Montville girls, Stonington boys win ECC Division II indoor titles
New London — Bridget Buckley kneeled on the Roland Hall indoor track, mouth agape in disbelief, as her Montville girls’ indoor track and field team went wild upon hearing they’d won Saturday’s Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II championship.
A few yards to the right stood Stonington, quiet and numb.
Montville won the title outright after defending champion Stonington was disqualified for “pacing” during the 4x360 relay, the meet’s final event. A Stonington athlete ran down the side of the track during the homestretch to encourage her teammate, violation that results in the DQ.
The teams would have tied had Stonington not been penalized.
“It’s amazing,” Buckley said. “They put up a fight. We showed up to compete and I’m in awe of my team right now.”
Montville scored 116 points to win its first girls' indoor title since 2001, finishing 10 points ahead of the Bears (106).
“It’s so amazing to get it,” Indians senior Lauren Ross said. “For a senior, it’s just an amazing feeling.”
The Stonington boys didn’t let anyone get close to them as they successfully defended their title with 136 points, 56 more points than runner-up Ledyard.
“I had people (along the railings) and said, ‘you’re job is to make sure (no one) runs on the track,” Stonington boys and girls coach Ben Bowne said about the girls’ 4x360 relay. “Stuff happens. What can you do.
“Both teams, I’m really proud of everyone. On the guys’ side, they had a chip on their shoulder because people were like, ‘oh, you don’t have the guys that graduated last year.’ (We’re like), ‘We’ve got other guys. We’ll be okay.’ So they kind of showed that today.”
Seniors Mady Whittaker and Ross nearly accounted for half of Montville’s points.
Ross was the meet’s top individual as she won three events. She matched her personal record in the high jump (4 feet, 10 inches). She ran the 55 hurdles several minutes later and edged top-seeded Olivia Crawford of Ledyard in a photo finish. Both ran a 9.14, a personal record for Ross who was seeded fourth (9.44).
“I couldn’t have asked for anything else,” Ross said. “I’m very surprised (about the hurdles win). I’ve been running like 9.4s all year. This is crazy because it’s really hard to drop point-3 milliseconds in a 55 meter race.”
Ross also set a personal best to win the long jump (16-3.25), another event in which she was seeded second. Teammates MacKenzie Clark and Michaela MacCracken finished third and fifth, respectively, to give the Indians 18 points in the event and a two-point cushion going int the final event.
Asked what got into her Saturday, Ross smiled, “I have no idea. I didn’t eat anything different.”
Whittaker, The Day’s All-Area Girls’ Cross Country Runner of the Year the past three seasons, won two events. She won the 1,000 as expected (3:13.34). She also won the 3,200 (12:21.89), which she hadn’t run this season.
“It was hard to pull (Whittaker) out of the 4x360, but (the team) stepped up their game,” Buckley said. “It was a huge day. An amazing, unbelievable day.”
Stonington had two individual winners — Keegan Donohue (pole vault, 8-6) and Lindsay Orr (1,600, 5:21.46).
St. Bernard’s Serena Britner, Sophia Duhig, Brigid Kunka and Lillian Turner won the 4x720 relay (9:24.52).
Ledyard’s Nadia Helme, Hannah Avila, Olivia Crawford, and Katherine Harren won the 1,440 sprint medley relay (4:06.38).
The Stonington boys won nine of 15 events, including all four relays.
Rhys Hammond won the 1,000 (2:36.21) and 1,600 (4:48.24) for the Bears and Joey Hinckley won the 300 (36.85) and the pole vault (12-6). Chase Flynn also edged Ellis Phillips-Gallucci of Windham, 1:27.47 to 1:27.48, to win the 600.
Hammer Castagliuolo, Max Wotjas, Nathan Gonzalez and Lucas Huesman won the 4x720 (7:58.01) for Stonington, while Ben Abely, Martin Vernet, Graham Johnstone and Hinckley won the 4x180 (1:24.46).
Vernet, Graham Johnstone, Sam Inthasit and Flynn won the sprint medley relay (3:26.57) for the Bears before Ethan Allen-Fernandez, Flynn, Hammond and Castagliuolo won the 4x400 relay (3:40.77) in the final track event of the night.
