(Photos by MARY ALBI)
By MARTY OGDEN
With the championship season about to heat up, more than 80 Connecticut teams gathered together at Floyd Little Field House for one last competition before the more important conference and state meets. The SCC Coaches Invitational has become a staple on the state indoor scene and the Hillhouse High boys and girls made a statement by taking home both team titles.
The Academics ruled the sprints and jumps with Shawn Fletcher winning the 55-meter high hurdles in 7.85 seconds and taking sixth in the long jump (20 feet, 9 inches) and Gabriel Abdul Karim winning the high jump with a leap of 6-4 and taking third in the long jump with 21-1 season best. They were supported by Darius Wise's 3rd place in the 55m (6.63), Brendan Stewartson's second in the 600m in 1:24.06 and their third-place 4x200m in 1:37.33 along with Tyreise Swain's 36.83 sixth place in the 300m. Their 60 points were eight point better than Staples who took the runner-up spot followed by Weston, Amity and Windsor to round out the top five.
Windsor was giving Hillhouse a run for the title but a DQ for a handoff out of the zone in the 4 x 200m, a false start in the 55m and an altercation with Hillhouse after the 4 x 400m which resulted in both teams getting “DQed" took away a potential 26 points and put them in fifth.
Besides the team title, this meet was a season openers for three of the four CT distance runners who qualified for Footlocker Nationals in cross country. Alex Ostberg of Darien made his qualifying times by taking third in the 1600m, running 4:30.00, and taking first in the 3200m in 9:36.32. In both races, he went out in the mid pack and ran in control the entire way. His Northeast teammate Ari Klau of Hall used the exact same strategy and took fifth in 4:30.82 in the 1600m and fourth in the 3200m 9:55.00. Gabbi Richichi of New Fairfield reunited with her Footlocker teammates and followed the same game plan taking third in the girls 1600m in 5:11 and winning the 3200m in 11:12.
In other events Weston took the 4x200m and 4 x 400m due to disqualifications and set the meet record in the short relay with a 1:31.70. Windsor, known mostly as a sprint school, proved their strength in the middle-distance events by taking the 4x800m in 8:28.20.
Sophomore Mark Doyley of Weaver set the meet record and took over the state lead in the 55m with a time of 6.45. He came back later in the day to set another meet record in the 300m with a time of 34.90. This youngster is breaking the records of some of Connecticut's finest sprinters. James Nixon of Hyde and Terrell Wilkes of Hillhouse had the SCC Invite meet records and went on to dominate the state and New England competition and earned All-American honors in high school.
Another outstanding sophomore making a name for himself is Aaron Breen of Wilton who took the 1000m in a time of 2:34.87 outkicking Cole Clark of Weston who also set a PR of 2:35.23.
Wilton came up big again with a win in the shot by Hunter Shipp who finally broke 50 feet with a throw of 50-7.5 inches.
New Milford's Richard Grudzwick, last year's Class L champion in the 600m used his new found endurance from cross country to set a PR of 1:23.90 for the Green Wave's only points.
Anthony Bravo of Staples set an 18-inch personal best to take down the Daryl Baptiste's meet record with a long jump of 22'8. He then came back to take second with a high jump of 6-2 to contribute 18 of Staples' 52 points.
Not to be outdone in the meet record department, Joe Fogarasi of Windham and Ian Bergere both made 15 feet in the pole vault, with Forarasi winning on misses. With Leland Roberts of Danbury also clearing 15 feet at Yale last week, this makes the first time Connecticut has ever had three over that height and Fogarasi's State Open Record of 15-4 is in jeopardy this season.
In order to accommodate so many athletes, SCC Coaches decided to split the meet by gender with the boys going in the early afternoon and girls starting up in evening. Hillhouse and Windsor once again went at it, this time without any disqualifications. The Lady Academics matched their male counterpart's win, with a much closer 45-44.5 victory over Windsor.
Most of Hillhouse's points came from seniors Jaliyah White and Alethia Moore. White came home with the gold medal in the 300m in 41.30 and silver in the 55HH with a 8.67, while Moore took the meet record in the 55m (7.18) and was runner up in the 300m (41.57). Tonija Young- Spencer contributed a third in the 600 with a 1:41.34 and led off the fourth-place 4 x 400m that clinched the win in 4:16.17.
Windsor took most of their points with wins in four events. They started off with a meet record 4 x 200m (1:45.28) then came Annicka McDonald's 1:40.71 600m, their 4:08.87 4 x 400m and Cecelia Blamahsah 5'2 high jump.
The team title came down to the 4x400m where Windsor needed help from some other teams. They needed three teams to finish between themselves and Hillhouse and they almost got their wish when New Milford's All State cross country runner, Mia Nahom came up on Hillhouse's Lanaja Carr who was able to hold off the distance runner by just under .8 seconds to give her school the team title.
In other action, junior Jada Harris of St. Josephs just made herself one of the favorites in 55HH by taking the win and the state lead in the event with a time of 8.49. She defeated the second- and third-ranked girls in the state Gabby Curtis of Wilbur Cross and White of Hillhouse.
In distance events, Mercy ran their fastest time of the season with a 10:08 4x800m and Danae Rivers of Wilbur Cross continues her dominance of the indoor oval leading the 1000m and the 1600m wire-to-wire with no visible challenger and running a 2:56.86 in the shorter event and coming back to break her own meet record in the 1600m with a 4:59.01 defeating Nahom and Richichi, two of the best cross country runners in the state.
Inside the oval, Zoie Reed of Amity remains undefeated this season in the long jump and earned another gold medal with a leap of 17'8.
Blamahsah of Windsor led four girls over 5-2 in the high jump and seven over five feet.
In the shot put, Sarah Cicchetti of Greenwich also remains undefeated in her event and set an all time PR with a throw of 39-6. This puts her up two and a half feet on her next competitor this year and makes her a heavy favorite for some post season gold.
Another heavy favorite is Maddie Schneider of Darien in the pole vault who hasn't lost to an in state competitor since she was second in last year's indoor State Open. She cleared 11-6,10 inches off what she cleared last week at Yale. But fast improving Laurel Bailey of Shelton cleared 11 feet for the first time and is looking forward to reaching higher heights.
For PHOTOS and RESULTS, click here.