Boston, MA
Girls track All-Scholastics and league All-Stars
GIRLS TRACK
Maya Ashu (Stoughton)
Sophia Axelrod (Walpole)
Katie Caraco (Reading)
Sarah Claflin (Pembroke)
Lily DeForge (Franklin)
Sarah Dumas (Franklin)
Alessandra Forgione (Peabody)
Emerson Gould (Acton-Boxboro)
Abigail Hennessy (Westford Academy)
Nyrah Joseph (Billerica)
Nina Kyei-Aboagye (Sharon)
Dana Lehr (Belmont)
Giuliana Ligor (North Reading)
Erin Moran (Arlington)
Skye Petrie-Cameron (Newton North)
Gabrielle Pierre (Lincoln-Sudbury)
Zoe Santos (Norton)
Aoife Shovlin (Cambridge)
Charlotte Tuxbury (Wellesley)
4×100 relay (Oliver Ames): Julia Hansen, Grace Okocha, Gabrielle Antebi, Lavender Kozoka
4×400 relay (Framingham): Ava Lombardo, Sasha Lamakina, Catelyn Last, Abby Desmarais
4×800 relay (Brookline): Anna Leschly, Lucia Werner, Dasha LeFaivre, Audrey Seeger
HONORABLE MENTION
Averie Denelle (Tri-County)
Abby Desmarais (Framingham)
Emmanuela Edozien (Natick)
Nicole Gangi (Woburn)
Madeline Goncalves (Haverhill)
Greta Hammer (Needham)
Morgan Hayward (Apponequet)
Charity Johnson (Medway)
Elizabeth Hopkins (Franklin)
Lavender Kozaka (Oliver Ames)
Sasha Lamakina (Framingham)
Mia Lee-Bowens (Middleboro)
Liliana MacDonald (Norwell)
Katherine Oliver (Canton)
Quinn Petzold (Lowell)
Lauren Quarm (Methuen)
ALL-SCHOLASTICS
MAYA ASHU
STOUGHTON
The two-time Hockomock League All Star took first in the Div. 3 and All-State meets with a second-place finish at New Englands in the javelin. The senior won all her dual meets and placed first or second in all state meets. She will be studying neurobiology on a pre-med track at either Rider or Rutgers University.
SOPHIE AXELROD
WALPOLE
The three-Time Bay State Conference All-Star team member won the Div. 3 and State discus state titles while also placing second at the New England meet. The senior is the program’s record holder for girl’s discus, indoor shot put and weight and hammer. The honor roll student is also a three-time Div. 3 and Bay State Conference champion who will be attending the University of Delaware while majoring in political science and competing in track and field.
KATIE CARACO
READING
The Middlesex League Liberty MVP placed first in the Div. 3 high jump, pentathlon, triple jump as well as second place in the long jump and third place in the triple jump at the Meet of Champions. The senior also took first in the high jump as well as third place in the triple jump at New Englands. The former MSTCA Outstanding Female Field Athlete of the Meet is an honor roll student and will be studying psychology at Sacred Heart University while running track and field.
SARAH CLAFLIN
PEMBROKE
The 17-time state champion and six-time all-state champion won the Div. 4 and Meet of Champions in the 100-meters as well as the Div. 4 200-meter race. The senior also was runner-up in the 200 at the Meet of Champions. She will be running at UConn next year.
LILY DEFORGE
FRANKLIN
The Div. 1 champion in discus qualified for the New Balance National meet with her shotput and discus throws. The Hockomock League and Div. 1 relay record holder in shot put and javelin had long throws of 41-3 in shot put and 134 feet in discus. The senior captain and three-time Hockomock League All Star will compete on the track team at Holy Cross.
SARAH DUMAS
FRANKLIN
The four-time Hockomock League MVP and 2023 MSTCA Athlete of the Year set seven school records and won 11 state titles in her career. This season, the senior set a 100 hurdles record with a 14.27. She also placed first in the 100 hurdles at the Meet of Champions as well as the Div. 1 meet where she also claimed the top spot in the 400 hurdles and the pentathlon. The honor student will be attending the University of Pennsylvania where she will be running and studying biology on a pre-med track.
ALESSANDRA FORGIONE
PEABODY
The junior placed first at New Englands for javelin and second at the Div. 2 and the Meet of Champions. The Northeastern Conference champion also placed fourth at the Div. 2 meet for discus. She set the program record with a 137′ javelin toss this season.
EMERSON GOULD
ACTON-BOXBORO
The Dual County League MVP, two-time All-Scholastic and three-time Dual County League All Star placed first at the Div. 1 meet in pole vault, third at the Meet of Champions and fourth at New Englands. The junior broke the school record in pole vault this season with a 11-9 personal record. She also placed fourth in the 100-meters at the Div. 1 meet. The honor roll student would like to study business, specifically marketing and finance.
