Stonington sweeps Div. II crowns
New London — It wasn't hard to spot members of Stonington's indoor track and field team on Saturday.
That's because most were proudly wearing medals around their necks.
The Bears, whose strength in numbers have become a benchmark of the program's success under head coach Ben Bowne, were up to their old tricks again at Coast Guard Academy's Roland Fieldhouse.
Stonington's boys had at least one place-winner in 14 of 15 events to win their fourth straight Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II title while the girls — a year after a late relay disqualification resulted in a devastating loss to Montville — were back on top for the second time in three years.
"A lot of girls competed at their best today and that's what you need in a championship meet," Bowne said after the Bears outlasted Plainfield 86-72. "Last year was difficult, obviously, but to go to this meet and do your best, that's what it's all about."
As for the boys, it was another dominating performance. Stonington finished with 134 points, easily beating Waterford 134-98 behind senior Rhys Hammond, who finished his ECC indoor career by winning the 1,000 and 1,600-meter races, then holding off Windham's Enrique Lopez Garcia — the 55-meter hurdle champ — on the anchor leg to give the Bears a victory in the final track event of the meet, the 4x400 relay.
Oh, and did we mention Hammond broke a 23-year-old record in the 1,000 (2:32.84) to break the record (2:33.40) set by NFA's Julian Callendar in 1997.
"The ECC record was one of my main goals of the season, so it was really nice to accomplish that," said Hammond, who will attend Cornell University this fall.
He also set the record despite never being challenged.
"It's harder because it's a race against the clock," he said. "It's nicer to have a huge pack to be running with because then you all push each other along, but today I kind of just had to use the clock and the cheering of my teammates and fans as motivation."
Hammond, who won the 1,600 in 4:37.29 (freshman teammate Ryan Gruczka finished second), earn praise from Bowne for his unselfishness.
"As elite as an athlete as Rhys is, he's also an elite leader and that's what makes him so incredible," Bowne said. "A lot of guys, when they get to that elite level they kind of don't pay attention to the team that much, but Rhys, even if he wasn't running in a meet (because of his schedule), he was still going on the bus and supporting his teammates. Everybody's success really matters to him."
Gruczka won his first ECC title later in the meet, holding off Waterford's Aidan Pepin to win the 3,200 in 10:19.98, while Chase Flynn captured the 600 in 1:27.87 and joined Hammond, George Limberakis and Hammer Castagliuolo on the winning 4x400 team (3:36.33).
Waterford senior Michael Vincent and Plainfield's Khalil Easton were also double-winners. Vincent captured the high jump (6 feet) and long jump (20-8.75) while Easton won the 55 dash (6.67 seconds) and 300 (36.19).
“My coaches decided to put me in the high jump so I could take a break from long jump. And I did really well so they kept me in it.” WATERFORD’S MICHAEL VINCENT, WHO WON THE HIGH AND LONG JUMPS
Vincent's high jump victory was impressive considering his first competition in the event was just a week earlier.
"My coaches decided to put me in the high jump so I could take a break from long jump," Vincent said. "And I did really well so they kept me in it. I've been struggling with the technique because I've only been practicing for a week, but I'm trying to get better. I had some good jumps today with good technique, but most of it I just rely on my ability to get up there."
Waterford also picked up a win from its 4x720 relay team Pepin, Sean Corman, Owen Seltzer and Kristopher Dow (7:49.43) while Ledyard's Ryan Kinney won the pole vault (11 feet) and its 4x180 team of Ben Askew, Robbie Petriel, Nick Washington and Tyler LaPerle won in 1:27.24.
In the girls' meet, Stonington's lone wins came from two of its relay teams — the 4x180 group of Nancy Inthasit, Margaret Constantine, Gwen Anderson and Helena Hoinsky (1:41.68) and the sprint medley team of Inthasit, Constantine, Megan Detwiler and Vanessa Benjamin (4:05.70).
"Vanessa was a great surprise," Bowne said. "Gwen Anderson, an elite sprinter, is nursing a hamstring. She's a competitor and didn't want to miss anything. She ran pretty good in the (4x180), which we won, but then we had to pull her out after she ran her preliminary in the 55 . ... but other girls stepped in and did their part, especially Vanessa in the 600 (second), the sprint medley and 4x400 (second)."
St. Bernard had a pair of winners as Brigid Kunka (12:23.86) and Serena Britner finished 1-2 in the 3,200 after joining Sophia Duhig and Adeline Arvidson to win the 4x720 relay (9:21.23). Other individual winners were Plainfield's Kate Carleson (300 and 600), Cassandra Carleson (1,000) and Isabella Newbury (55 hurdles), Bacon Academy's Cleondra White (55 dash), Jordan Malloy (1,600) and Natalie Rolon-Issa (shot put), Lyman Memorial's Kristen Goodrich (high jump), Griswold's Taylor Bialowas (long jump) and Windham's Resia Baran (pole vault).