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Salem flexes its muscles at Meet of Champions

Saturday, June, 05 By Michael Muldoon
Staff writer

Rozumek soars to victory

Victoria Rozumek high jumped 5-2 in the winter, but then a mysterious “mental block’’ marred her season.

Squaring off with the great Becca Parascandola of Londonderry can knock any athlete for a loop, never mind a sophomore like Salem’s Rozumek. Parascandola, after all, is the reigning Eagle-Tribune MVP.

But Rozumek was up to the challenge, topping the Cornell recruit in one of the upsets of the day at Merrimack High.

For the second straight week Rozumek cleared 5-4. She cleared it on her first attempt and Parascandola missed. When neither cleared 5-6, Rozumek was the champion.

“That was something I wanted for a while,’’ she said of upsetting Parascandola. “I just took a deep breath and said, ‘I can do this.’’’

When the Londonderry star missed, Rozumek admitted, “I was pretty excited.’’

And an All-State champion.

She’s the second talented trackster in the family.

“My sister Nicole did track,’’ said Rozumek, whose father Dave, a former NFL linebacker, is the Salem AD. “She said you should try the high jump. I started track in sixth grade and I loved it. I’ve been doing it ever since.’’

Of her indoor struggles, the 5-foot-10 Rozumek said, “I never want to relive that. It was horrible.’’

Parascanola certainly didn’t go away empty-handed. In addition to the high jump silver, she came from behind to nip Bishop Guertin’s Beth McKenna in the high hurdles 14.77-14.81, to repeat in that event, and also was second in the long jump.

Higgins sets new area mark

Melissa Higgins smashed the area 300 low hurdles record with a 44.52 clocking. That was enough to win a tight race for the title over Lebanon's Tess Cioffredi (44.83) and beat the area mark of 44.74 set by North Andover's Cassie Bowe in 2006.

“I thought that (the record) was way out of reach until my mother mentioned it,’’ said the Salem junior, referring to her near miss last week at Class L when she won in 44.76. “I never know how it will go but I knew I really had to push it. By then it’s all guts. Your muscles are done. It’s who wants it more. I was looking at the seconds (ticking away on the oversized clock). That’s a real motivator.’’

Prior to this season, Higgins was a premier 400 runner, placing third at Meet of Champions last spring.

“I ran the 400 the first meet and I didn’t have a great time,’’ she said. “One day they put me in the 300 and it was more comfortable and more exciting.''

Repeat effort for Desrosiers

Two down, one to go for Salem junior Amy Desrosiers, who repeated as the discus champ. She won with a 128-4 heave, just off her personal best, to outdistance Londonderry junior Lyssa Winslow (124-11).

“It went pretty well,’’ said Desrosiers. “It was pretty hot out there. That’s two years running. It feels pretty good to say I’m the best in New Hampshire.’’

But it would sound better to say best in New England. Last year she was runner-up.

“I’d like to take it,’’ she said of Saturday's regional championship in New Britain, Conn.

She didn’t feel added pressure being the defending champ.

“I like having people look up to me,’’ said Desrosiers.

Now she knows, Buatti is state's best

Athletes perform best when they keep things as simple as possible. Unfortunately for Taylor Buatti, that isn’t always possible.

The Salem senior vaulter had to be concerned with the heat, the stiff competition, the new pole which she just began using on Tuesday and trying to set a new career best.

Besides that, there was nothing to think about!

Buatti can obviously multi-task as she won the pole vault with a career-best 9-6.

“The whole season, the pole vault was 10 pounds higher than my weight,’’ explained Buatti, who is also one of the state’s top gymnasts. “This week my coaches borrowed a lighter pole. I adapted really well but Tuesday I was so nervous and so scared.’’

Yesterday, it was about keeping her mind clear.

“The whole time I said stay calm, you’ve done this a million times before.’’

The 9-6 was huge as it gave her a career best and the title. Only she didn’t know it.

“My coach said, ‘You just won.’ I was shocked. I thought we were going to have a jump-off!’’

Fedrick leaves competition in the dust

Every time Jerickson Fedrick takes to the track, young linebackers around the Granite State shudder. They can see what awaits them in the fall.

At 6-foot, 200 pounds, the super sophomore fullback is already hearing from BC, UConn and UNH. With some of his track times, that list could swell.

Yesterday he brought home the gold in the 100 (10.99) and 200 (22.56).

“I just come out and compete,’’ said Fedrick, who rushed for 1,186 yards for the Division 1 state champs in the fall. “I just tell myself to do better. Of course, it means a lot. Not everyone gets first. Under 11, that was my goal. I love football, that’s what I look forward to. But I enjoy this.’’

Salem was the top seed in the 4x100 but Fedrick, the anchor, never got a chance to strut his stuff another time. Salem dropped the baton earlier in the race.

“It was just a mistake. It’s upsetting,’’ he said.

Kimball makes her mark

Freshman Hannah Kimball of Timberlane has championship bloodlines (her father Mark ran a blistering 9:10.9 2-mile for Timberlane in 1978) and has a big heart.

With her win in the 800 yesterday, it seems a certainty she'll soon be mentioned with Timberlane distance running legends like her father, his twin brother, Dean, Rebecca White, Kristin Cobb and Jessica Flinn. 

Kimball sliced 1.39 seconds off her career best with a time of 2:18.44. That was enough to edge another talented frosh, Bishop Guertin's Sarah Burke (2:18.66).

Phenomenal Francis adds to his resume

Bishop Guertin senior Francis Hernandez, who had only run the 800 once this spring prior to yesterday, won going away in 1:53.90. He was shooting for Russell Brown’s record of 1:50.85, and after his sub-55 second first 400 it looked like he might do it. But the Providence recruit labored a bit on the second lap.

Although only athletes at local schools are eligible for the area's all-time list, that would rank him No. 1 among local schoolboys all-time, surpassing Bob Strout of Haverhill's 36-year-old standard of 1:54.4.

Two Phillips Academy runners from outside of the region did run faster than 1:53.90.