ABIGAIL HENNESSY
WESTFORD ACADEMY
The sophomore won the 800-meters (2:11.15) and the mile (4:48.53) at the Meet of Champions while also placing first in the 800-meters (2:10.17) and the mile (4:59) at the Div. 1 meet. She also raced at the New Balance Nationals in the mile (4:45.70) and the 800-meter (2:09.82) which were her personal records.
NYRAH JOSEPH
BILLERICA
The rising senior set personal bests in the 55-meter hurdle (8.26), 100-meter hurdles (14.81), 60-meter hurdles (9.28), high jump (1.68m), long jump (5.38m), shot put (10.20m), 800-meter (2:37.79) and pentathlon (3,378). The Meet of Champions pentathlon champion (3,378) also placed fourth in New Englands with a 14.81 in the 100-meter hurdles. The MSTCA Small Schools Coaches Invitational Award for Outstanding Female Athlete winner is a five-time Merrimack Valley Conference First Team All-Conference member.
NINA KYEI-ABOAGYE
SHARON
The sophomore set the Meet of Champions record in the 200-meter with a 23.97 and also won the 100-meter and 200-meter events at the Div. 3 state meet. She was runner-up in the 200-meter at New Englands. She was also named the Freshman/Sophomore and MSTCA Coaches Invite Outstanding Female Runner.
DANA LEHR
BELMONT
The 2-mile Meet of Champions champion with a 10:36.51, Lehr also placed third in the mile and was runner-up in the 800-meter and the mile at the Div. 2 meet. The junior also plays soccer and was champion in the mile at the Middlesex League meet. She participates with Emerging Elites in the offseason.
GIULIANA LIGOR
NORTH READING
The Cape Ann League Athlete of the Year set a Meet of Champions record in the 400-meter hurdles with a 58.97 and also won the 400-meter with a 55.62. The junior also won the 400-meter and 400-meter hurdles in the Div. 5 state meet.
ERIN MORAN
ARLINGTON
The senior was the Div. 2 and Meet of Champions winner in the pole vault and went on to place third at the New Englands. A two-time all-Middlesex League All-Star, Moran is a high honor roll student. She will attend the University of Findlay, majoring in History and Museum studies while continuing to compete in the pole vault.
SKYE PETRIE-CAMERON
NEWTON NORTH
The senior had the best shot put throw of 45-3 in the Meet of Champions and New Englands, which set a program record. She placed first in both the Div. 1 and New England meets with a runner-up finish at the Meet of Champions. She placed ninth at the New Balance Nationals and will be throwing for Penn State next year.
GABRIELLE PIERRE
LINCOLN-SUDBURY
The triple-jump champion at the Meet of Champions (40-10) also won the long jump with a 19-7.75. She also won the same events in the Div. 1 meet while also competing at New Balance Nationals in the triple jump.
ZOE SANTOS
NORTON
The junior returned to the All-Scholastic pages after winning the high jump at both the Tri-Valley League and Div. 5 state meet. Santos also placed in the top six at both the Meet of Champions and New Englands. The high honor roll student plans to focus on the principles of mathematics and science in college.
AOIFE SHOVLIN
CAMBRIDGE
The junior was the Div. 1 champion in the 2-mile and runner-up in the same meet in the mile. She placed fifth in the Meet of Champions in the 2-mile and was third with an All-American time in the New Balance Nationals outdoor meet in the mile. The two-time cross country state champion is a member of the National Honor Society.
CHARLOTTE TUXBURY
WELLESLEY
Tuxbury played a large part in Wellesley’s third straight Div. 2 state outdoor track title. She set a meet record in the mile (4:54.46) and also captured the two-mile (11:08.08). A week later, she was second in the mile at the Meet of Champions and fourth in the 800. An honorable mention honor roll student, Tuxbury trains in the offseason with the Emerging Elites.
4×100
OLIVER AMES
Julia Hansen, Grace Okocha, Gabrielle Antebi, Lavender Kozoka
The team of juniors Hansen, Okocka, sophomore Antebi and freshman Kozoka ran a 49.07 to place runner-up in the Meet of Champions which was also a school record in the event this season. They also placed first in the Div. 3 meet. Hansen is a Hockomock League All Star with high honors and intends to major in Biology for a Pre-Med track. Okacha is a four-time Hockomock All Star who holds eight records. The high honors student plans to go into the medical field and major in Nursing, Biology or Pre-Med. Antebi is an honor roll student with no current future plans. Kozoka also placed first in the 100-meter at the Coaches Invitational with a sixth-place finish in the same event at the Meet of Champions and a second place long jump at the Meet of Champions.
4×400
FRAMINGHAM
Ava Lombardo, Sasha Lamakina, Catelyn Last, Abby Desmarais
The relay team of sophomores Lombardo and Lamakine with freshman Last and senior Desmarais ran a 3:54.44 at the Meet of Champions to take home the crown. Lombardo ran the first leg and set a personal record of 59.8 this season. She has gone to Nationals both seasons and plans to go to a Div. 1 or Ivy League school for track or soccer while studying health sciences. Desmaraias also won the 100-meter at the Div. 1 meet and has 14 school records and is a 14-time state champion with nien coming at the Div. 1 meet and five at the Meet of Champions. The National Honor Society member and high honor roll student is committed to Holy Cross for track and field. Last was named Rookie of the Year for the track and field team and had a personal split of 1:01.9 as an honor roll student. Lamakina was runner-up at the 800-meter with a 2:12.94.
