East Lyme sweeps ECC Div. I indoor track titles
New London — Blake Harris remembers his first-ever Eastern Connecticut Conference boys' indoor track meet at the Coast Guard Academy.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be in a place like this for the first time," said Harris, an East Lyme High School senior. "I remember looking at all the records (on Coast Guard's sprawling record board). I went outside and walked around a little bit. I feel like (the underclassmen) are just excited to be here."
East Lyme, after Norwich Free Academy's ascent to the top of the ECC Division I ranks in 2020, regained the title Sunday, topping NFA 143-127. (There was no indoor track postseason in 2021 due to COVID-19). The East Lyme girls team added their eighth straight championship with a 163.6-116.6 win over Woodstock Academy.
The East Lyme boys got wins from Harris in the 55-meter hurdles (8.52 seconds) and Nick Vogel in the high jump (5 feet, 8 inches), as well as relay wins in the 4x400, 4x720 and sprint medley relays, forced to outduel NFA's contingent of dynamic runners.
NFA, with a 1-2-3 finish by Dangelo Aristilde, Michaelly Luc and Jeremiah Paul, scored 25 points in the 300 to pull within 123-119 with two events remaining, but East Lyme clinched the title moments later with 10 points in the 3,200, with a second-place finish by Sean McCauley and fifth-place finish by Matthew Carrier, both freshmen.
East Lyme capped the meet with its third relay win of the day in the 4x400.
East Lyme boys' coach Steve Hargis called it a "fun day," one which included his athletes, who apparently took the loss to NFA two years ago pretty seriously, dressed in button-down shirts and dress pants for the bus ride to the meet for what they deemed a business trip.
"Last time we lost to NFA so we decided to take care of business," said Harris, who also ran a leg of the winning sprint medley relay. "Some of the guys had ties, some of the guys had jewelry on. That just added to the excitement."
NFA was missing top distance runner Tyler Crabb, the No. 1 seed in the 3,200 meters, due to illness. To combat that, coach Tom Teixeira split up his school record-setting 4x200 relay team of Aristilde, Luc, Paul and Stephen Lee — that quartet ran a 1:34.06 recently to make the Wildcats the top seed — and spread the four out among their strongest events to score the maximum amount of points.
Aristilde won the 55 dash (6.59) and the 300 (37.80, coming from the second heat), while Luc took the 600 (1:29.79) and the long jump (19-6), finishing second in the 300.
Hargis and East Lyme girls' coach Carl Reichard both mentioned the fact that many of their athletes had never been in an indoor meet of this magnitude before due to the COVID interruption.
"You try to tell them," Hargis said. "They've got nothing to relate it to. This is really cool. They showed up today and the parents are here, it's a whole different vibe. Then all of the sudden they see the older guys are getting more serious about it; they see the looks on their faces."
Fitch's Carson Reilly won the 1,000 (2:49.47) and the 3,200 (10:44.33), while the Falcons also took the 4x180 relay. For Woodstock, Vince Bastura took the 1,600 (4:54.85), Ian Hoffman the pole vault (10-0) and Keenan Lamontagne the shot put (47-2).
NFA's Jasmyn Bransford was a double-winner on the girls' side, taking the 55 (7.59) and the 300 (44.03) while being tripped up in the long jump, which clashed with the time frame during which she was running the 300. Bransford had to take all three of her jumps in the finals consecutively and came up second.
East Lyme got wins from Izzy Paggioli in the 3,200 (12:52.25), Grace Blackwood in the high jump (4-10), Jayla Washington (15-10.5) in the long jump, Savannah Soleau in the shot put (37-10) and from the 4x180 and sprint medley relays.
"Who was it, Mike Krzyzewski at Duke (men's basketball) who says every year's a new year?" said Reichard, asked of the East Lyme girls' eighth straight title. "What happened two years ago doesn't really have a lot of impact on this year. You hope that the kids appreciate the fact that they're in a successful program but I'm pretty sure if you asked them, they have no idea what happened two years ago and that's probably good.
