Bloomfield girls, boys sweep Class S track titles
Immaculate’s Seidman wins 1,600 and 3,200 events
NEW BRITAIN—Be afraid. Be very afraid.
The armies that are the Bloomfield High School boys and girls outdoor track teams scored points with impunity as the Warhawks rolled to win both the Class S boys and Class S girls outdoor track team championships at Willowbrook Park Thursday night.
It was no surprise for the Bloomfield girls as the Warhawks took home their 12th consecutive Class S championship plaque.
Bloomfield girls finished Thursday night with 128 points to outdistance runnerup Old Saybrook (73). East Hampton (69.5) was third followed by Canton (62) and Immaculate (52).
“I was glad to see us pull this off. We had to overcome a lot of injuries to do it,” said Bloomfield girls track coach Anne Burrows. “The girls ran through pain to do this. They put it all on the line. The seniors are happy the streak continues.”
For the Bloomfield boys, it was their fourth Class S title since 2014. But the Warhawks ended the reign of two-time defending Class S champ Derby High Thursday night.
“To get the S team title back is amazing,” Bloomfield senior Sean DixonBodie said. “We lost in outdoors last year. We lost at indoors this past winter. I was so mad. I’ve been dreaming of this day we would get a title back. Now we have to go win at the State Open.”
The Bloomfield boys collected 195 points as they outdistanced runnerup Coginchaug (74). Old Saybrook (53) was third followed by Derby (43) and East Hampton (34).
“I’m very proud,” said Bloomfield boys track coach Garfield White. “It was a good comeback after losing last year. Derby taught us a lesson but we learned from the experience. The boys work harder to be ready for today.”
Leading the way for the Bloomfield boys was DixonBodie. The senior captured gold in the long jump (22feet-3), high jump (6-feet-6) and the triple jump (new S record of 48-1.50).
“I’m not satisfield. I still can improve in what is left (State Open, Nationals) of my senior year,” DixonBodie said. “I’m proud of the high jump. This is the first year I’ve competed in it.”
The next Warhawk star of the show was Malcolm Beckford. The freshman won the 100 meter dash in
11.07. He captured the 200 by a scant .03 seconds in
21.99.
Pacing the effort for Bloomfield girls was Terry Miller. Miller won the 100 meter dash in 11.93 and was victorious in the 200 in a new Class S record time of
24.47.
On the boys side, Derby High senior Ja’kwan Hale captured the 400 (48.08), winning by .01 seconds. He was also the runnerup in the 200.
“I had to go hard at the end. I had a recent race in New York City where I tired at the finish,” Hale said. “That’s the area I’ve focused all my training on since. Today’s time was a personal best by one second. I’m proud to go out of my senior year this way. I’ll try my best at the State Open.”
Old Saybrook senior Shane Henderson won the
1600 (4:28.57).
“I’ve run faster times. But the turnaround from the
4x800 relay to the 1600 was short,” Henderson said. “I knew I was strong enough. I just had to get to the front to control the race. The next goal is to try to make the New Englands out of the State Open.”
On the girls side, Immaculate senior Angela Seidman took home two gold medals.
She won the 1600
(4:59.40). Then she pulled away in the final lap in the rain to capture the 3200 in
11:04.0
“This was the last chance for me,” Seidman said. “I’m happy with both wins. And happier I finally broke the sub-five minute barrier in the 1600 I’ve been chasing since freshman year.”
There was also an Old Saybrook family affair at Class S as Luke Hanratty won the boys 8.0 (1:58.21) and sister Grace Hanratty captured the girls 800 crown in 2:14.41.