Sports: NFA’s Paige Martin wins pole vault at State Open and sets meet record

EL girls also a earn win in sprint medley relay

New Haven — Norwich Free Academy's Paige Martin capped a dominating season by setting a meet record in capturing the pole vault during Saturday's CIAC State Open girls' indoor track and field championships at the Floyd Little Athletic Center.

Martin cleared 12 feet, one-quarter inch on her second attempt to win the event and break the old Open record of 12 feet set by Newtown's Jenna Calandro in 2014 and duplicated by Tolland's AmyErin Zadroga in 2017.

Martin, whose sister Madison placed fourth (10 feet), later missed on a chance to clear 12-3.

Martin was one of two local winners in the girls' meet, the other gold medal going to East Lyme's 1,600-meter sprint medley relay team of Saige Deveau, Nancy Alden, Katherine Harris and Julia Bates, who captured the event in 4 minutes, 17.61 seconds.

Bloomfield won the team title with 54 points while NFA was tops among the local schools with a fifth-place finish (21 points).

The Wildcats' other team points came from Allyson Lewis, who cleared 5-4 and tied for second in the high jump.

In addition, East Lyme's 4x800 relay team of Gillian Goodwin, Laura Agbayani, Sophie Taylor and Bates placed fourth in 9:50.17.

Among the Eastern Connecticut Conference place-winners were Bacon Academy's Natalie Rolon-Issa, who finished second in the shot put (40-6), Plainfield's Kate Carleson, who was sixth in the 300 (41.80) and Plainfield's 4x400 relay team of Carleson, sister Cassandra Carleson, Emily Moran and Isabella Newbury, who placed fifth in 4:07.04.

Martin was one of two athletes to set Open records. Bloomfield's Terry Miller won the 55-meter dash in 6.95 seconds, breaking the old mark of 6.99 set by Bloomfield's Cassidy Palmer in 2017. Miller also won the 300 in 40.13.

In the boys' meet, NFA's Jahiem Spruill had the top local individual finish with his second in the long jump (21-11.5). The senior also placed fifth in the high jump (6-0). Stonington's Rhys Hammond and East Lyme's Sam Whittaker both placed third, Hammond in the 1,000 (2:34.36) and Whittaker in the 1,600 (4:21.63).

NFA's Jacob Bazinet and Stonington's Joey Hinckley tied for third in the pole vault (13-0), NFA's Cameron Belton was fifth in the shot put (5322.6) and Fitch's Tyler was sixth in the 300 (36.29).

Stonington's sprint medley relay also brought home silver with a second-place finish as the team of Ben Abely, Graham Johnstone, Hinckley and Hammond finished in 3:38.63.

Among the other ECC place-winners, Windham's Natanael Barbosa Torres was second in the shot put (56-10.25) and teammate Enrique Lopez Garcia was fourth in the 55 hurdles (7.84).

Hall won the team title with 43 points, five points better than Bloomfield, while Stonington finished sixth with 17.25 points.

Two State Open relay records were broken with Suffield winning the 4x800 in 7:59.84 (the old mark was 8:03.80 by Trumbull in 3016), and Hall broke the sprint medley record in 3:34.06 (the old mark was 3:37.34 by Danbury in 2009).