4×800
BROOKLINE
Anna Leschly, Lucia Werner, Dasha LeFaivre, Audrey Seeger
Made up of junior Leschley and seniors Werner, LeFaivre and Seeger, this relay set a meet record with a 9:11.52 at the Meet of Champions. Leschley ran the first leg and set a personal record of 2:17 in the 800-meter. The now two-time All-Scholastic is committed to Dartmouth College to play soccer. LeFaivre is a National Honor Society member and also placed eighth in the 800-meter with a 2:16.5. She will be attending University of California San Diego to continue her running career while studying chemistry in the pre-med track. Werner is a Bay State Conference All Star and a five-time All-Scholastic and a two-time Bay State Conference MVP for cross country. She will be running at Cornell University in the fall. Seeger was named Bay State Conference MVP and set personal records in the 400-meter and 2-mile with top-10 rankings in the state for the 800-meter, mile and 2-mile. She will be attending Amherst College in the fall and run Div. 3 cross country and track.
ALL-STARS
BAY STATE CONFERENCE
Caitlyn Chang, Chloe McGinty (Braintree); Audrey Seeger, Dasha LeFaivre, Lucia Werner (Brookline); Abby Desmarais, Sasha Lamakina, Emily Richardson (Framingham); Emmanuella Edozien, Chloe Elder, Sydni Chandler (Natick); Audrey Adam, Taylor Partridge, Madison Roach, Carolina Sanz Arribas (Needham); Jadyn Grant, Bronte Gow, Skye Petrie-Cameron, Sophie Finkelstein, Blake MacNeal (Newton North); Sophia Axelrod, Molly Reilly, Meredith Feener (Walpole); Kayla Bohlin, Emily Carp, Annie Comella, Charlotte Tuxbury (Wellesley); Ella Bates, Casey Dempsey, Isabella Galusha, Gracie Richard, Ainsley Weber (Weymouth)
MVP: Audrey Seeger
BOSTON CITY LEAGUE
Lilliana Romer, Emma Wadsworth, Michelle Rallo, Leanna Lynch, Maia Poremba (Latin Academy); Sara Blanco, Yrvicca Paul (O’Bryant); Diana Melgar (East Boston)
MVP: Diana Melgar
CAPE AND ISLANDS
Ava Bullock, Chloe Dibb, Lilly DeDecko, Chari Wright, Molly Gleason (Barnstable); Breanna Braham, Rose Anna Joachim, Ava Kvietok, Olivia Pendleton, Megan McDowell, Brianna Hanniford, Vivian Castano, Kerri Clark, Tiana Jacques (Dennis-Yarmouth); Camille Brand, Madison Mello (Martha’s Vineyard); Varvara Conley (Monomoy); Violet Roche, Liz Mayer, Rihanna Sutherland, Adrianna Morgan, Madeline Mahoney (Nauset); Mary Kudarauskas (Sturgis)
MVP: Violet Roche, Breanna Braham
CAPE ANN LEAGUE
Giuliana Ligor, Hayden MacLellan, 4×100 relay, Callie MacLellan, Madison Vant, Abigail Lilley (North Reading); Georgia Wilson, Asa Labell (Hamilton-Wenham); Blake Parker, 4×400 relay, Devin Stroope (Newburyport); Kaylie Dalgar, 4×800 relay (Pentucket)
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Giuliana Ligor, Bayleigh Shanahan
CATHOLIC CENTRAL LEAGUE
Kaitlyn Burke, Allison Flynn, Lily Griffin, Erin O’Toole (Archbishop Williams); Nikki Clarke, Lea Ahmad-LeBlanc (Arlington Catholic); Morgan Arthurs, Lauryn Augustyn, Ciara Coyne, Molly Duignan, Isabella Graziano, Elizabeth Hogan, Amy Lawton, Emily Morris, Maddie Mullen, Ally Oram, Alexa Orphanos, Ansley Palermo, Erin Parkinson (Bishop Feehan); Julia Davis, Marianna Kay, McKenna Leaman (Bishop Fenwick); Abigail Clark, Annaikiah Donahue-Wilfred, Julie Hogan (Cardinal Spellman); Tamia Darling (Cathedral)
MVP: Allison Flynn
CATHOLIC CONFERENCE
Katy Macaulay, Simone Connolly, Eliza Sicard, Audrey Bernazzani, Julia Scapicchio, Abby Carlo (Ursuline); Sofia Piantedosi, Sorcha Sullivan, Ollie Daye, Caroline Hartnett, Bevan Doherty, Caeli Wagner, Sarah White, Emily Coughlin, Aoife McDonagh, Chloe Doherty, Lucy Wilson, Mairead O’Brien (Notre Dame); Liliana Martinez, Mia Waldron (Malden Catholic); Roisin Burke (Fontbonne)
COMMONWEALTH ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
UPPER: Olivia Stack, Melanie Reyes, Joyce Philippe, 4×400 relay (Greater Lowell); Tamara Ayala, Jaheidy Ortiz, Molly Touch, Haleigh Cyr, 4×800 relay (Greater Lawrence); Mariely Cepeda, 4×100 relay (Whittier); Jillian Collin, Makayla Nolan (Shawsheen)
