Boston Holiday Challenge: Newton North speedster Everton Muir flashes talent

Boston Holiday Challenge: Newton North speedster Everton Muir flashes talent

Everton Muir’s approach to his 55-meter training has become almost as cerebral as it is physical. The Newton North speedster understands the intricacies that go into producing a fast time and attacks them in every workout.

The result of Muir’s work was in full display at Tuesday’s Boston Holiday Challenge as he torched a talented field for a new personal best of 6.38 seconds on the Reggie Lewis Center infield. Muir, who was sidelined for a week and a half with the flu, was ecstatic when he saw his winning time on the scoreboard at the far end of the complex. The final was a fast one as Jayden Phillips of Randolph was second in 6.54 and Tewksbury’s Alex Arbogast took third in 6.56.

Muir, who registered a 6.49 before getting sick, knows he still has fast times in front of him.

“I didn’t have a great start in my preliminary race, but still PRed,” he said. “I got out better in the final and leaned at the right time. I’m working on refining and doing what I know I can control. I’m lifting a lot more and I didn’t lift at all last year. I’ve been outworking what I did last year.”

Norton’s Jillian Strynar began working on her block starts last summer and improved on them immensely. She was out fast in the 55 final and held off Cambridge starlet Kylee Bernard for a 7.24 win. Bernard was second in 7.39 in a photo finish with third-place Nyah Santana of Wachusett (7.40).

“I took a ton of time to work on my blocks and here I am now,” said Strynar with a smile. “It felt really good. Block starts are my strength now.”

Bernard, who will bring her talents to Boston College, exacted some revenge in the 300 as she demolished the field by more than a second in 40.37.

“I always think I can do better,” she said. “It would have been nice to break 40 but I’m going to trust the process. I didn’t get a good start (in the 55) and I slowed down at the end. That’s something I need to work on.”

Plymouth South’s Cam Travis bested a solid field in the 55 hurdles with her 8.60. Auburn’s Katherine DeFosse was second with an 8.73 and Isabel Wheeler of Middleboro, who won the long jump with a leap of 18-0, clinched third in 8.77.

“The prelims were good,” said Travis. “I was a little nervous in the final but after the third hurdle I was good. I didn’t get a good start.”

Jacob Bronstein of Cambridge bolted past Norton’s Andrew McConnell in the final 100 to set an eight-second personal best in 4:25.63. Saratoga Springs (N.Y.) swept the top-three places in the girls’ mile led by McKinley Wheeler’s 4:53.69. Wachusett’s Ashlynn Witt won the 600 in 1:38.45 and Theo Puterbaugh of Parker Charter got off a heave of 52-5-1/4 to capture the shot put.