WILLIAMSTOWN — The rain and cold weather didn’t slow down athletes at the Western Mass. Div. 2 Track and Field Championship on Saturday at Mount Greylock. 

Those conditions certainly didn’t bother Frontier’s Ben Cachiguango, who set a PR in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.13 seconds to take first place while also earning a first place finish in the 400 hurdles with a run of 56.86 seconds. 

“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” Cachiguango said. “Last year, I was injured and couldn’t run at this meet. Going across that finish line felt great.” 

Cachiguango had familiar competition in the 110 hurdles, as he knew Greenfield’s Mason Youmell, Mahar’s Mitchell Krasco and South Hadley’s Jameson Webber would be challenging him for the title. 

In the final race, Krasco took second (15.13), Youmell placed third (15.81) while Webber took fourth (16.0), with the race coming down to the wire. 

“I know Mason, Mitch, Jameson,” Cachiguango said. “We all know each other. I’ll be ready to see them again at states and I know they’re going to be coming for me.” 

Those two first place finishes helped the Frontier boys earn a second place finish on the day as a team with 81 points. Mount Greylock was the winner with 116 points while South Hadley came in third with 59 points. 

Mount Greylock was the winner on the girls side as well with 169.5 points. Frontier took second with 67 points and Pioneer came in third with 49. 

Though his top event going into the season was the 110 hurdles, Cachiguango said he’s found a groove in the 400 hurdles as well which gives him extra confidence heading into the MIAA Div. 5 state meet next week at Tufts. 

“I might be switching to the 400,” Cachiguango said. “I’ve been running really well there. I’ve gotten better at the 110 but I’m excited to have unlocked the 400.” 

The day was not all lost for Krasco despite the second place finish in the 110 hurdles as the senior won the triple jump with a leap of 44 feet, 1.75 inches. He also finished fifth in the 400 hurdles (1:00.75) on a busy day for the senior. 

“My first jump was good and I was just trying to get my mark,” Krasco said. “My second jump I felt was my best but I fouled by about half an inch. Then I had to go do the 400 meter hurdles so I came back feeling sore. I felt better on my last jump, refocused and that’s where I got my best jump.” 

The defending Div. 2 110 hurdles champion, Krasco was disappointed to finish in second but said he’ll be back stronger at states. 

“Those were great races,” Krasco said. “I’m so mad I lost that hurdle race. I really wanted that. I had a really good start but [Cachiguango] had a better finish. I have states to try to avenge it.” 

Cachiguango wasn’t the only Recorder Area athlete to earn two first place finishes on Saturday. 

Athol’s Nick Leblanc entered the day as the favorite in the shot put and the discus and he didn’t disappoint, placing first in both events. 

The junior won the shot with a toss of 44-3 and the discus with a throw of 156-9. 

“I had to show up still,” Leblanc said. “I did alright. I wanted to do a little better in shot put but it is what it is.” 

Leblanc set the Athol school record in the discus earlier in the season and is hoping to further that record at states. 

“It’s been a good season,” Leblanc said. “I’ve PR’d just meet except for two. I’m hoping to get 170 at states. I just have to push it in practice and try to push out my record.” 

Pioneer’s Louise Flagollet helped power the Panthers to their third place team finish, as the sophomore took first place in the girls high jump with a leap of 5-2. 

“Winning high jump was a really big confidence booster,” Flagollet said. “This season started off really bad so to be able to come this far has felt really great.” 

Flagollet also finished fifth in the 400 (1:03.21) and along with Sahana Heilman, Dani Teaca and Emmanuelle Flagollet won the 4x100 relay (53.27). 

“My 400 wasn’t the best but I’m OK with it,” Flagollet said. “The relay was great. I’ve never been in a track meet in the rain before so it was different.”

Mohawk Trail had a pair of individual winners on Saturday. 

Chay Mojallali reclaimed his boys high jump title with a leap of 6-4 while Morgan Raffa won the girls discus with a throw of 100 feet, nine inches. 

For Raffa, it was all about embracing the elements and putting on a big performance. She was able to beat out Turners Falls’ Tristan Bliss, who settled for second (95-7). 

“It was pretty good,” Raffa said. “It started out rough with all the rain but I managed. This feels pretty cool. It brings me back to middle school when I won Western Mass. in discus as well.”

Being at a Western Mass. championship helped push Raffa, as she said she wanted to perform her best against the best competition in the area. 

“Something snapped and I felt I had to grab something out here,” Raffa said. “If not, what was the point of coming out here? I’m feeling good going into states but there’s a bunch of things I still need to work on. I’m happy that I did what I did here so I know what I need to work on going forward.” 

It was a long wait for Mahar’s Stellina Moore in the girls pole vault. The boys pole vault was pushed back due to the rain, with Moore and the other competitors having to patiently wait for their chance to compete. 

When she was able to compete, Moore was the lone jumper to clear 9-6 to take first place. 

“We waited around for a long time,” Moore said. “My high jump wasn’t that good, my hurdles wasn’t good. I thought 9-6 might be tough but my sister told me to jump to the mountains. I was hoping to get it still so I was happy.” 

While she was sick all week, Moore powered through and is hoping to be her best at states. 

“I went for 9-8 trying to get out of the 9-6 pack for states,” Moore said. “It’s OK I didn’t get it. I’m hoping for 10 at states. A little more practice will help.” 

Greenfield’s Mason Youmell was right behind Cachiguango in both hurdle events, placing second in the 400 hurdles (58.39) and adding a third place finish in pole vault (11-6). 