Derek Strickland (55 hurdles, 8:11), Tyrone Mack (shot put, 50-6), and Julian Valdes (high jump, 5-8) won for Montville.
Ledyard’s James Smith won the 55 meter dash (6.70).
n.griffen@theday.com
ECC DIVISION II INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
BOYS
Team results
1. Stonington, 136; 2. Ledyard, 80; 3. Windham, 73; 4. Montville, 50; 5. Bacon Academy, 48; 6. Plainfield, 28; 7. Lyman Memorial, 24; 8. Griswold 18; 9. St. Bernard, 7; 10. Tourtellotte 1.
Individual results
55-meter dash: 1. James Smith (L), 6.70 seconds; 2. Ben Abely (S); 3. Travon Brown (L); 4. Anthony Franklin (G); 5. Martin Vernet (S); 6. Sam Inthasit (S).
300: 1. Joey Hinckley (S), 36.85; 2. Smith (L); 3. Abely (S); 4. Enrique Lopez Garcia (W); 4. Zac Crawford (LM); 6. Brady Noniewicz (B).
600: 1. Chase Flynn (S), 1:27.47; 2. Ellis Phillips-Gallucci (W); 3. Matt Laliberte (B); 4. Mathew Bauer (LM); 5. Aidan Korczynski (W); 6. Lucas Huesman (S).
1,000: 1. Rhys Hammond (S), 2:36.21; 2. Matthew Speight (P); 3. Victor Cazabal (W); 4. Garrett Gasparino (G); 5. Max Wojtas (S); 6. Aidan Turner (S).
1,600: 1. Hammond (S), 4:48.24; 2. Rishabh Iyer (M); 3. Michael Bear (B); 4. Jack Pothier (P); 5. James Babinski (SB); 6. Elias Dahl (S).
3,200: 1. Victor Cazabal (W), 10:18.94; 2. Andrew Janus (B); 3. Cody Mathewson (LM); 4. Ethan Moores (B); 5. Iyer (M); 6. Giovann Rivera (W).
4x180 relay: 1. Stonington (Abely, Vernet, Graham Johnstone, Hinckley), 1:24.46; 2. Ledyard; 3. Bacon; 4. Plainfield; 5. Montville; 6. St. Bernard.
4x360 relay: 1. Stonington (Hammer Castagliuolo, Ethan Allen-Fernandez, Flynn, Hammond), 3:40.77; 2. Bacon; 3. Windham; 4. Ledyard; 5. St. Bernard; 6. Montville.
4x720 relay: 1. Stonington (Castagliuolo, Wojtas, Nathan Gonzalez, Huesman), 7:58.01; 2. Windham; 3. Griswold; 4. Ledyard; 5. St. Bernard; 6. Bacon.
Sprint medley relay: 1. Stonington (Vernet, Johnstone, Flynn, Inthasit), 3:26.57; 2. Bacon; 3. Ledyard; 4. Lyman Memorial; 5. Montville; 6. Windham.
55 hurdles: 1. Derek Strickland (M), 8.11; 2. Lopez Garcia (W); 3. Harold Phillips (L); 4. Christian Hudson (S); 5. Robert Lewis (S); 6. Daniel Langlois (T).
High jump: 1. Julian Valdes (M), 5 feet, 8 inches (wins in jump-off); 2. Phillips-Gallucci (W); 3. Phoenix Glaza (S); 4. Charles Padlan (S); 5. Mitchell Ahlborn (L); 6. Devonte Singh (W).
Long jump: 1. Khalil Easton (P), 20-9.5; 2. Clayton Goodrich (LM); 3. Harold Phillips (L); 4. Ashwin Kuruchi (M); 5. Robbie Petriel (L); 6. Padlan (S).
Pole vault: 1. Hinckley (S), 12-6; 2. (tie) Wesley Hughes (L) and Ryan Kinney (L); 4. Devraj Patel (G); 5. Raymond Cruz (W); 6. George Limberakis (S).
