East Lyme sweeps way to ECC D-I indoor titles again
New London — Saige Deveau had maybe the hardest job as the meet wound to a close Saturday afternoon at the Coast Guard Academy.
Deveau, an East Lyme High School senior, led off the Vikings' 4x360-meter relay — the final event — with the team score tied at the Eastern Connecticut Conference Division I girls' indoor track and field championship. That gave Deveau the task of getting off to a solid start, getting untangled from the other lead runners and giving the Vikings' second runner, Ellie McCoy, the baton in good standing.
"We expected it to be close. Not tied," Deveau said.
"She sets the tone," East Lyme coach Carl Reichard said of Deveau. "She's a great leadoff runner. She's an amazing leader. She really helps run the team, organizes our workouts."
Deveau and McCoy teamed with Julia Bates and Sophie Taylor to win the relay in 4 minutes, 19.51 seconds, leading East Lyme to the championship by the slimmest of margins over NFA, 146-142. NFA was third in the 4x360.
East Lyme's boys' team, led by a 1-2 finish from long-distance gurus Sam Whittaker and Chris Abbey in the 1,000, 1,600 and 3,200 — Whittaker won all three — outlasted NFA 141.33-123.33 in a back-and-forth battle.
That gave East Lyme a sweep of the Division I indoor titles for the fifth straight season.
"These guys did awesome," Reichard said of his team. "They competed hard all day. NFA and East Lyme always have that close, close, intense competition."
The East Lyme girls seemed like they had a decent enough lead over NFA, 118-104 with three events remaining. That was before lightning, by the name of Kayla Park, struck twice for NFA.
Park, a sophomore for the Wildcats, won the 300 and the 3,200 in back-to-back events to pull the team into a deadlock at 136-136. NFA scored 22 points in the 3,200, getting a first from Park in 12:45.58, followed by a second-place finish from Eve Buckridge and fourth from freshman Sophia Jones. That set up the relay as a winner-take-all event.
"I came in with the mentality that I wanted to win for my team," said Park, who also won the 1,000, making her one of the meet's few triple-winners. "We expected to have a decent chance (for the team title), but the week before ECCs, a lot of people came up injured. We didn't know if we were going to go for it. We decided to go for it.
"I was a little tired (during the 3,200). I kept looking up at the laps to go and it was like 15. It just went down so slow."
Deveau also won the 55 dash for East Lyme (7.48 seconds), Gilly Goodwin took the 1,600 (5:42.11) and the Vikings swept the four relays. NFA, meanwhile, set a pair of meet records, with Ally Lewis establishing the mark of 5 feet, 8 inches in the high jump and Paige Martin taking the pole vault at 11-3.
Among other local winners, NFA's Emma Grace Ricketts took the 600 (1:41.87), Fitch's Janaya Burley the 55 hurdles (7.59) and Waterford's Jenny Keth the long jump (16-3).
East Lyme's distance crew of Whittaker, Abbey, Ben Rukundo, Fisher Macklin and Luke Anthony — all part of the Vikings' Class MM state cross country championship in the fall — made the difference in the boys' meet. The Vikings scored 63 points in the 1,000, 1,600 and 3,200 combined.
Whittaker won the 1,000 in 2:36.77, the 1,600 in 4:32.80 and the 3,200 in 9:49.21. He joined Fitch's Tyler Cady (55 dash, 300) and NFA's Jahiem Spruill (high jump, long jump) in winning multiple individual events.
"Every time we run, it boosts us and every time (NFA does) a field event, it brings us down," Whittaker said of the close matchup with the Wildcats.
"People were playing to their strengths," East Lyme coach Steve Hargis said of the close race for the boys' team title. "It's just like outdoor (82-68 loss to NFA in a dual meet). We put up 60 on the track and thought that was surely enough to win. It really came together today."
Hargis credited Whittaker (the Class MM cross country individual champion) and Abbey (the ECC champion) with helping lift their younger teammates, who contributed to wins in the 4x360 and sprint medley relays and a second in the 4x720.
