Norwood Track

First year head coach for the Norwood Boys Indoor Track and Field team Matt Curran is not really all that new to the high school program. Curran has been coaching track for over 20 years; he was an assistant for Norwood for five seasons before taking over the girls program for the next eight. He left Norwood for a couple of seasons and returned as an assistant and now has been elevated to the boys head coach.
So with a decent understanding of the team as well as the rest of the league, Curran knows what its going to take to be successful.
“The team last won a league championship four or five years ago and since then we’ve been floating around .500,” the Norwood Coach said. “This year, I’m looking to be very competitive within the Bay State Conference, especially in the Herget (Division).”
Curran is looking for his quad-captains to help lead the team this winter. Pat Forrest will participate in the 600, 1000 and long jump for the Mustangs. The coach is hoping that Forrest can take last year’s 8th place finish at the Sectionals and improve and advance into the state tournament in the 600. Andrew Cronin will also run the 600, Nate Galvis will participate in the 300 and 55m hurdles and Max Kane will throw the shot-put.
Kane, much like Forrest, just, missed going to the states last winter and the coach believes he has the capability of doing so this year. Galvis placed in the 400 during the spring and is looking to do the same in the 300 during the winter season.
“Running at Reggie Lewis is a little different as you have to do 1 ½ laps and then move inside down the stretch,” Curran said. “Your strategy becomes different than it would during the spring, but with progression, Nate should be able to advance this year.”
Other athletes that the Coach is looking to make a statement will be sophomore Aiden Mulligan, juniors Tarek Zaki and Craig Riley and senior Cam Flahive. Mulligan will be running the 300, but is coming off a good spring season last year as a freshman running the 400. Curran is hoping it carries over to the winter season. Zaki and Riley are both distance runners and should qualify in at least one of the three events (1000, 1-mile or 2-mile). According to the coach, Tarek should be in shape and ready after playing soccer this fall and Riley is coming off a great cross country season. Flahive will toss the shot-put looking to exceed his furthest throw of 40 feet last spring.
In addition to the returning athletes, the Mustangs will be seeing a handful of newcomers looking to make a splash. Among those are senior Adam Gold, who has already cleared 5’5” in the high jump; Ryan Motta, a junior, who will run the 300, 600 and train for the pentathlon; sprinter and long jumper Rob Noonan and hurdler Jon Burke.
Norwood is defiantly looking for a piece of the Bay Sate Conference Title this winter and is also hoping for a good showing at the Sectionals that will send individuals to the States.
“We want to score at the Divisional Meet and place at least in the top 10; ideally I would like to be top 5,” Curran said. “Individually, I’m looking for as many athletes as we can move onto the States; the New England’s may be a bit of a stretch.”