MVP: Makayla Nolan, Joyce Philippe
LOWER: Ruth Ann Ambrose, Lily Beland, Elizabeth McKnelly, Abby Greenwald (Academy of Notre Dame); Reilly Hickey (Mystic Valley); Destanee Soba (Nashoba Tech); Yuli Mamet, 4×100 relay (Innovation); Ariana Camilo, Kassandra Pena, Jireilis DeJesus, 4×400 relay (Lynn Tech)
MVP: Reilly Hickey, Destanee Soba, Abby Greenwald
DUAL COUNTY LEAGUE
Alin Aydohan, Emily Wedlake, Sydney Weiss, Abigail Hennessy, Rosie Deeks (Westford Academy); Sonia D’Ambrosio, Gabrielle Pierre (Lincoln-Sudbury); Emerson Gould (Acton-Boxboro); Elizabeth Reiling, Charlotte DiRocco, Alexandra Saunders (Concord-Carlisle); Emily Frawley, Kyrah Mar (Newton South); Solana Varela, Eva Ferris, Maya McCatty, Sloan Hinton (Weston); Zadie Buckley (Bedford)
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Gabrielle Pierre, Sloan Hinton
HOCKOMOCK LEAGUE
Sarah Dumas, Lily DeForge, Elizabeth Hopkins, Ella Chandaria (Franklin); Katherine Oliver, Chloe Dubuisson, Lianna Camille (Canton); Emersyn DePonte, Sophia Olaniyan (Taunton); Nina Kyei-Aboagye (Sharon); Emilia Smith (Attleboro); Ella McDonald, Ashley Cleverdon, Addison Burns, Dani Lomuscio, Alex D’Amadio, Maddie Hill, Kate O’Neil (King Philip); Annie Reilly, Hannah Dupill, Braelyn Graham, Katie Beaulieu, Julia Hansen, Grace Okocha, Brie Antebi, Lavender Kozaka, Katie Sobieraj (Oliver Ames); Lauren Bober (Foxboro); Chloe Guthrie, Katie Garrahy, Abby Scott, Elyssa Buchanan, Lauren Signoriello (Mansfield); Katie Galgoczy, Molly Galgoczy, Sydney O’Connor (North Attleboro); Senai Whigham, Maya Ashu (Stoughton)
MAYFLOWER ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Nyah Baker (Holbrook); Inez Medeiros, Angela Njoroge, Grace Flattery (Diman); Glanna Mitchell, Daniella Rigueiro, Averie Denelle (Tri-County); Adison Hohengasser, Lilly Andrews, Chloe Champagne, Wenwu Akoi (Southeastern); Sayne Campbell (Blue Hills); Marielle Albon, Christele Derogene (Bristol-Plymouth)
MVP: Chloe Champagne
MERRIMACK VALLEY CONFERENCE
Claire DeMersseman, Lily Brown, Mia Giaimo, Mollie Bedard, Rose Kiley (Andover); Gianna McGowan, Nyrah Joseph (Billerica); Anya Neira, Emma Finch, Franchesca Thurston, Laura Fennessy, Macy Daigle, Rayniah Mercedat (Central Catholic); Naomi D’Souza (Chelmsford); Madeline Goncalves (Haverhill); Ava Conroy, Drea Defreitas, Britney Ogiegor, Ella Machado, Quinn Petzold, Sabrina Cady, Scarlett Prak, Serena Nguyen (Lowell); Jaleesa Nevarez, Alexandra Tardugno, Alysha Santana Sosa, Isabella Fiore, Lauren Quarm (Methuen); Elif Altunkilic, Erika Wojcik, Makenna Dube (North Andover): Jaden Kasule (Tewksbury)
MIDDLESEX LEAGUE
Madison Alves, Lindsey Alves, Morgan Blout, Karlie Discipio, Annika Lawson, Olivia Oliphant, Julia Bois (Stoneham); Kamryn Encarnaco, Izzy Lightbody, Katie Caraco, Carissa Carciero, Antonia Zagami, Katie Savio (Reading); Katie Atkins, Amandine Mangon, Lucy Kontos, Jada Solomon, Aubrey Deardorf, Felice Haverly, Ainsley Cutherberston (Lexington); Grace Bracket, Quinn Wilcox, Lily Sallee, Abby Hardigan, Liza Bangston, Charlotte O’Neil, Sophia Anderson, Lauren Mangarelli, Cheyenne Toppi (Wakefield); Renee Lacomte, Asheligh DeMartinis, Cora Lavery, Olivia DiRienzo (Burlington); Kate Sullivan, Maesha Jonathas, Sydney Metivier, Nicole Gangi, Grace Battista, Sinead Butler, Leah Finn, Kaitlynn Butler, Riley Power, Jessica Leehan (Woburn); Molly MacDonald, Alexis LeBlanc, Addy Hunt, Mollie Osgood, Maddie Krueger (Wilmington); Hope Hanafin (Burlington); Bryn Ryan, Elise Kempf, Erin Moran, Evie Lauzon, Eva Cloherty, Ellery Klatka, Isadora Margolius, Isabella Lauzon, Ella Radoslovich, Cecelia Keating, Meghan Prior (Arlington); Cadence L’Heureux, Reilly Powell, Amy Rowe, Katie Leeman, Claire MacDonald, Emma Drago, Aisling Donagan, Olivia DellaPorta, D’Mitra Mukasa, Scarlett Timm, Emme Boyer (Melrose); Elsa Ryan, Anna Lonergan (Watertown); Dana Lehr, Kira Van Kelsted, Siri Iagnemma, Ailinn Capitani, Lucy Hamer (Belmont); Mikayla Ferguson, Gabby Williams, Caroline Herlihy, Mia Kurtz (Winchester)
NORTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
ALL-CONFERENCE: Sadie Halpern, Marrietta O’Connell, Elise Burchfield, Maren Potter, Margaret Miller, Kate Twomey, Paige Tredwell (Marblehead); Aniyah Ross-Everett (Swampscott); Amanda Schneider, Ellie Green (Masconomet); Leah Buckley. Nicole Ofurie, Alessandra Forgione (Peabody); Grace Galbreath (Beverly); Piper Testa, Lauren Boughner, Brooke Appelstein, Caroline Losee, Lilly Podgurski, Sophia Doumas, Samia Lalikos, Jenna Lindsay, Mara Siewko (Masconomet); Megan Hurd (Gloucester)
ALL-STARS: Remmi Cote, Savannah Stevens, Madi Gibeau-Schmitt (Masconomet); Marissa Simmons, Kayley Bunn (Peabody); Rachael Albert (Marblehead); Grace Galbreath (Beverly); Jamila Oriakhi (Swampscott); Aili Spencer, Skye Ciolino, Cia Donohoe (Gloucester); Arianna Cappuccio, April Ferguson (Winthrop); Bobbi Serino (Danvers); Jessica Bremberg (Saugus); Mida Juene (Salem)
PATRIOT LEAGUE
FISHER: Natalie Mutschler, Cam Bradford (Hanover); Sophia Adams, Lilia Davies, Zoe Wodja (Plymouth South); Sarah Claflin, Maya Bergamesca, Caroline Minogue, Ella Govostes, Veronica Ghattas, Ava Bouphavongsa, Ally Johnson (Pembroke); Sofija Slezas, Maddy McGillicuddy, Salma Boukhtam, Aluna Coogan-Coyne, Sophia Edwards, Brooklynn Rizzo, Hannah Moriarty (Quincy/North Quincy); Brooke McCarthy (Scituate)
MVP: Sarah Claflin
KEENAN: Nina Crean, Jasai Shakespeare, Zoe Schulze, Lauren Howard, Meghan Koenen, Catherine Salem, Clare Lowther (Hingham); Josephine Lee, Lilah MacQuarrie (Duxbury); Isabelle Flynn, Ava Brunswick, Meredith Miller, Charlotte Perreault, Anna White, Olivia Audette (Marshfield); Mia Sweeney, Ainsley Hall, Mariah Romaine, Lily Bartholomew (Plymouth North); Abigail Cunningham, Erin Flaherty (Silver Lake); Sky Anderson, Briana Codio, McKenna McCarthy (Whitman-Hanson)
MVP: Mariah Romaine
SOUTH COAST CONFERENCE
Morgan Hayward, Reagan Flynn, Oriana Hernandez (Apponequet); Gabriela Thorpe, Liberty Gazaille, Olivia Santos, Aiyanna Massie, Hannah Santos, Emma Bouchard (Case); Julianna Dutra, Hayden Robinson, Kearston Nelson (Seekonk); Audrey Thomas, Delilah Post, Aubrey Heisse, Emily Abbott (Old Rochester); Madalyn Duatre (Greater New Bedford); Ella Dunbury, Alyssa Bassett, Alyssa Caldeira, Emma Pope (West Bridgewater); Mariana Lavigne, Madison Root (Dighton-Rehoboth); Mia Gentile (Somerset Berkley)
MVP: Morgan Hayward
SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE
Issy Price, Bianca Resende-Ambroise, Anya Rizzo, Kaliya Sanon, Ava Monteiro (Brockton); Adunoluwa Olubanwo, Jasmine Dosouto, Aaliyah Alexandre (Durfee); Alisha Gomes, Brenna Woodbury, Lily Giurleo, Molly Jesson, Camden Strandberg, Kelsie Dessaps, Naisha Auguste (Bridgewater-Raynham); Brooke Davis, Syndey Almeida, Haley Zexter (Dartmouth); Lilian Brine, Jacqui Bank (New Bedford)
TRI-VALLEY LEAGUE
Alice Brambati, Josie Hopkins, Loryn Canty, Elena Davies, Emma Prisco, Evelyn Woodbury, Elyse Srodawa (Hopkinton); Victoria McGowan, Katie Tran, Susannah Rockers, Tea Pagnotti, Maeve Gavin (Westwood); Ella Kane, Alyssa Schoenfeld (Medfield); Natalie Martin (Norwood); Annabelle Lynch, Maggie Kuchman, Izzy Ross (Holliston); Ava Dittenhafer, Natalia Melnick, Sadie Gilhooly, Sophia Warnetski (Ashland); Zoe Santos, Jillian Strynar, Evangeline Emerson, Molly McIntyre, Phoebe Gesner (Norton); Charity Johnson, Camelia Meredith, Jania Campbell, Brooke Scott, Katelyn Maniero (Medway); Shealin Conroy (Millis); Margaret Bowles, Caetlyn Embree, Elyse Bissada (Dover-Sherborn); Peyton Teehan, Nicki Brown, Sophia Cucinotta, Garyanne Doliscar, Jade Brown (Dedham); Olivia Carney, Nina Ames, Calleigh Elder (Bellingham);
MVP: Zoe Santos, Alice Brambati
Boston, MA
How Boston Dynamics upgraded the Atlas robot — and what’s next
In 2021, 60 Minutes visited the offices of robotics company Boston Dynamics and met an early model of its humanoid robot, Atlas.