"I don't have to use Chris and Sam (in the relays)," he said. "They took care of themselves and they took care of their teammates."
Other local boys' winners were New London's Marquis Whyte in the 600 (1:28.74), NFA's David Osagie in the 55 hurdles (8.04), NFA's Jacob Bazinet in the pole vault (14-2) and NFA's Adelino Daveiga in the shot put (47-1).
ECC DIVISION I INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Coast Guard Academy
BOYS
Team results
1. East Lyme, 141.33; 2. NFA, 123.33; 3. Fitch, 78; 4. Waterford, 54; 5. New London, 32; 6. Killingly, 21; 7. Woodstock Academy, 10.33.
Individual results
55-meter dash: 1. Tyler Cady (F), 6.79 seconds; 2. Jahiem Spruill (NFA); 3. Jelani Johnson (K); 4. Jaylen Callender (NL); 5. Blane Hart (EL); 6. Dangelo Aristilde (NFA).
300: 1. Cady (F), 37.19; 2. Nazaiah Paul (NFA); 3. Jonathan Zavaleta (EL); 4. Hart (EL); 5. Wesley Paulo (NL); 6. Om Patel (F).
600: 1. Marquis Whyte (NL), 1:28.74; 2. Matt Kung (EL); 3. Robert Avena (EL); 4. Shea Kenney (F); 5. Andrew Cote (NFA); 6. Tyler DeVega (NFA).
1,000: 1. Sam Whittaker (EL), 2:36.77; 2. Chris Abbey (EL); 3. Nathan Cote (NFA); 4. Fred Rukundo (EL); 5. Aidan Croteau (NFA); 6. Kenneth Birlin (WA).
1,600: 1. Whittaker (EL), 4:32.80; 2. Abbey (EL); 3. Dylan McGuire (NFA); 4. Aidan Pepin (Wat); 5. Ryan Poe (F); 6. Fisher Macklin (EL).
3,200: 1. Whittaker (EL), 9:49.21; 2. Abbey (EL); 3. Pepin (Wat); 4. Luke Anthony (EL); 5. Ethan Aspiras (WA); 6. McGuire (NFA).
55 hurdles: 1. Osaretin Osagie (NFA), 8.04; 2. Jared Lovell (Wat); 3. Bryce Bentinck (K); 4. (tie) Akhil Chilamkurthi (EL) and Jalen Chappelle (Wat); 6. Michael Vincent (Wat).
4x180 relay: 1. Fitch (Cady, Chris Holmes, Fernando Coreas, Keshav Garcia-Patel), 1:26.92; 2. Waterford; 3. New London; 4. Woodstock.
4x400 relay: 1. East Lyme (Kung, Avena, Magnum Brandt, Chilamkurthi), 3:41.96; 2. Fitch; 3. NFA; 4. Waterford; 5. New London.
4x720 relay: 1. NFA (Aidan Brown, Phillip Ludlow, Peyton Ramsey, McGuire), 7:46.31; 2. East Lyme; 3. Fitch; 4. Waterford; 5. Woodstock.
Sprint medley relay: 1. East Lyme (Trystan Levesque, Cameron Hart, Avena, Kung), 3:25.17; 2. New London; 3. Fitch; 4. Waterford; 5. NFA; 6. Killingly.
High jump: 1. Spruill (NFA), 6 feet, 2 inches; 2. Kayvon Negahban (Wat); 3. Justin Costick (NFA); 4. Makaih Olawale (EL); 5. Ethan Alves (F); 6. Nick Helbig (F).
Pole vault: 1. Jacob Bazinet (NFA), 14-2; 2. Chilamkurthi (EL); 3. Max Davidson (NFA); 4. Alves (F); 5. Evan Kluge (EL); 6. (tie) Nathaniel Lichtenfels (EL), Anthony Chong (NFA) and Lucas Couture (WA).
Long jump: 1. Spruill (NFA), 21-6.5; 2. Johnson (K); 3. Costick (NFA); 4. Negahban (Wat); 5. Osagie (NFA); 6. Olawale (EL).
