An indoor season of hard work and strong performances paid off for Eric van der Els. The Brien McMahon senior is now a national champion.
In a close race where the top five finishers broke 15 minutes and the first four were separated by less than four seconds, van der Els broke the tape a winner in the 5,000-meter run with a personal best and state record of 14:42.10 at the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championships Friday afternoon. New Jersey's Aaron Goff was second at 14:43.10.
In the girls' 5K, Staples senior Hannah DeBalsi was fourth overall, setting a CT state record of 16:32. The race was won by Virginia's Weini Kelati in a national record of 16:08.83.
Other top performances from Day 1 of the three-day meet included a win from Ridgefield in the girls' Emerging Elite 4x800m relay. The squad of Kelsey Bordash, Kasey McGerald, Julia Hergenrother and Katherine Jasminski combined for a time of 9:24.78. Hamden was fifth in the boys' EE 4x800m relay. The foursome of Daniel Perusina, Shawn Odei-Nitri, William King and Zachary Parisella combined for a time of 8:01.04. Danbury's Devante Clarke set a school record by finishing third in the EE 60m dash with a time of 6.97.