Shot put: 1. Tyrone Mack (M), 50-6; 2. Natanael Barbosa Torres (W); 3. Greyson DelGrosso (S); 4. Mason Bickham (L); 5. Connor Delaney (P); 6. Junior Alarcon (M).
GIRLS
Team results
1. Montville, 116; 2. Stonington, 106; 3. Plainfield, 53; 4. Bacon Academy, 51; 5. Griswold, 42.5; 6. Ledyard, 39.5; 7. St. Bernard, 34; 8. Lyman Memorial, 19; 9. Windham, 2; 10. Tourtellotte, 1.
Individual results
55-meter dash: 1. Audrey Strmiska (G). 7.64 seconds: 2. Nadia Helme (L); 3. Cleondra White (B); 4. Gwen Andersen (S); 5. Kamryn Gurnee-Mims (G); 6. Juliet Brady (SB).
300: 1. Kate Carleson (P), 42:01; 2. Isabella Newbury (P); 3. Katelin Price (M); 4. Jamila Linder (M); 5. Gwen Anderson (S); 6. Taina Quinones (SB).
600: 1. Cassandra Carleson (P), 1:38.85; 2. Megan Detwiler (S); 3. Jessica Detwiler (S); 4. Alexis DeLucia (M); 5. Emma Small (S); 6. Emily Moran (P).
1,000: 1. Mady Whittaker (M), 3:13.34; 2. Elizabeth Bowman (M); 3. Rachel Sabbadini (S); 4. Chloe Morehouse (S); 5. Olivia Dunnack (LM); 6. Sophia Duhig (SB).
1,600: 1. Lindsey Orr (S), 5:21.46; 2. Jordan Malloy (B); 3. Whittaker (M); 4. Lily Anderson (S); 5. Lillian Turner (SB); 6. Anne Hageman (B).
3,200: 1. Whittaker (M), 12:21.89; 2. Orr (S); 3. Brigid Kunka (SB); 4. Serena Britner (SB); 5. Jessica Casey (LM); 6. Sarah Praisner (B).
4x180 relay: 1. Plainfield (Newbury, Moran, C. Carleson, K. Carleson), 1:37.84; 2. Griswold; 3. Stonington; 4. Montville; 5. Ledyard; 6. St. Bernard.
4x360 relay: 1. Plainfield (Newbury, Moran, Carleson, Carleson), 4:14.62; 2. Montville; 3. Lyman Memorial; 4. St. Bernard; 5. Ledyard; 6. Griswold.
4x720 relay: 1. St. Bernard (Britner, Duhig, Kunka, Turner), 9:24.52; 2. Montville; 3. Stonington; 4. Ledyard; 5. Bacon.
Sprint medley relay: 1. Ledyard (Helme, Hannah Avila, Olivia Crawford, Katherine Harren), 4:06.38; 2. Montville; 3. Stonington; 4. Bacon; 5. St. Bernard; 6. Tourtellotte.
55 hurdles: 1. Lauren Ross (M), 9.14; 2. Crawford (L); 3. Alex Jefson (S); 4. Jessica Savage (B); 5. Kaleigh Bolduc (S); 6. Ava Poore (G).
High jump: 1. Ross (M), 4 feet 10 inches; 2. (tie) Kristen Goodrich (LM) and Cate Rowlins (B); 4. Paylynn Sormude (L); 5. Chelsey English (P); 6. Bridget Feeley (SB).
Long jump: 1. Ross (M), 16-3.25; 2. Strmiska (G); 3. MacKenzie Clark (M); 4. Gurnee-Mims (G); 5. Michaela MacCracken (M); 5. Kristen Goodrich (LM).
Pole vault: 1. Keegan Donahue (S), 8-6; 2. Taryn Formanek (B); 3. Lindsey Labbe (S); 4. Hannah Nulick (S); 5. Resia Baron (W); 6. (tie) Emma Pratt (L) and Meredith Brown (G).
Shot put: 1. Natalie Rolan-Issa (B), 42-1; 2. Kaelin Waldron (G); 2. Jenny Alarcon (M); 4. Olivia Habarek (S); 5. Natalie Hinojosa (P); 6. Cassidy Carroll (L).
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