MacKenzie Lickert doesn’t want to think about the past. It’s all about the future and perhaps taking care of some unfinished business.
The St. Raphael junior made that clear on Friday when reflecting on the State Meet this past indoor season, when the favorite in the 3,000 meters came down with the flu in the week leading up to the meet and was still dealing with the illness when she competed, ultimately placing fourth.
“It was one of the most difficult points of my career,” she said. “I was really sick a couple of weeks leading up to the state meet. I knew I was in the best shape of my life. I was really ready to peak at the right time. It’s just unfortunate that I got sick. But it’s all part of the process. It happens to everyone.”
That meet is now a distant memory for Lickert, and the St. Raphael star is focused on what lies in store during the outdoor campaign. She made that evident in a return trip to the fourth annual BSR Eagle Invite, formerly known as the Mid Distance Classic. A year after coming within a second of winning the mile, she made sure to leave no doubt this time.
After nestling herself comfortably near the leaders for most of the race, Lickert surged from the pack with 200 meters remaining to capture individual honors in a personal-best 5:09.26. The SRA standout held off Sophie Shaw of Bishop Feehan, who finished second overall in 5:10.53. Bay View’s Jackie Mattos was eighth among the 20 finishers with a time of 5:28.08.
“It was a very close race last year, so this year I wanted to come back stronger, get the win, and run a PR – and I did both,” Lickert said.
The St. Raphael standout had a well-thought-out plan going into the race.
“My coach (Chris Magill) just told me to go out in second so I’d be in a good position,” she said. “Depending on how fast the first lap went, I would just stay there, and when I felt good, I’d take the lead. I really decided with about 200 meters to go to make my move.”
Lickert has a few goals in mind this season, including winning a state title and breaking 10 minutes in the 3,000.
“Training has been going really well,” she said. “A couple of weeks ago, I started to finally feel like myself again. I’ve been upping the mileage and focusing on the little things – PT, cross-training, and just overall training harder. I’m really excited to see what I can do.”
St. Ray’s also picked up a pair of victories from sophomore Francesca Justin. Justin swept the sprint events, winning the 100m in 12.74 before returning later to claim the 200m title in 26.08.
Both times were off her personal bests, but it didn’t matter on Friday with roughly two months still remaining in the season. Justin is coming off an indoor season where she was fifth in the 55m and second in the 300m at the states.
She’s looking to match that success this spring.
“I am super excited to go against everyone because it pushes me to go faster,” she said.
La Salle Academy also went home with three victories for the night. Sophomore Olivia Tucker claimed the 400m crown in 1:00.96. She also ran the anchor for the Rams’ first-place 4x400m team. The foursome of Torri Charello-Ingegneri, Lena Reilly, Sienna Monello and Tucker combined for a time of 4:18.19.
La Salle also won the boys’ 4x400m with the quartet of Arthur Fallone, Nicholas Ciotti, Casey Ashe and Brad Laforest posting a three-second victory over Pentucket (MA) with a time of 3:32.45. La Salle was also fourth in the race at 3:43.07.
RESULTS
