Yuong is GBL Track Athlete of the Year; 10 More Named All-Stars
The post-season accolades poured in for the Revere High girls indoor track and field team this week.
Junior Liv Yuong was named the Greater Boston League (GBL) Track Athlete of the Year. Liv was the GBL champ in all three of her events. She set a personal record (PR) in all three of her events, the long jump (her leap of 15’-10” established an RHS school record, the 55 meter hurdles, and the high jump (5’-0”). In addition, Liv qualified for the state meet in all three of those events.
Yuong also competed in two pentathlons this year and is only 200 points away from the school record in this event, having improved by almost 50 points in the event score from December to February.
“Liv is one of the most coachable athletes I’ve had the pleasure of coaching in my last seven years,” said RHS head coach Racquel MacDonald-Ciambelli. “She takes direction extremely well and uses it to supplement her natural talent. She has put in the work since her freshman year and has been a standout in this league since 2021. We’re so glad to see her getting the recognition she deserves.”
Her Lady Patriot teammates who joined Yuong as GBL All Stars are as follows:
— Ashley Chandler, who is the RHS record-holder in the weight throw and who was a member of the school record-setting shot-put relay team;
— Ashley Cabrera Rodriguez, who was a member of the school record-setting 4 x 200 relay team which won the GBL championship;
— Danni Hope Randall, who was part of the school record-setting and GBL champion 4 x 200 relay team
— Francoise Kodjo, who was a member of the school record-setting shot-put relay team and who was a consistent scorer in the shot-put in dual meets;
— Gemma Stamatopoulos, who was a double-GBL champ in the 600 meter (in which she was undefeated in the GBL and qualified for the state meet) and 2-mile events, and finished second in the high jump. Her 28 points at the GBL Meet was the second-highest individual total, exceeded only by teammate Yuong. Gemma also was a member of the school-record distance medley relay team;
— Giselle Salvador, who was a team captain and member of the school record-setting 4 x 200 relay quartet who won the GBL title;
— Hiba El Bzyouy, who was a consistent scorer in the 1000 throughout the GBL dual-meet season and was a member of the school record distance medley relay (DMR) quartet;
— Jaliyah Manigo, who was a member of the school record-setting 4 x 200 relay team which won the GBL title;
— Olivia Rupp, who was the GBL champ in the 1-mile and a member of the school record DMR team. Olivia was a state qualifier in the 1-mile; and
— Rania Hamdani, who was a member of the school record DMR team.
“Overall, I really can’t say enough about the team this season,” said MacDonald-Ciambeli. “The 7-0 undefeated record, the GBL Championship Meet win, the five school records they set — truly incredible! On top of all their successes, the team really came together this year with a goal and consistently worked not only for team wins, but to better one another. They also were able to pass on their love and excitement for the sport by hosting a youth track clinic over their February break.
“No success just came easily to them,” the coach continued. “They’ve worked hard in practices since December and I am confident they will continue this pattern of success into the outdoor season. I have to give a huge shout-out to my captains, Yara Belguendouz, Camila Esteves, Angelina Montoya, Yasmin Riazi, and Giselle Salavador. I don’t have an assistant coach, so I have to rely on my captains for support with coaching and keeping the girls motivated. Each one of them excelled in this role and the whole team looked up to them.”
MacDonald, Rivera, Fleming are Coaches of the Year;
First-year Revere High girls basketball coach Ariana Rivera, boys indoor track and field coach David Fleming, and girls indoor track and field coach Racquel MacDonald-Ciambelli have been chosen as the Greater Boston Leagues (GBL) coaches of the year by their colleagues.
MacDonald-Ciambelli’s Lady Patriot tracksters put together a perfect 7-0 season to win the regular-season GBL title and then capped their successful campaign with a victory in the GBL Meet. “It truly is all thanks to the incredible team I had this year, so they deserve all the credit,” said MacDonald-Ciambelli. “A team this strong and dedicated makes my job easy.”
Rivera’s Lady Patriots compiled a superb 14-6 record in the regular season to qualify for the post-season state tournament and earned a share of the GBL title with Lynn Classical with a league mark of 12-2.
Fleming’s Patriots overcame some adversity early in the season, but improved steadily throughout the year, concluding with a victory in the GBL Meet, defeating all seven of their GBL opponents.
Ethan Day Named GBL Hoop All Star
An accolade was received for the RHS boys basketball team with the selection of junior guard Ethan Day to the GBL all-star team. Ethan led the Patriots in scoring for the season, and particularly shone during the month of February when he averaged 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.