HS Notebook: Amherst girls track could have program’s ‘best team ever’
AMHERST — Throughout the entire spring season, the Amherst Regional track and field programs have had to hit the road for all of their dual meets. The track at the high school doesn’t meet the standards to host competition, as runners are forced to avoid small cracks and holes in the surface.
While the Hurricanes’ home facilities may not be the best, their girls track team just might be. Amherst has yet to lose a dual meet this season, and according to coach Chris Gould, none of them have been even close. Gould has been with the Amherst program for quite some time, seeing several extremely talented teams. But he was quick to tab the 2025 ‘Canes as the greatest one of his tenure.
Still, Gould wants his team to stay focused, as the season’s most important meets – Western Mass., states and nationals included – are soon to come.
“We have a lot of great athletes right now, way more than we’ve ever had before,” Gould said. “This is our best team ever. Almost for sure. I don’t want to screw them up. They’re elite runners, and we have elite field event athletes. I want them to stay excited for the meets that are coming down the road. We just need to take it one day at a time.”
How did Amherst athletes feel when hearing such high praise come from Gould?
“It means a lot considering his standards are pretty high,” sophomore Ololara Baptiste joked. “But really, it’s nice to hear and we feel like we have a lot of talent on our team.”
Aside from the stellar dual meet record, Amherst is sending a whopping 13 athletes to the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Oregon set for June 19-22. That number could perhaps increase if more athletes qualify over the next handful of meets. In order for the Hurricanes to make that long trip out West however, they’re going to need some financial help.
Several girls on the Amherst team started a GoFundMe page on Wednesday night, looking to raise money to fund the over a dozen plane tickets and hotel expenses required.
“We’re trying to go to the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Oregon, and obviously it costs a lot of money,” senior Ruby Austin said. “We don’t even have a functioning track, we can’t even host home meets; so this is a really big deal to us. Sports are so important, because it gives us the opportunities to go far. We have so many people running in college, so many people who are going Division 1, and our track has holes in it. Going to nationals would be an amazing opportunity.”
Among those who have qualified are Moriah Luetjen (senior), Ololara Baptiste (sophomore), Ruby Austin (senior), Ella Austin (sophomore), Skylar Fox (senior) and Claire Fortin (freshman) on the girls side, and Logan Alfandari (senior), Miles Jeffries (senior), Tylahn Beckett (senior), Owen Platt (junior), Nico Lisle (junior) and Angel Hernandez (senior) on the boys side.
“We worked so hard during the indoor season, so it’s nice to kind of already be where we wanted to toward the end of indoor and at the start of the outdoor season,” Ruby Austin said. “We have so many goals for ourselves, and as of right now we have at least 12 people who have qualified for nationals. That’s huge. Last year we sent five or six people, so it’s so exciting to have this many. And with it being my senior year, this is so nice to go out like this.”
Fox, who moved to Massachusetts from Virginia ahead of the school year when her father accepted a job at UMass, said she’s never been involved in a team as skilled and connected as this year’s Amherst squad.
“It’s really cool to be on a team like this,” Fox said. “This never happens. I moved here this year, and none of the teams I’ve ever been on have been like this. It’s awesome and I hope we keep it up moving forward.”
For Claire Fortin, the only freshman of the bunch heading to nationals, this year has been a dream come true. Fortin has become such an important piece of Amherst’s team despite being so young. She credits her teammates for making the experience a memorable one.
“It’s really nice to have a good team supporting me, especially for relays,” Fortin said. “It’s really exciting to be a part of a team like this.”
If Amherst can raise enough money via its GoFundMe page, the ‘Canes most definitely have the talent to make some noise on the national stage in Oregon – just as they did at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston earlier this year.
When the Granby boys volleyball team won the Western Massachusetts Class C championship in 2024 (its first-ever title in program history), team captain Jake Gagnon was a huge reason why. Gagnon’s unique ability to everything on the volleyball court – on top of his unmatched work ethic – has made him one of the best players in the region. He’s a great setter, a willing outside hitter, has a big serve and he can get down for digs when necessary.
Unfortunately for Gagnon and the Rams, his junior season has been cut short. At a practice a few weeks back, Gagnon suffered a broken leg – according to head coach Chad Gagnon. To put into perspective his impact, Jake recorded 22 kills, 14 assists, seven aces, seven digs and two blocks in a Granby win over Chicopee earlier this season. He averaged 10.7 kills, 12.2 assists and 5.9 aces per match.
In his absence, the Rams are 3-3 but have taken each loss to at least four sets. Braeden Gallagher, Daniel Santiago, Nathan Walsh and many others have stepped up.
“With Jake’s injury the team has been forced to adapt and adjust,” Chad Gagnon said. “Unfortunately, most teams need to do this at some point. Injuries happen. Clearly Jake being one of our captains makes it pretty difficult to fill the large void left behind. Co-captain Braeden Gallagher has done a great job playing very well and keeping the team together and moving forward. Nathan Walsh is now the only setter, and he’s done a fantastic job adjusting to his new, much-larger role. Sophomores Ty Jones and Richard Sweet and freshman Vitaly Gavel have also seen a much larger role.”
Prior to the season, the Rams had high expectations and had their eyes set on repeating as Western Mass. champions. Even without Jake Gagnon, the team’s head coach has seen enough from the rest of the team to make it back to the title match and give it their all.
“The team [is putting in a lot of] effort to keep this team on track with our postseason goals,” Chad Gagnon said. “[We have] a lot of talent in a very small team, with a very bright future. I look forward to the postseason with these guys leading the charge.”
Daily Hampshire Gazette