It could run, jump and maintain its balance when pushed. But it was bulky, with stiff, mechanical movements.
Now, Atlas can cartwheel, dance, run with human-like fluidity, twist its arms, head and torso 360 degrees, and pick itself up off of the floor using only its feet.
“They call it a humanoid, but he stands up in a way no human could possibly stand up,” correspondent Bill Whitaker told Overtime. “His limbs can bend in ways ours can’t.”
Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter told Whitaker that Atlas’ “superhuman” range of motion is keeping with the company’s vision for humanoid robots.
“We think that’s the way you should build robots. Don’t limit yourself to what people can do, but actually go beyond,” Playter said.
Whitaker watched demonstrations of the latest Atlas model at Boston Dynamics’ headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts. Rather than turning around to walk in the other direction, Atlas can simply rotate its upper torso 180 degrees.
“For us to turn around, we have to physically turn around,” he told Overtime. “Atlas just pivots on his core.”
Boston Dynamics’ head of robotics research, Scott Kuindersma, told Whitaker that Atlas doesn’t have wires that cross its the joints of the limbs, torso and head, allowing continuous rotation for tasks and easier maintenance of the robot.
“The robot’s not really limited in its range of motion,” Kuindersma told Whitaker. “One of the reliability issues that you often find in robots is that their wires start to break over time… we don’t have any wires that go across those rotating parts anymore.”
Another upgrade to the Atlas humanoid robot is its AI brain, powered by Nvidia chips.
Atlas’ AI can be trained to do tasks. One way is through teleoperation, in which a human controls the robot. Using virtual reality gear, the teleoperator trains Atlas to do a specific task, repeating it multiple times until the robot succeeds.
Whitaker watched a teleoperation training session. A Boston Dynamics’ machine learning scientist showed Atlas how to stack cups and tie a knot.
Kuindersma told Whitaker robot hands pose a complex engineering problem.
“Human hands are incredible machines that are very versatile. We can do many, many different manipulation tasks with the same hand,” Kuindersma said.
Boston Dynamics’ new Atlas has only three digits on each hand, which can swing into different positions or modes.
“They can act as if they were a hand with these three digits, or this digit can swing around and act more like a thumb,” Kuindersma said.
“It allows the robot to have different shaped grasps, to have two-finger opposing grasp to pick up small objects. And then also make its hands very wide, in order to pick up large objects.”
Kuindersma said the robot has tactile sensors on its fingers, which provide information to Atlas’ neural network so the robot can learn how to manipulate objects with the right amount of pressure.
But Kuindersma said there is still room to improve teleoperation systems.
“Being able to precisely control not only the shape and the motion, but the force of the grippers, is actually an interesting challenge,” Kuindersma told Whitaker.
“I think there’s still a lot of opportunity to improve teleoperation systems, so that we can do even more dexterous manipulation tasks with robots.”
Whitaker told Overtime, “There is quite a bit of hype around these humanoids right now. Financial institutions predict that we will be living with millions, if not billions, of robots in our future. We’re not there yet.”
Whitaker asked Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter if the humanoid hype was getting ahead of reality.
“There is definitely a hype cycle right now. Part of that is created by the optimism and enthusiasm we see for the potential,” Playter said.
“But while AI, while software, can sort of move ahead at super speeds… these are machines and building reliable machines takes time… These robots have to be reliable. They have to be affordable. That will take time to deploy.”
