By Matt Stewart

Two seniors at Lunenburg High School signed commitments with New England colleges last Friday afternoon at the Lunenburg High School library. Chelsea Hudson, a Lunenburg track star, will be competing on Division 1 Northeastern University (Boston, MA) next season, while Jon Birr, a Blue Knight football standout will be playing for the Hawks at Division 2 St. Anselm College (Manchester, NH). 

“(Hudson and Birr) have given us what the athletic director and coaches want, and really hope for, that is really great leadership,” Lunenburg High Athletic Director Pete McCauliff said in his speech at the signing.  “They package that with tremendous athletic ability, which is just a bonus.  (Their leadership) is always moving us in a positive direction, and having a real positive influence on other students in the school, especially younger athletes that look up to them.  It’s been a real honor for me to work with them.”

“I appreciate the fact that they are receiving scholarships,” McCauliff continued.  “The effort that went in from their parents, the guidance office, teachers, and coaches that made phone calls, helped them along the way and it really is a team effort… To continue to perform athletics at the collegiate level is really something, because the odds against it are tremendous. It says a lot about their perseverance, ability, determination, everything they’ve accomplished on the field and off, and it’s going to be really difficult for us to replace them.”

Hudson will compete in the 400 meter hurdles for the Huskies, and this season she has led the Blue Knights to an undefeated record in Mid Wach C  and overall (4-0), and has won the event in each meet, as she has the league’s best time. She holds the school record in the 400m hurdles (1:04.81) and the 300m hurdles (46.54) both set in the spring of 2009. As a Junior, Hudson finished fifth in the All-State Meet in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:04.81, placed second in the Central Mass District E Championship (1:06.2), placed first in the District E Class C Meet (1:06.56), was the Mid Wach C League Meet and regular season champion, and competed to a 16th place finish in the New England Championships, posting a time of 46.54 in the 300m hurdles. 

“Chelsea has been a part of my life for the last few years, since eighth grade when we first started seeing her running, and she’s come a long way in the past four years, and it’s been a pleasure and I’m very proud to be a part of this accomplishment that she’s reached,” Lunenburg girls track coach Steve Kyajohnian said in his speech. “This last year she stepped up and changed events, another way which made this happen, it’s one of the toughest events in track and field, the 400m hurdles.”

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