium at the Reggie Lewis Center.
Connor, whose winning time was 1:24.04, said when he started running the 600 he’d simply draft behind the pack before overtaking the leaders.
“(Friday) was different, because I was four seconds ahead of everybody, so I couldn’t follow,” he said.
Connor said he finally felt comfortable in his new event two weeks ago at the Bay State Conference meet, when he ran his fastest time of year – 1:23.31.
“I’m trying to get 1:22. (Coach Chuck Ajemian) wants me down to 1:20 but I don’t know if I can do it,” Connor said. “I just need someone to run with (at All-States).
“If I have someone to follow I can beat him.”
But Ajemian didn’t know if Connor will be in the fast heat at next Saturday’s All-States (also at the Reggie Lewis Center), a placement he said will be crucial for Connor to have a chance at the title.
“He’s not fast enough in the 300; he’s really a 400 runner,” Ajemian said. “The idea was to get him ready for outdoor and the best shot was to use the 600 to train for the 400. He couldn’t win a state title in the 300, but I think he can win in the 600. It will be tough now, if he’s not in the seeded heat.”
Milton senior Shad Sommers also qualified for All-States by finishing fifth in the shot put, with a toss of 47-04.75.
Connor wasn’t as successful in the 4x200 relay (Milton finished 11th, in 1:37.09), but other teams from Ledgerland fared well: Hingham finished fourth (1:35.78), Randolph placed fifth (1:36.11) and Canton was sixth (1:36.35).
Randolph finished second in the 4x400 relay (3:28.47 – a time that broke the previous meet record), while Hingham ran second in the 4x800 (8:30.97).
Other local All-State qualifiers included Randolph senior Jean Emanuel (third in the 300; 36.45), and Hingham junior Dana Lindberg (third in the 55; 6.64). Lindberg was also fifth in the long jump (20-04).
Sixth-place finishers were Duxbury’s Jonathan McKinley (4:37.68 in the mile), Canton’s Michael Bates (6-0 in the high jump).
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