New Haven— Dylan Hatajik can't make it to the New England indoor track and field championship March 4 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Boston. He's going on a college visit to Princeton.

It's not like Hatajik, an East Lyme High School junior, had what happened at Monday's State Open planned. Hatajik was second in the boys' 300 meters in a school record 36.22 seconds, leading a handful of local finishers to qualify for the New England meet by finishing in the top six.

Hatajik wasn't even running his best event. He was seeded 11th in the 300. He had the fourth-fastest seed time in the second of three heats, not even competing against the fastest competitors at the meet.

“Today, it was,” said Hatajik of the 300 being his top race. “In the 55, I tripped and couldn't finish it out. I was too far behind to make the final. I was discouraged after my 55, but I talked to my coach (Steve Hargis) and he told me that good athletes forget about the past and focus on the future. So I focused on the 300.”

Hatajik is certainly a good athlete. He started at quarterback for the Vikings in football beginning his sophomore year and this season switched to wide receiver halfway through to take advantage of his speed. His Princeton visit is as a potential football recruit. Hatajik started as an outfielder for the East Lyme baseball team which won 16 straight games last season and reached the Class L state championship game.

This winter, he led East Lyme's indoor track team to its third straight Eastern Connecticut Conference Division I championship, winning the long jump (20 feet, 6 inches) and finishing second in the 55 and the 300 to Ledyard's Herman Winston.

At last week's Class M state championship, Hatajik was second to Winston again in the 55 and the 300.

Monday, Hatajik joined Norwich Free Academy's Nick Fitch, fourth in the boys' 1,000 (2:33.79); Waterford's Devin Craig, tied for sixth in the boys' high jump (5-10); Fitch's Alex Schwindt, sixth in the boys' pole vault (12-6) and Grasso Tech's Rhema Phillips, sixth in the girls' 55 hurdles (8.72) as individuals in the top six. Waterford's girls' 4x200 relay team of Carissa Aekins, Sophia Podeszwa, Lia Scala and Zora LaBonte was also sixth in 1:49.41.

Hatajik said that since the Class M meet, he worked along with Hargis and East Lyme sprints coach Ben Donatello on his technique in the 300, how to finish the race, in particular, once the runners are all even coming around the final turn.

Hatajik was actually the third-fastest-seeded ECC runner in the 300 behind Winston, third, and Montville's Greg Clark, fifth, both scheduled for the fast heat. Winston, however, was injured during Ledyard's 4x200 relay event. He still managed to reach the finals in the 55, but was seventh. Winston did not compete in the 300.

Waterford's Craig is also coming off an injury to his left knee. He won the ECC Division II and Class M championships easily, but missed all three attempts Monday at 6-0. In addition, NFA's Kelsie Hall, the ECC Division I pole vault champion, was sidelined for the State Open with a broken foot.

Fitch, a senior at NFA, found himself boxed in during the final lap of the 1,000, but suddenly saw an opening on the inside that allowed him to pass several runners down the stretch. He was third in the final heat, fourth overall.

“I knew my kick could come through, but last Wednesday (at the Class LL meet) it didn't answer,” said Fitch, who was third in the class meet in 2:36.31.

Fitch is still gaining experience in his event, as well. He was a soccer and baseball aficionado his first two years at NFA before switching to running.

“I have no experience,” Fitch said. “This was my third time running the 1,000. Coming into this I didn't even know what a meter was. I was out there and everyone was saying numbers. But competing is absolutely my favorite thing to do, going elbow to elbow with guys.”

Fitch even ran cross country this year. At the ECC Division I indoor meet, he won the 1,000 (2:45.73) and 600 back-to-back (1:26.23), an extremely rare double. He then added a victory with his team in the 4x360 relay.

Danbury won the boys' State Open title with 55.25 points and Bloomfield cruised to a win in the girls' portion of the meet with 83.5 points.

v.fulkerson@theday.com