The video above was produced by Will Croxton. It was edited by Scott Rosann.
Boston, MA
Officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 say their struggles linger, 5 years after the riot – The Boston Globe
Gonell was one of the officers who defended the central West Front entrance to the Capitol that day as Congress was certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory and hundreds of Trump’s supporters broke into the building, echoing his false claims of a stolen election. Gonell was dragged into the crowd by his shoulder straps as he tried to fight people off. He almost suffocated. In court, he testified about injuries to his shoulder and foot that still bother him to this day.
“They have tried to erase what I did” with the pardons and other attempts to play down the violent attack, Gonell said. “I lost my career, my health, and I’ve been trying to get my life back.”
Five years since the siege, Gonell and some of the other police officers who fought off the rioters are still coming to terms with what happened, especially after Trump was decisively elected to a second term last year and granted those pardons. Their struggle has been compounded by statements from the Republican president and some GOP lawmakers in Congress minimizing the violence that the officers encountered.
“It’s been a difficult year,” said Officer Daniel Hodges, a Metropolitan Police Department officer who was also injured as he fought near Gonell in a tunnel on the West Front. Hodges was attacked several times, crushed by the rioters between heavy doors and beaten in the head as he screamed for help.
“A lot of things are getting worse,” Hodges said.
More than 140 police officers were injured during the fighting on Jan. 6, which turned increasingly brutal as the hours wore on.
Former Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger took over the department six months after the riot. He said in a recent interview that many of his officers were angry when he first arrived, not only because of injuries they suffered but also “they resented the fact that they didn’t have the equipment they needed, the training they needed ” to deal with the unexpectedly violent crowd.
Several officers who fought the rioters told The Associated Press that the hardest thing to deal with has been the effort by many to play down the violence, despite a massive trove of video and photographic evidence documenting the carnage.
Trump has called the rioters he pardoned, including those who were most violent toward the police, “patriots” and “hostages.” He called their convictions for harming the officers and breaking into the building “a grave national injustice.”
“I think that was wrong,” Adam Eveland, a former District of Columbia police officer, said of Trump’s pardons. If there were to be pardons, Eveland said, Trump’s administration should have reviewed every case.
“I’ve had a hard time processing that,” said Eveland, who fought the rioters and helped to push them off the Capitol grounds.
The pardons “erased what little justice there was,” said former Capitol Police Officer Winston Pingeon, who was part of the force’s Civil Disturbance Unit on Jan. 6. He left the force several months afterward.
Pushback from lawmakers and the public
Hodges and Gonell have been speaking out about their experiences since July 2021, when they testified before the Democratic-led House committee that investigated Jan 6. Since then, they have received support but also backlash.
At a Republican-led Senate hearing in October on political violence, Hodges testified again as a witness called by Democrats. After Hodges spoke about his experience on Jan. 6, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., asked the other witnesses whether they supported Trump’s pardons of the rioters, including for those who injured Hodges. Three of the witnesses, all called by Republicans, raised their hands.
“I don’t know how you would say it wasn’t violent,” says Hodges, who is still a Washington police officer.
It has not just been politicians or the rioters who have doubted the police. It also is friends and family.
“My biggest struggle through the years has been the public perception of it,” Eveland said, and navigating conversations with people close to him, including some fellow police officers, who do not think it was a big deal.
“It’s hard for me to wrap my head around that, but ideology is a pretty powerful thing,” he said.
Improvements in safety and support
As police officers struggled in the aftermath, Manger, the former Capitol Police chief, said the department had to figure out how to better support them. There were no wellness or counseling services when he arrived, he said, and they were put in to place.
“The officers who were there and were in the fight — we needed to make sure that they got the help that they needed,” Manger said.
Manger, who retired in May, also oversaw major improvements to the department’s training, equipment, operational planning and intelligence. He said the Capitol is now “a great deal safer” than it was when he arrived.
“If that exact same thing happened again, they would have never breached the building, they would have never gotten inside, they would have never disrupted the electoral count,” Manger said.
Pingeon, the former Capitol Police officer, said he believes the department is in many ways “unrecognizable” from what it was on Jan. 6 and when he left several months later.
“It was a wake-up call,” he said.
Pingeon, who was attacked and knocked to the ground as he tried to prevent people from entering the Capitol, said Jan. 6 was part of the reason he left the department and moved home to Massachusetts. He has dealt with his experience by painting images of the Capitol and his time there, as well as advocating for nonviolence. He said he now feels ready to forgive.
“The real trauma and heartache and everything I endured because of these events, I want to move past it,” he said.
Gonell left the Capitol Police because of his injuries. He has not returned to service, though he hopes to work again. He wrote a book about his experience, and he said he still has post-traumatic stress disorder related to the attack.
While many of the officers who were there have stayed quiet about their experiences, Eveland said he decided that it was important to talk publicly about Jan. 6 to try to reach people and “come at it from a logical standpoint.”