"I don't want them worrying about streaks and team scores."
ECC cross country champion Linsey Arends led Woodstock's effort to catch East Lyme, winning the 1,600 (5:38.13), as well as leading the Centaurs to victories in the 4x400 and 4x760 relays. Woodstock freshman Talia Tremblay took the 600 (1:48.37), Waterford's Avery Maiese the 1,000 (3:20.71), New London's Kmara Royster the 55 hurdles (9.70) and NFA's Alexis Boyer the pole vault (9-0).
v.fulkerson@theday.com
ECC DIV. I INDOOR TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Coast Guard Academy
Boys
Team Results
1. East Lyme, 143; 2. NFA, 127; 3. Fitch, 96; 4. Woodstock Academy, 75; 5. Waterford, 10; 6. New London, 4.
Individual Results
55-meter dash: 1. Dangelo Aristilde (NFA), 6.59 seconds; 2. Stephen Lee (NFA); 3. Charlie Tarbox (F); 4. Jeremiah Paul (NFA); 5. Thomas Williams (F); 6. Davon Mosley (NFA).
300: 1. Aristilde (NFA), 37.80; 2. Michaelly Luc (NFA); 3. Paul (NFA); 4. Lucas DeNucci (EL); 5. Shawn Henning (EL); 6. Lee (NFA).
600: 1. Luc (NFA), 1:29.79; 2. Nathan Bergman (EL); 3. Viraj Bokhira (F); 4. Roodley Merilo (NL); 5. Gabriel Pitre (NFA); 6. Ashton Croteau (NFA).
1,000: 1. Carson Riley (F), 2:49.47; 2. Thomas Forde (F); 3. Kai Ritz (EL); 4. Ethan Manfredi (NFA); 5. Ian Hoffman (WA); 6. Christian Menounos (WA).
1,600: 1. Vince Bastura (WA), 4:54.85; 2. Sean McCauley (EL); 3. Theodore Bergman (EL); 4. Kaiden Chandler (F); 5. Manfredi (NFA); 6. Willian Chekal (EL).
3,200: 1. Ca. Riley (F), 10:44.33; 2. McCauley (EL); 3. Bastura (WA); 4. Menounos (WA); 5. Matthew Carrier (EL); 6. Chandler (F).
55 hurdles: 1. Blake Harris (EL), 8.52; 2. Nick Vogel (EL); 3. Elliot Childs (W); 4. Collin Riley (F); 5. Liam Wilcox (WA); 6. Jonathan Mitchell (W).
4x180 relay: 1. Fitch (Tarbox, Gavin Asciolla, Nimyel Gamboa, Williams), 1:29.53; 2. NFA; 3. East Lyme; 4. Woodstock; 5. Waterford.
4x400 relay: 1. East Lyme (David Stoddard, William Potopowitz, N. Bergman, Ritz), 3:52.67; 2. NFA; 3. Fitch; 4. Woodstock.
4x720 relay: 1. East Lyme (Maddox Grillo-Smith, Mason Hintze, Ilyas Syed, N. Bergman), 8:19.56; 2. NFA; 3. Woodstock; 4 Fitch.
1,440 sprint medley relay: 1. East Lyne (Shawn Henning, Lucas DeNucci, Harris, Ritz), 3:30.07; 2. NFA; 3. Fitch; 4. Woodstock.
High jump: 1. Vogel (EL), 5 feet, 8 inches; 2. Jean (EL); 3. Wilcox (WA); 4. Zayshawn Griffin (F); 5. Jared Eaton (WA); 6. Derek Osborne (F).
Pole vault: 1. Hoffman (WA), 10-0; 2. Langston Camerlin (EL); 3. Ben England (EL); 4. Osborne (F); 5. Vogel (EL); 6. Gage Weber (NFA).
Long jump: 1. Luc (NFA), 19-6; 2. Paul (NFA); 3. Griffin (F); 4. Jean (EL); 5. Asciolla (F); 6. Paul Ericson (NFA).