“It feels nice,” Youmell said. “Pole vault, I almost got 12 feet which would have been a PR. The 110 hurdles was close but the 400 hurdles I was nowhere close to my best time. I went into it thinking it was a cold and rainy meet but Ben went in thinking it was his meet.”

Pioneer wasn’t the only local team to perform well in the relays. 

The Greenfield boys team of Jack Laurie, Caleb Murray, Krish Patel and Kymel Ramsey blazed through the 4x100 relay in a time of 45.05 seconds to take first place on the day. That finish was just ahead of Sci-Tech, who took second (45.29). 

“They haven’t lost a race this season,” Green Wave coach Pete Conway said. “They’ve worked very hard all year.” 

The Frontier girls 4x400 relay team of Madelyn Antes, Mara Allium, Addie Morrey and Josie Fosnot took first place with a time of 4:22.72, beating South Hadley by .12 seconds. 

The Frontier boys 4x800 team of Charlie Dennis, Luke Howard, Gus Radner and Evan Hedlund also walked away with a first place finish with a time of 8:39.82. That was 10 seconds faster than Mt Greylock (8:49.66), which settled for second. 

It was a number of top five performances that helped the Frontier girls take second on Saturday. 

Hannah Davis placed fifth in the 100 hurdles (17.06) and fifth in the triple jump (32-7.25), Fosnot came in third in the 400 (1:02.69), Sylvie DiBartolomeo took second in the 2 mile (11:52.21), Lilly Novak placed fourth in the discus (90-4) and third in shot put (30-6.5), Elsa Brown took third in the pole vault (8-6) and Olive Klaus came in fifth in the pole vault (7-6). 

Rounding out the top 10 placers for the Redhawk girls were Moorey in the 800 (2:35.66), Liv Christensen in the 2 mile (11:52.21) and pole vault (7-0), Abbi Grover in the discus (87-4), Mary Burt in high jump (4-10) and Bailey Cusson in javelin (97-0). The Frontier girls also took third in the 4x800 relay (10:42.28). 

For the Pioneer girls Emmanuelle Flagollet came in fourth in the 100 hurdles (16.85) and fifth in the 400 hurdles (1:11.16), Natalie Rios took second in the javelin (115-2) and fifth in the long jump (14-9.5), Sahana Heilman placed sixth in the long jump (14-8), Dani Teaca came in eighth in the long jump (14-8) and Charley Harrington placed 10th in triple jump (31-4). 

Top 10 placers for the Frontier boys were Adrien Pazmandy in the 400 (third, 52.28) and pole vault (second, 11-6), Dennis in the 800 (second, 2:02.21), Hedlund in the mile (4:32.7), Julian Adams in discus (seventh, 116-5) and javelin (138-5), John Reloj in discus (116-3), Ezra Rich in discus (ninth, 113-1) and shot put (fifth, 38-5), Garrett Dredge in long jump (10th, 17-8) and triple jump (37-7), Radner in pole vault (9-6) and Henry Pleasant in pole vault (9-0). The Redhawks also took third in the 4x400 (3:38.68). 

For Athol, Ethan Goodwin came in 10th in the boys javelin (123-7) while Karleigh Chase took sixth in girls shot put (28-7). 

Franklin Tech’s Sam Bodenstein placed eighth in the boys 200 (23.71) and Josiah Little took seventh in the boys long jump (19-1). 

For Greenfield, Laurie placed fifth in the boys 100 (11.38) and second in javelin (141-6), Kyra Tamsin came in 10th in the girls 400 hurdles (1:15.14), Patel took fifth in the boys high jump (5-10), Jon Breor took sixth in boys javelin (131-9) and 10th in shot put (35-5.5), Annie Cobileanschi took 10th in girls pole vault (6-6) and Nina St. Clair came in fourth in girls triple jump (32-7.25). The Green Wave girls 4x400 relay team took 10th (4:58.04) and the girls 4x800 relay team came in 10th (11:46.17). 

Mahar’s Mathieu Soucy took fifth in the boys 200 (23.33) and fourth in the 400 (52.62), Moore added a ninth place finish in the high jump (4-6), Coltin Fausett took sixth in boys pole vault (10-0), Taylor Paluk took sixth in girls pole vault (7-6) and the Senator boys 4x400 team took seventh (3:46.66). 

For Mohawk Trail, Tanner Biagini took 10th in the boys 200 (23.87), Aymeric Loucka came in eighth in the boys 80 (2:11.37), Anya Read placed sixth in the girls 800 (2:35.14), Rex Kuoppala placed eighth in the boys mile (4:47.47), Virginia Krezmien came in third in the girls mile (5:31.98), Peter Healy took sixth in the boys 2 mile (10:32.06), Crimson Helenek placed eighth in the boys javelin (128-3), Raffa took seventh in the girls javelin (99-4), Tristan Feinstein took eighth in boys pole vault (9-6) and Avery Johnston came in ninth in girls shot put (27-9.25). The Warrior 4x100 boys relay team took seventh place (47.44), its boys 4x800 relay came in ninth (9:36.72) while the Warrior girls took eighth in the 4x100 (54.44), ninth in the 4x400 (4:44.33) and fourth in the 4x800 (10:48.01). 

For the Pioneer boys, Ryan Spofford came in fifth in the 800 (2:07.46) and Carter Berthiaume took eighth in the high jump (5-8). 

Turners Falls’ Abby Lenois took ninth in the girls high jump (4-6).