Still, he said, “I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that just because something happened to me and was a major part of my world doesn’t mean that everyone else has to understand that or even be sympathetic to that.”
He added: “The only thing I can do is tell my story, and hopefully the people who respect me will eventually listen.”
Boston, MA
Kirouac’s dunk sparks Georgia Tech to victory over Boston College
Jackets shook off a sluggish start to dispose of Boston College, 65-53.
Georgia Tech guard Chas Kelley III finishes a layup past Boston College’s Marko Radunovic on Saturday, Jan. 3 at McCamish Pavilion. (Danny Karnik/Georgia Tech Athletics)
Trailing late in the second half Saturday at McCamish Pavilion, Georgia Tech needed a spark. Cole Kirouac delivered.
The 7-foot freshman found himself unguarded inside the arc on the left side of the court. Without hesitation he bolted toward the rim, took flight and slammed home the ball with two hands to tie the score at 46 with seven minutes left on the clock.
Kirouac’s dunk brought many of the 5,978 to their feet and changed the energy in the building while the Yellow Jackets threatened to lose to the worst team in the ACC. Instead, Tech took the lead shortly after Kirouac’s play and never trailed again in a 65-53 victory.
“Originally, it was just supposed to be a handoff. I saw my man sagging off. I just took one dribble, went up and dunked it,” Kirouac said. “I feel like I was pretty tired in that moment. I feel like that energized me a lot. I think we had energy as a team, but I feel like it probably boosted it a little bit.”
Said Tech coach Damon Stoudamire: “That was a heck of a dunk he had. That ignited us, ignited the crowd. Proud of him and happy for him.”
Saturday’s victory was the 10th of the season for Tech — all 10 have come at home and all 10 have come against opponents which reside in Quadrant 4 of the NCAA’s NET rankings. Per that metric, Boston College was the ACC’s lowest-ranked team at No. 179 going into Saturday.
But the Jackets (10-5, 1-1 ACC), the ACC’s second-worst team in the NET, found themselves in a dogfight for much of the afternoon despite leading by 10 late in the first half. The Eagles (7-7, 0-1 ACC) had momentum on their side and led by four with 9:14 to play before wilting at the end.
Tech guard Lamar Washington flirted with a triple-double by finishing with 17 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Kowacie Reeves scored 16 and Baye Ndongo had 10 points and eight boards.
Twenty of Tech’s 65 points came from the free-throw line. The Jackets also had 23 fast break points — Boston College had none.
“We’re a good team,” Washington said. “When we play together and we play with confidence and we play how we’re supposed to play, we can — I feel like we can beat anybody in the nation.”
Tech was sluggish and sloppy at the outset, suffering through a field goal drought of 6:04 while missing nine of its first 10 shots. But a Ndongo layup followed by a Kam Craft 3 from the right corner tied the game at 11-all a little less than eight minutes into the fight.
The Jackets began to get a feel for things offensively from there and took their first lead on a Jaeden Mustaf layup at 13-12. Akai Fleming’s powerful finish from the right block 3 1/2 minutes later put the home team ahead 19-15.
Tech had six assists on its first seven made shots at that point.
Fleming’s score began an 10-2 Tech run that also included a Fleming dunk and two Fleming free throws that upped the lead to 27-17.
But the Jackets wouldn’t score the rest of the half and had to settle for a 27-24 lead at the break. The Eagles, despite shooting 9 of 34 from the floor, ended the period on a 7-0 run to close the gap.
“I was actually disappointed the last three minutes of the first half because BC, they’ve played a lot of games where they just rock you to sleep,” Stoudamire said. “You’ll feel like you’re in control of the game and then all of a sudden you lose a rhythm offensively, and then they start scoring some buckets and they hit a bank-shot 3 and you just have all kind of things start happening, and that’s when the game turned. The momentum of the game, it shifted. And we couldn’t find it back offensively.”
A back-and-forth first eight minutes of the second half saw Boston College finally tie the game at 36 before Tech squeaked ahead by four thanks to two Washington free throws and a Reeves layup.
The Eagles responded with a 7-0 run and took the lead on a Donald Hand Jr. 3, and then went up 43-40 on Chase Forte’s layup at the 10:33 mark. Boden Kapke’s putback after a missed free throw gave BC a 46-42 edge 64 seconds later.
That was the last little glimmer of hope the visitors had.
“We couldn’t have won games like this last year,” Stoudamire said. “The way I look at everything that’s happening, I think sometimes people get bent out of shape when you play teams and you don’t beat ‘em by how many points they want you to win by or different things of that nature. We went to Duke and we lost by six. We come back (Saturday) and it was kind of a grimy game.
“But we’ve been playing close games, so we’re seasoned in these games. Doesn’t matter who you play, you’re seasoned in ‘em, and I think that what you’ve seen. You didn’t see no panic with our guys coming down the stretch.”
Hand and Kapke both scored 13 for BC, which shot 18 of 66 from the field and 4 of 29 from long range.
Tech returns to action at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Syracuse (9-5, 0-1) at McCamish Pavilion.
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