By MARTY OGDEN
What started simply as an agreement between a few Connecticut coaches nine years ago to get their best athletes together to try to give them an opportunity to qualify for Nationals the Danbury Dream Invitational has turned into a meet with a national reputation that continues to set records each year. Multiple state and school records have been set and among the competitors have been All Americans, national champions and even one future Olympian (Donn Cabral) and a future world record holder (Cas Loxsom in the 4x800 meter run).
What is unique about the Danbury Dream Invite is that there is only one heat per race with the top 8-12 athletes accepted. The events vary each year depending on interest of the athletes and coaches. This year Danbury boys' coach and meet director Rob Murray has assembled top-notch fields in the boys 800m, mile, two miles and the 800m sprint medley relay. This year girls' fields will include the 800m, distance medley relay, 800m SMR and 4 x 200m. In the field events there will be a boys and girls hammer throw and girls triple jump.
Fans are encouraged to come down to the track to cheer the runners on and the entire event will conclude in about 90 minutes. There is no admission fee.
Danbury Dream Invitational
Danbury High School, 43 Clapboard Ridge Rd. Danbury, CT
Schedule
7:00 pm- Facility Opens
8:00 pm - Hammer (Boys followed by Girls) / Triple Jump (Girls)
8:00 pm - SMR-800m (Girls followed by boys)
8:10 pm - DMR (Girls)
8:30 pm - 800m (Girls)
8:40 pm - 3200m (Boys)
9:00 pm - 800m (Boys)
9:10 pm - 4x200 (Girls)
9:20 pm - 1 Mile - Boys
The following are the entrants as of Monday night for the Dream Invitational:
Event: 800m -- Boys Meet Record: Chris FitzSimons Hamden 1:49.8 2010 Name School Seed Notes Tyler Gleen Trumbull 1:52.22 JR, NE 600m champ indoor, FCIAC Outdoor, Loucks Games Champ Mike Delfay Brewster 1:54.26 SR, Ran 4:16 last year at Dream, 2:30 indoor for the 1000m Terrell Cunningham Danbury 1:55.12 JR, New England champ 4 x 800m indoor and out Jake Roberts Danbury 1:56.20 SR, New England champ 4 x 800m indoor and out Ian Bartlett Ludlowe 1:56.81 Kenny Day Ridgefield 1:58.81 Pedro Pereira Danbury 1:58.99 Malcolm Going Danbury 1:59.09 Dan Linehan Brien McMahon 1:59.33 Charles Kieffer Warde 1:59.57 Jason Flynn Darien 1:59.88 One Turn Stagger -- Event: 1 Mile -- Boys Meet Record: Spencer Brown Wilton 4:11.16 2014 Name School Seed Notes Randy Neish Glastonbury 4:12.06 SR, Defending CT Open champ, already ran 1:51 and 4:12 this season. Eric van der Els Brien McMahon 4:13.52 SR, National Indoor 5k champion, state record in the 3k, CT Open champ in 1k, 1600m and 3200m this indoor. Footlocker finalist Zakeer Ahmad Staples 4:15.05 FCIAC runner up behind van der Els, 4:15, 9:21 James Lewis Staples 4:17.85 FCIAC 800m champ, State Open runner up in 1k Armstrong Noonan Darien 4:18.01 All American in 2 miles 9:05, NE runner up in 3200m Gabe Altopp Ridgefield 4:18.49 Penn Relays Runner up, 8:21, Footlocker finalist Ben Foster Staples 4:19.65 Ajax Diamandis Brien McMahon 4:19.87 Mike Rautter New Fairfield 4:22.52 Ian Mickool Ridgefield 4:23.11 Jack Adamski Danbury 4:24.22 Tim Moore Danbury 4:24.77 Trevor Reed Danbury 4:24.89 Bradley Fox Danbury 4:24.98 George Crist Fairfield Prep 4:26.92 Event: 2 Mile -- Boys Meet Record: Donn Cabral Glastonbury 8:56.35 2008 Name School Seed Notes Kevin Hazelwood Brewster 9:18.95 NY Indoor runner up Dan Nichols Danbury 9:34.53 NY Relays champion Brad DeMassa Ridgefield 9:41.30 Gilmar Barrios Stamford 9:44.46 Event: 800m SMR -- Boys Name School Seed Notes Danbury A Danbury 1:35.12 Danbury B Danbury 1:36.67 Danbury C Danbury 1:40.22 Danbury D Danbury 1:41.55 Fairfield Prep Fairfield Prep 1:42.03 Two Turn Stagger Event: 800 -- Girls Meet Record: Leah Sarkisian Danbury 2:14.05 2014 Name School Seed Notes Leah Sarkisian Danbury 2:15.88 SO, Class LL Champion 600m and 800m Ridgefield Katherine Ridgefield 2:17.58 FCIAC Champ 4 x 800, runner up 800 Julia Hergenrother Ridgefield 2:17.74 FCIAC Champ 4 x 800m Mia Nahom New Milford 2:17.92 SWC 1600m & 3200m champ Gabriella Prizio Derby 2:18.60 NVL 1600m and 800m Anna Landler Ridgefield 2:19.90 Marissa Crowley Brewster 2:20.04 Camryn Podgorski Brewster 2:20.11 Ava Kelly Ridgefield 2:22.00 Kristen Golz Brewster 2:23.46 Brigit Tower New Milford 2:22.02 Olivia Turk Danbury Rabbit One Turn Stagger
Event: SMR 800m -- Girls Name School Seed Notes Ridgefield Ridgefield 1:51.50 Danbury - A Danbury 1:52.51 Greenwich Greenwich 1:54.00 Danbury - B Danbury 1:57.70 Trumbull Trumbull 1:58.22 Two Turn Stagger Event: DMR -- Girls Name School Seed Notes Tolland Tolland 12:08.00 CT State Open XC champ, All American in 2015 in DMR and 4 x mile Coginchaug Coginchaug 12:08.50 All American this indoor season Greenwich Greenwich 12:25.00 Immaculate Immaculate 12:30.00 Carmel Carmel 12:30.00 Event: 4x200m -- Girls Name School Seed Notes Danbury Danbury 1:43.90 All New England Ridgefield Ridgefield 1:46.50 Greenwich Greenwich 1:47.24 Hamden Hamden 1:47.66 Two Turn Stagger Event: Triple Jump -- Girls Name School Seed Notes Rachel Fleischer Derby 35-00.50 NVL Champion Caylen Landrie Danbury 34-10.00 FCIAC Champion Ana Landler Ridgefield 33-07.00 Ruby Mboya Danbury 33-06.00 Callie Doyle Greenwich 32-10.00 Kim Ramos Danbury 32-10.00 Tyra Hodge Danbury 32-05.00 Emily Souza Danbury 32-02.00 Four Jumps in the Triple Jump Event: Hammer -- Girls Name School Seed Notes Erica Belvit Bloomfield 144-00 Top 20 in the nation Brittany Jones Bloomfield 140-00 Top 30 in the nation Amanda Howe Derby 133-00 Jes Litwa Seymour 109-00 Lauren Palmer St. Paul 100-09 Maya Habecker Farmington 100-00
Event: Hammer -- Boys
Meet Record:
Alec Faldermeyer 224'4 2009
Name School Seed Notes
CJ Falcioni Seymour 165-00
Raheme Dawkins Bloomfield 145-00 Top 60 nationally
Charlie Ritchel Seymour 129-00
Christian Sturm St Paul 120-00
Kelbin Rodrigues Danbury 102-00
Kyle Tuttle Danbury 101-00
Jonah Hinh Danbury 100-08
Six throws in the hammer