It’s been a race to the finish line, but Old Rochester Regional High School has achieved big wins for both boys and girls track teams.

Both teams came in first place at the South Coast Conference Championship meet on Thursday, May 19, at Apponequet Regional High School in Lakeville.

They competed against ten other teams, where each competing student had to meet a qualifying standard. Coach Bill Tilden said that this win is more usual for the girls’ team than the boys’, as the girls have been defending the title for the past ten years.

The girls’ team runner Julia Sheridan took first place in the 400-meter dash, and Madison Conner took first in the 800. Hanna Whalley brought it home for the Bulldogs with first place in the 1-mile run.

The team also scored the top two places in the 100 meter hurdles and long jump, with Jennifer Williams in first and Maggie Brogioli in second. Brogioli also took first place in the high jump. Sheridan earned first place in the javelin throw.

On the boys’ team, Leo Schiappa took first place in the 100-meter dash. Colby Gross from Old Rochester earned first place in the 200-meter. Murray Copps sped ahead for first place in the 1-mile run. The boys also took first in the 4x400 and 4x800 relays.

These scores helped the teams rank first overall against the other teams at the meet.

At the start of the season, Tilden said that the team had twice as many athletes as the previous year with “many new faces.” He says that watching the improvement of new athletes is “always fun.”

“It’s been a great year for the team,” Tilden said.

This week, Old Rochester Regional track will compete in the Division Championships on Thursday, May 26, and Saturday, May 29 where Tilden says that he hopes that some of the runners will qualify to move to the All-State Championships.