Setting the Record(s) Straight: Cappuccio Officially Breaks Rip Dyer’s LJ Mark

Two years ago, it was reported that Nick Cappuccio set a new Winthrop High school record in the long jump with a leap of 21′-8″. However, we subsequently learned Nick’s distance was just short of the WHS mark of 21′-8.5″ that had been set by Viking track and field legend Rip Dyer, which Rippy set when he won the Class C state championship in 1965.

Long-time Winthrop sports fans will recall that Rip Dyer was both an amazing athlete and then served as a successful coach of the WHS track program from 1971-80.

He continued his track and field career at UMass, where he was the captain and a collegiate champ in the conference and New England championships.

Dyer continued to compete until he was 41 years old. In 1980, he was the US indoor Masters and Submasters National Long Jump champion, which he won at Syracuse University for the Greater Boston Track Club. He also was a National Champion in three events in the Bermuda national championship in 1971.

Rip Dyer now resides in Indiana.

 So we are happy to finally make the correction: Rip Dyer’s long jump of 21′-8.5″ had been the longest-standing track and field mark in WHS annals, but now we are equally happy to report that Nick Capuccio’s leap of 21′-11″ at the Northeastern Conference Meet this past Saturday officially has established a new WHS school record that had stood for 59 years.

This marks the second WHS record that Cappuccio, who is a junior, has set this season, having broken the 100 meter dash mark two weeks ago with a sprint of 10.84 seconds that eclipsed the previous WHS record time of 10.87 that had belonged to another Viking legend, Steve Staffier, since 1984.

In addition, another Winthrop school record was set at this past weekend’s NEC Meet in the javelin by George Galuris, whose throw of 159′-0″ shattered the previous Viking mark of 141′-0″ that had been held by Jimmy Barker.