Shot put: 1. Adelina DaVeiga (NFA), 47-1; 2. Helbig (F); 3. Josh Morton (EL); 4. Gideon McElroy (F); 5. Thomas Joyner (F); 6. Danylo Ntamwemezi (WA).
GIRLS
Team results
1. East Lyme, 146; 2; NFA, 142; 3. Fitch, 58; 4. Waterford, 41; 5. Woodstock Academy, 29; 6. Killingly, 21; 7. New London, 17.
Individual results
55-meter dash: 1. Saige Deveau (EL), 7.48 seconds; 2. Jenny Keth (Wat); 3. Anissa White (NL); 4. Abigail Rogers (F); 5. Dana Normandie (K); 6. Kate Aydt (NFA).
300: 1. Kayla Park (NFA), 43.58; 2. Katherine Harris (EL); 3. Deveau (EL); 4. White (NL); 5. Alicia Sanders (Wat); 6. Margaret Dunne (EL).
600: 1. Emma Grace Ricketts (NFA), 1:41.87; 2. Sophie Taylor (EL); 3. Ellen McCoy (EL); 4. Ivy Gelhaus (WA); 5. Laura Agbayani (EL); 6. Aria Gianfrido (WA).
1,000: 1. Park (NFA), 3:10.33; 2. Julia Bates (EL), 3:14.57; 3. Gillian Goodwin (EL); 4. Caroline Real (EL); 5. Phoebe Provencher (EL); 6. Iris Bazinet (WA).
1,600: 1. Goodwin (EL), 5:42.11; 2. Eve Buckridge (NFA); 3. Sophia Jones (NFA); 4. Julia Adrianh (F); 5. Sydney Sager (EL); 6. Bazinet (WA).
3,200: 1. Park (NFA), 12:45.58; 2. Buckridge (NFA); 3. Adrian (F); 4. Jones (NFA); 5. Sager (EL); 6. Samantha Lyster (EL).
55 hurdles: 1. Janaya Burley (F), 9.59; 2. Jazlynn Toussaint (NFA); 3. Sophia Riker (EL); 4. Aochen Li (WA); 5. Darya Mikusova (EL); 6. Ashley Zelesky (EL).
4x180 relay: 1. East Lyme (Darya Mikusova, Nancy Alden, Margaret Dunne, Katherine Harris), 1:39.38; 2. Fitch; 3. Waterford; 4. Woodstock; 5. NFA; 6. Killingly.
4x400 relay: 1. East Lyme (Deveau, McCoy, Bates, Taylor), 4:19.51; 2. Fitch; 3. NFA; 4. Waterford.
4x720 relay: 1. East Lyme (Sager, Provencher, Julia Dewey, Agbayani), 10:03.04; 2. NFA; 3. Fitch.
Sprint medley relay: 1. East Lyme (Mikusova, Nancy Alden, Real, Bates), 4:10.44; 2. NFA; 3. Woodstock; 4. Waterford; 5. Fitch.
High jump: 1. Allyson Lewis (NFA), 5 feet, 8 inches (meet record, old mark 5-4 shared by five); 2. Julia Theiriaque (WA); 3. Ellie Lokken (Wat); 4. (tie) Nathalia Miller (F) and Sydney Comstock (F); 6. Lena Osso (EL).
Pole vault: 1. Paige Martin (NFA), 11-3 (meet record, old mark 11-2.25 by NFA's Allie Sullivan in 2011); 2. Madison Martin (NFA); 3. (tie) Megan Delillo (EL) and Hannah Elliot (NFA); 5. Comstock (F); 6. Keth (Wat).
Long jump: 1. Keth (Wat), 16-3; 2. Lewis (NFA); 3. Osso (EL); 4. Riker (EL); 5. Tahlia Bryant (NFA); 6. Emmalee Fritzsche (NFA).
Shot put: 1. Taylor Jax (K), 34-6; 2. Sydney Rosen (K); 3. Eliza Brown (NL); 4. Sydney Buckley (EL); 5. J'Onnelle Davis (F); 6. Marissa Parker (NL).
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