The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Bloomfield wins 8th State Open girls title
NEW BRITAIN – It was an interesting day for Olivia Walters of Brookfield in the 400-meter event at the CIAC State Open track and field championships at Willow Brook Park on Monday.
Victoria Francis of Windsor led most of the race. Walters,a junior, made her move with 200 meters to go and pulled into second place. The two runners bolted the last 100 meters with Francis crossing the finish line first and Walters coming in second.
But during the race Francis crossed into another lane and due to the lane violation CIAC officials disqualified Francis, giving the win to Walters.Walters ended up winning in 56.85 seconds, Avery Rueckert of Old Saybrook moved into second place in 56.89 and Julia Coric of Hand was third in 57.93.
“The last 200 meters I was just running as hard as I could,” Walters said. “I had no idea she (Francis) had a lane violation. When they announced she was DQed and I won, I was a little bit in shock, a little bit excited.
“This was a tough race with a lot of strong competitors. I would have preferred to have won without a disqualification. But at this level it’s always exciting to get a win.”
Walters plans to run the event at the New England meet.
Francis, a senior, placed fourth in the 200 meters in 24.87.
Bloomfield girls coach shocked
Bloomfield Anne Burrows could not believe her team won the State Open team title.
“I came into the State Open thinking it would be a good day if we finished third as a team,” Burrows said. “My girls had a different plan.”
The Warhawks won with 53 points, Windsor was second with 41, Fairfield Ludlowe had 40 for third place and Hillhouse was fourth with 29.
Bloomfield, which won its eighth State Open title, had two wins: the 4x100 relay in 47.96 and Laniyah Henderson’s meet record in the triple jump (39 feet, 3.50 inches).
Hillhouse’s Knox sets meet record
Junior Leonaya Knox of Hillhouse surged ahead at the start of the 100 hurdles and pulled away the last 20 meters to win in a meet record 14.01. Jill Roberts of Wilton was second in 14.28 and Rosa Linda Volpintesta of Bethel took third in 14.65. The previous State Open record was 14.16.
“When people think about the sport of track, they think it’s all physical,” Knox said. “But it’s more than that. It’s also mental. You need that right balance of physical and mental readiness to be successful and it’s a big reason why I am successful.
“I went into this race today with the goal of setting a meet record. This is a good boost moving forward. I qualified for the National meet and I will be going to the Adidas National meet in North Carolina. I’ve never really traveled when it comes to track and I wanted to do something that was a different challenge and also fun.”
The Adidas National Outdoor Track and Field meet will be held in Greensboro, North Carolina at the NC A&T Irwin Belk Track from June 1618.
Knox also placed fourth in the 100 meters (12.21).
Tess Sherry wins 1,600, again
Sophomore Tess Sherry of Conard won the 1600 in 4:48.77, taking nearly seven seconds off her winning time at the Class LL meet (4:55.16). Sherry ran the race the same way both times, trailing behind the frontrunners most of the race and then using a late kick to win. Katherine Bohlke of Newington led most of race with Lucy Moran of Branford following close behind in second place.
Sherry made her move the last 100 meters for the win. Bohlke was second in 4:49.92 and Moran was third in 4:56.92.
“I have raced against Katherine a lot of times, especially during the indoor season,” Sherry said. “She’s a strong runner. When I took the lead for the first time, I knew she would push herself for a strong finish. She was right behind me, so the last 100 meters I just ran as hard as I could. It was a close finish.”
Freshmen win 100, 3,200 meters
Manchester freshman Samiya Eady won the 100 dash in 12.07, just ahead of Ellington junior Jalena Martin (12.15) and Kennedy sophomore Erica Austin (12.18).
Old Lyme freshman Chase Gilbert won the 3,200 meters in 10:47.04. Gilbert was third at the Cross Country State Open in the fall.
New England meet moves to Maine
The New England Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be held at Thornton Academy in Bangor, Maine on Saturday, about a 5 1/2 -hour drive from Connecticut.
Based on the state rotation of hosting the New England outdoor meet, Massachusetts was scheduled to the meet in 2023 but backed out. According to CIAC race officials, Massachusetts gave no reason to forego the meet this season.
This will be the fourth time Thornton Academy will host the New England outdoor meet with the last time in 2019.