Dream Season Rolls On: Amherst girls’ 4x400 relay team wins New England championship, sets WMass record

Amherst Regional's Moriah Luetjen competes in a meet earlier this season.

Amherst Regional's Moriah Luetjen competes in a meet earlier this season. STAFF PHOTO / DANIEL JACOBI II

Staff Report

Published: 06-14-2025 10:18 PM

The dream season continued for the Amherst Regional girls track & field team on Saturday.

The Hurricanes’ 4x400-meter relay team once again bested the competition, this time at the New England Interscholastic Track & Field Championships in New Britain, Conn.

The quartet of Ololara Baptiste, Skylar Fox, Ruby Austin and Moriah Luetjen posted a winning time of 3 minutes, 52.36 seconds to cruise to a New England title by nearly six full seconds. The time was a new Western Massachusetts record, as the team continues its dominance leading into the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon next weekend.

Amherst’s 4x100 relay team of Baptiste, Austin, Luetjen and Claire Fortin placed third with a time of 48.83 seconds, setting a new school record in the process.

Luetjen made it three medals during a standout day on the track, as she placed second overall in the 400 meters with a time of 55.54 seconds. Dennis-Yarmouth’s Breanna Braham won the New England title in 53.99.

Fortin finished 14th in the triple jump with a top leap of 34-8.

On the boys side, Amherst’s Logan Alfandari snagged an eighth-place finish in the shot put with a top heave of 56 feet, 4 inches. He was 17th in the discus (151-9).

Angel Hernandez Castro won the boys wheelchair shot put with a heave of 9 feet, 7 inches.

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The Amherst track team is raising funds for its trip to Oregon for Nationals via a GoFundMe. The team would like to thank sponsors Greenfield and Northampton Cooperative Banks, Atkins Farms, Amherst Business Improvement District, Valley Transporter and Texas Roadhouse.