This spring, Douglas track and field coach Jeff Thayer was blessed with not one, but two talented freshmen to join his team. The duo of Kassidy Price and Lillian Denomme were both successful in their individual meets and, between the two, scored the majority of the Tigers’ points this season. Price ruled the middle distances, while her counterpart was throwing the discus to unbelievable distances and competing in the pentathlon.

Price runs everything from the 100 to the 800, with the 400 and 800 being her better events. During the CMAC Meet of Champions, the freshman ran a 62-second 400, and at the South Shore Twilight Meet, ran a 2-minute 26-second 800; both times were relatively close to school records. In addition to her time in the 400 at the CMAC Meet of Champions, in which she earned a second-place finish, Price also finished second in the 200 and high jump, walking away with three second-place finishes. 

During the State Tournament, Price finished 16th in the 800 and 20th in the 400.

“Kassidy has run against top-quality varsity athletes since day one; she is a hard worker who is driven,” Thayer said. “This year she set a lot of goals for herself; she is currently within range of both the school records for the 400 and 800.”

While Price is closing in on a few Douglas school records, Denomme has already secured herself in the record books as only a first-year thrower. The school record for the discus (86’ 10”) was set in 2013, and this past season Denomme has broken it three times, with her latest throw being 103’ 3”. Denomme also owns the school Pentathlon (100m, discus, shot-put, javelin, and 200m) record, set at the District E Weight Pentathlon, where she shattered the old record by exactly 500 points. The previous record was 1671, and she amassed 2171 points.

“Lily definitely has the body of a thrower; she’s strong and determined to learn the event and figure it out,” the Douglas Coach said. “Her form is good, but still not great yet, and has a ways to go. She will definitely get better over the next few years.”

Denomme’s first-ever throw in a meet was 80’, which was exceptional for a freshman and already close to the record. Her very next meet against Sutton, the freshman threw 92’ and broke the school record for the first time. 

Price is a year-round soccer player while also playing basketball. She began running at a very early age when she joined Speedy Kids, a running club, because she was consistently moving and loved to run. According to her mother, she ran a 7-minute mile at the age of 7.

“Originally, I did it basically for the fun of it and to help me keep in shape for soccer. This year I wanted to get better and go for the school records,” Price said. “I prefer running the distances because I am not fast but am a good finisher. I am not opposed to running a longer event, but I don’t know yet.”

Being three seconds away from the 400 and less than a second before topping the 800, Price will be shooting for both these records come next spring. To do so, she will continue playing soccer and strength training to improve her speed and acceleration.

As an eighth grader, she was able to make it to the States to run the 800, where she finished second. This year, she thought that she’d be able to run well in the States, but unfortunately, things didn’t work out that way.

“I went in looking to break the school record, but I didn’t do very well that day,” Price said. “It was not what I was hoping for – I think that I started out too fast and didn’t have enough to finish. I’ll have to mentally prepare myself for next year.”

Much like Price, Denomme was also looking for something to do during the spring season that would help her improve her soccer and basketball playing. At first, she really wanted to take up what she wanted, but a few of her teammates on the track team convinced her to give it a try.

“I figured joining track would be a good bonding experience,” she said. “I eventually came to the conclusion that I would be a thrower because running was not my strong suit.”

Upon picking up the discus and throwing for the very first time, the freshman thought it was really fun, while her coach was in astonishment at what she had just done. Not only was Coach Thayer in shock at the throw, but Denomme also surprised herself and, in doing so, found her newest passion.

“When I broke the school record at just my second meet, it felt too easy, but I knew that it was going to take much more,” Denomme said. “I know that I have to continue to work hard, especially on the smaller things, but I did pick the basics up quickly.”

Having already broken the school record three times, the Douglas athlete will need to set higher goals as she moves forward in the event. Sitting at 103’ 3” coming into next season, her new goal will be 110’ and if she eclipses that, she’ll continue to raise the bar. 

As for the pentathlon, Denomme was familiar with four of the five events, with the 200 being the sole event that she had never taken part in. Going into the event, she was hoping to finish in the top 25 while looking to improve her personal records. By amassing 2171 total points, she was able to finish tenth, something that she did not expect in the least. 

Now with another three years of eligibility, both athletes will be looking to improve their standing while chasing school records. Denomme wants to improve herself while capturing as many records as she can and setting higher goals along the way. The now sophomore is also looking to eclipse a milestone on the basketball court as well. Currently, she has scored around 600 points for the Tigers over the last two seasons and would love to be on the 1,000-point club. After high school, she would like to join the track or basketball team at the collegiate level.

Price is hoping to get faster and work her way up in her events. She would eventually like to go to college on a scholarship for soccer, track, or possibly both. At this moment, she would prefer to play soccer, but would take either sport, just to be able to compete on the college level.

Both athletes are looking to eventually extend their careers at the collegiate level, but for the next three years, they will represent the Douglas track and field team, all the while setting school records.