Upper Dublin boys, girls stay on track with wins over Abington
FORT WASHINGTON — It’s hard to predict the weather this time of year, evidenced by Tuesday’s cold, blustery conditions despite the calendar turning to May.
But as far as sure bets, Matt Castronuovo in distance events is a pretty good one for Upper Dublin.
The senior pulled off that rare trifecta on Tuesday, winning the 1,600, 800 and 3,200 to help power the Cardinals to an 86-64 win over Abington in a Suburban One League Liberty Division battle.
The Cardinal girls also prevailed, winning 119-31 to make it a sweep for UD.
“It’s a great day,” Castronuovo said.
The senior started his afternoon by clocking first in the mile (4:25.63). Victories in the 800 (2:03.79) and 32 (10:15.56) followed soon after.
“I was a little surprised (in the 16). Peter Murray (of Abington) – he’s a great runner. He caught me a little bit off guard by going with me,” Castronuovo said. “He took it out in a (64-second split). And I was just holding my strength and making sure I was gonna finish that.”
The Cardinals’ distance ace pulled away down the stretch, winning the event by just under five seconds.
Said the senior: “I don’t like to rely on my kick but I know it’s there when I need it.”
“Most races, I just turn it loose with 200 to go,” he said. “And it worked out today.”
Onto the 800…
“My plan was to just let someone take it, let them break the wind for me,” he said of the cold gusts swirling around the turns. “It was really windy on that back stretch. And then I would just do the work from there.
“It’s all about controlling what you can control. So I just ran my own race and let the wind do its thing.”
Castronuovo is one to watch as things heat up.
“I’m thrilled. There were a lot of good preparation races I’ve been hitting, getting me ready to run with some big competition,” he said, “especially at the Penn Relays, learning how to run with guys of my caliber.”
The Cardinals also benefited from the leaping ability of Rohan Bryan, who won both the long jump and the triple, and rode the arm of Kyree Butler for victories in the discus and shot put.
Tyler Abraham dashed to wins in the 100, 200 and 400 for the Ghosts.
Ashley MacNeal sprinted to firsts in the 100 and 200 for the Upper Dublin girls and Lilly Pittakas won the 300 hurdles, high jump and long for UD.
Skye Harrison continued her push in the quarter mile for the Ghosts.
Boys Track
Upper Dublin 86, Abington 64
300 hurdles: Shawn Swinton (A) 42.02; 4×800 relay: Upper Dublin (Michael Caruso, Chase Williams, James Castronuovo, Abraham Roh), 8:56.15; 100: Tyler Abraham (A) 11.20; 1,600: Matt Castronuovo (UD) 4:25.63; 4×100 relay: Abington, 44.65; 400: Tyler Abraham (A) 50.53; 110 hurdles: Swinton (A) 16.15; 800: Matt Castronuovo (UD) 2:03.79; 200: Tyler Abraham (A) 22.25; 3,200: Matt Castronuovo (UD) 10:15.56; 4×400 relay: Abington (Luke Coleman, Anthony D’Angelo, Ryan Smith, Keith Axten), 3:29.81; High Jump: Ethan Jean-Paul (A) 5-4; Pole Vault: Christian Broome (UD) 12-6; Long Jump: Rohan Bryan (UD) 20-0.5; Triple Jump: Rohan Bryan (UD) 37-1; Discus: Kyree Butler (UD) 109-0; Javelin: Brice McCarthy (UD) 115-9; Shot Put: Kyree Butler (UD) 41-5.
Girls Track
Upper Dublin 119, Abington 31
300 hurdles: Lilly Pittakas (UD) 48.08; 4×800 relay: Abington (Peyton Farabaugh, Shaely James, Nora Loftus, Camilla Rodriguez), 11:29.85; 100: Ashley MacNeal (UD) 12.99; 1,600: Emily Kulak (UD) 5:33.85; 4×100 relay: Abington (Hannah Winters, Sydney Smith, Rose Coyle, Ella Swanijung), 51.92; 400: Skye Harrison (A) 1:06.43; 100 hurdles: Olivia Burdo (UD) 16.62; 800: Mimi Pastore (UD) 2:25.44; 200: Ashley MacNeal (UD) 26.94; 3,200: Brooke Reardon (UD) 13:29.76; 4×400 relay: Abington (Janiyah Black, Sydney Smith, Ella Swanijung, Natalie Neumann), 4:16.68; High Jump: Lilly Pittakas (UD) 5-0; Pole Vault: Natalie Ciocari (UD) 9-0; Long Jump: Lilly Pittakas (UD) 16-2; Triple Jump: Mason Kullmann (UD) 30-0.5; Discus: Brooke Kinsley (UD) 71-4; Javelin: Hannah Gong (UD) 79-9; Shot Put: Colleen Besachio (UD) 27-10.