Shot put: 1. Keenan Lamontagne (WA), 47-2; 2. Jordan Ribeiro (NFA); 3. Thomas Matlock (EL); 4. Eaton (WA); 5. Damon Haley (F); 6. Will Sutman (W).
Girls
Team Results
1. East Lyme, 163.6; 2. Woodstock Academy, 116.6; 3. NFA, 69.6; 4. Waterford 57.6; 5. New London, 28; 6. Fitch, 19.6.
Individual Results
55-meter dash: 1. Jasmyn Bransford (NFA), 7.59 seconds; 2. Lauren Hinckley (EL); 3. Akeena Farrior-Parcak (NL); 4. Juliet Allard (WA); 5. Jah'nyah Maddox-Williams (NL); 6. Gabby Brennan (W).
300: 1. Bransford (NFA), 44.03; 2. Farrior-Parcak (NL); 3. Ava Pitruzzello (EL); 4. Alex Collins (W); 5. Kmara Royster (NL); 6. Amelia Lovering (F).
600: 1. Talia Tremblay (WA), 1:48.37; 2. Ava Mauri (EL); 3. Alyssa Newson (NFA); 4. Hannah Bergeron (EL); 5. Anna Ricketts (NFA); 6. Emily Gates (W).
1,000: 1. Avery Maiese (W), 3:20.71; 2. Aranza Torres (EL); 3. Caroline Daugherity (EL); 4. Kayleigh Jensen (EL); 5. Alexis Boyer (NFA); 6. Lauren Brule (WA).
1,600: 1. Linsey Arends (WA), 5:38.13; 2. Maiese (W); 3. Daugherity (EL); 4. Julia Coyle (WA); 5. Isabelle Paggioli (EL); 6. Leah Castle (WA).
3,200: 1. Paggioli (EL), 12:52.25; 2. Coyle (WA); 3. Kennedy Holsapple (EL); 4. Sydney Lord (WA); 5. Maya D'Aquila (EL); 6. Tessa Brown (WA).
55 hurdles: 1. Royster (NL), 9.70; 2. Allard (WA); 3. Emilia Podeszwa (W); 4. Jillian Edwards (WA); 5. Madelyn Myers (W); 6. Julia Cameron (W).
4x180 relay: 1. East Lyme (Sydney Arustei, Riddhi Venkatesh, Pitruzzello, Margaret Dunne), 1:40.93; 2. Waterford; 3. Woodstock; 4. Fitch; 5. NFA.
4x400 relay: 1. Woodstock (Arends, Castle, Isabella Selmecki, Tremblay), 4:34.12; 2. Waterford; 3. East Lyme; 4. Fitch; 5. NFA.
4x720 relay: 1. Woodstock (Castle, Coyle, Brule, Arends), 9:32.23; 2. East Lyme; 3. Fitch.
1,440 sprint medley relay: 1. East Lyme (Arustei, Grace Wadsworth, Dunne, Jensen), 4:20.94; 2. NFA; 3. Woodstock; 4. Waterford; 5. Fitch.
High jump: 1. Grace Blackwood (EL), 4 feet, 10 inches; 2. Edwards (WA); 3. (tie) Jayla Washington (EL), Mia Sorrentino (WA), Holly Gray (W), Sydney Post (F) and Juliette Savignac (NFA).
Pole vault: 1. Boyer (NFA), 9-0; 2. Sjodin Fedikovich (EL); 3. Delaney Phelps (NFA); 4. Lacey-Lee Keramidas (EL); 5. (tie) Samantha Schies (NFA), Magdalena Myslenski (WA) and Wadsworth (EL).
Long jump: 1. Washington (EL), 15-10.5; 2. Bransford (NFA); 3. Sorrentino (WA); 4. Hinckley (EL); 5. Katherine Murphy (EL); 6. Brennan (W).
Shot put: 1. Savannah Soleau (EL), 37-10; 2. Sorrentino (WA); 3. Shannon Pierce (EL); 4. Myslenski (WA); 5. Isabella Bogue (EL); 6. Aimee Girard (W).
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