In the New England area and beyond, there haven’t been too many senior years that could match the one manufactured by Connecticut’s Henry Wynne.
During the indoor season, the Staples High standout captured two national titles with victories in the mile run and as a member of the school’s distance medley relay. Along with an abundance of state titles, Wynne was also a New England champion in cross-country and the indoor 1,000-meter run. He also won the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix mile and last month placed second in the Dream Mile at the adidas Outdoor Grand Prix.
It would be hard to think that Wynne’s swan song will not have a happy ending.
The Staples’ runner begins his quest to finish out his high school career in grand style this Saturday at the New England Championships and concludes the following weekend at the New Balance National Outdoor Championships.
At the 68th annual New England meet, which will be held at Willow Brook Park in New Britain, Connecticut, Wynne is entered in the 1,600 and the 800. In both events, he is the overwhelming favorite. He tops the seed list in the 1,600 with a 4:13.62, a season-best time he recorded to win Monday’s State Open Championship. Joel Barlow (Conn.) senior Logan Fulton, who was second to Wynne at the state meet, is the No. 2 seed with his runner-up time of 4:16.18.
Based on his previous performances, if Wynne is pushed to the limit he should still earn gold. He ran a best for the mile at the Grand Prix event last month where he was timed in 4:05.04. On the indoor surface, he scorched the field at the nationals with a time of 4:08.15.
In the 800, Wynne goes into the meet with a 1:50.63 best, a clocking he ran to win the state meet. Lewiston (Maine) sophomore Isaiah Harris is the No. 2 seed at 1:54.17 and sophomore Sean Munnelly of Campbell (N.H.) is third at 1:54.43. There are other strong runners in the field that should be contesting for a top finish, including North Kingstown (R.I.) junior Zachery Emrich. Emrich recently earned a rare double at his state meet, winning the 400 with a fast time of 48.55 and then coming back an hour later to claim the 800 title with his current seed of 1:57.15. He owns a best of 1:54.40, which he did at the NBNI meet.
Emrich is also among the leaders in the 400. He is the No. 2 seed with a time of 48.55, just .04 behind Windsor (Conn.) senior Brian Stapleton. Newton North (Mass.) senior Ryan Lucken is the third seed with a time of 48.75. This race could be interesting. A total of seven runners have broken 49 seconds.
Amhert-Pelham Regional (Mass.) sophomore Taj-Anir Torres leads the field in the 100. Torres recently captured his specialty to win his state meet with his seed time of 10.72. Several other sprinters should also be in the mix. Among that list is Bloomfield (Conn.) senior David Campbell (10.83), Middletown (Conn.) senior Jashane Brown (10.88), Xavier (Conn.) senior D’engelo Berry (10.93) and East Providence (R.I.) junior Ryan Williams (10.98).
The quality is in abundance in the 200, too. Haverhill (Mass.) senior Alex Mayhew, a runner-up at the state meet, is the No. 1 seed with his best of 21.71. Campbell is second on the list at 21.73 and Jared Delane, a senior from Northwest Catholic (Conn.), is the third seed with a time of 21.75. The field features seven runners that have cracked 22 seconds.
Fairfield Prep (Conn.) junior Christian Alvarado is the runner to beat in the 3,200. He owns the top seed of 9:17.72, a time he ran to win the Open Championship on Monday. Alvarado, a Footlocker finalist and Millrose Mile qualifier, has the speed should the race come down to the final few laps. He has a best of 4:11 for the mile and has run the 3,000 in 8:26. Darien (Conn.) sophomore Alex Ostberg, who was second at the Open meet, should give Alvarado a challenge. He was just a few strides behind at the states with a 9:18.44. Other runners in the field that could make an impact are Ridgefield (Conn.) junior Trevor Hopper (9:21.22), South Burlington (Vt.) senior Malcolm Plunkett (9:25.31), Xavier (Conn.) junior Zach Williams (9:26.37) and Cumberland (R.I.) senior Trevor Crawley (9:26.95).
Jung Park, a senior from Newton South (Mass.), has the fastest time in the 110 hurdles. Park won the recent state meet with a PB of 14.26. Souhegan (N.H.) Ben DeForest, also a state titlist, is the second seed at 14.34 and Lincoln-Sudbury (Mass.) junior Ben Colello is third with a best of 14.43.
Colello, who won the 400 hurdles at the state meet, is favored to do the same in the 300 hurdles this weekend. He is listed as a top seed with a time of 37.61. Four more hurdlers have broken 39 seconds – Delane (38.5), New Bedford (Mass.) junior Irvin Johnson (38.71), Lexington (Mass.) senior Peter Katsarakas (38.71) and St. Mary’s (Mass.) junior Andrew DiMaiti (38.92).
Bloomfield (Conn.) senior Demario Gray, who cleared the seven-foot barrier on May 4 at the Irv Black Invitational, will be aiming for his first New England title in the high jump. Gray was a runner-up during the indoor season and leaped 6-10 on Monday to win the Open Championship. It was a meet he also claimed victory in the triple and long jump, two other events he has a chance to earn gold. Woodstock Academy (Conn.) senior Jake Almquist (6-8) and Chicopee Commonwealth (Mass.) senior Alex Niemiec (6-6) also have a chance at placing high.
Niemiec is the top seed in the long jump, based on his season-best and winning distance of 23-5.25 at the state championship, a meet he also took home the high jump crown. He is the indoor NE titlist where he had his PB of 23-10. King Phillip (Mass.) senior Matthew Bowers (23-0), Xaverian Brothers (Mass.) senior Kyle Darow (22-9.25) and Bloomfield’s Gray (22-9) rank second through fourth in the event.
It could be a down-to-the-wire battle between Boston College (MA) junior Jordan Samuels (48-0.5) and Gray (47-0) in the triple jump. Samuels recently leaped his PB at the state meet. Gray also had his best at the states. Newton North (Mass.) senior David Oluwadara is the No. 3 seed at 46-8.5.
Canton (Conn.) senior Matt Graziano is the top-ranked thrower in the discus, based on his winning effort of 181-7 at the Open Championship. Jared Bell, a senior from Deering (Maine), is No. 2 on the list at 176-7. Bloomfield (Conn.) Isaiah Brooks ranks third with a best of 169-2.
Nick Danner, a senior from Waterville (Maine), is best among javelin throwers. He owns the No. 1 seed based on his winning distance and PB of 192-9 at the Class B State Championship. Danner was a ninth-place finisher at the Penn Relays.Waltham (Mass.) senior T.J. Noonan, who won the Massachusetts All-State Meet, is No. 2 at 190-0 and two-time R.I. state titlist Zach Hurd of Exeter/West Greenwich, ranks third at 189-2.
In the shot put, North Attleboro (Mass.) senior Eric Beckwith, who has won the last three state titles in the Bay State (outdoor and indoor), will be looking to break the 60-foot plateau. Beckwith’s had a season-best of 58-6 at the recent state meet and has a career-best of 59-5.5. Deering’s Bell (57-2.25) and Newton North (Mass.) senior Carl Whitman are capable of challenging for the top spot.
