By MARTY OGDEN
The 36th Annual Dan O'Grady Relays has become one of the largest meets in Connecticut, attracting over 70 teams from all over the Nutmeg State to Danbury High the last weekend of April each year. The meet was started to honor longtime Danbury coach, Dan O'Grady upon his retirement. This unique team scoring meet focuses on team depth and the winners are the ones who can cover the most events with multiple good athletes rather than just a pair of superstars. Because three athletes are needed in the field event and four in the relays, often unsung athletes come home with a medal whereas they might not usually earn one at a meet of this size.
Danbury boys and girls swept the overall team titles with the boys defeating Wethersfield 94-81 and the girls just squeezing out a ½ victory over its southern neighbor Ridgefield.
The meet is also scored in divisions based on size and while Danbury swept both L divisions, the medium size school division was won by Wethersfield boys and Simsbury girls. The small school girls were won by Haddam Killingworth and Woodlands squeezed by NVL rival Derby 79-78.
With the help of some of the best weather the meet has seen in several years, 16 meet records were set and 10 relays or individuals earned their way to New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Greensburo, NC June 17-19th. On top of that 23 performances made the cutoff for Emerging Elite at NBON as well.
Championship Events - BOYS
4x200m* 1:30.60 Danbury, 1:29.70
800m Medley* 1:37.60 Shelton, 1:35.28
1600m Medley* 3:34.00 Wethersfield, 3:32.50
Javelin 176-00 Richard Williams, Wethersfield 178-01
4x200m* 1:30.60 Danbury,1:29.70
800m Medley* 1:37.60 Shelton, 1:35.28
1600m Medley* 3:34.00 Wethersfield, 3:32.50
Championship Events - GIRLS
4x200m* 1:45.00 Windsor,1:41.94
800m Medley* 1:55.00 Greenwich 1:52.44
Hammer 132-00 Amanda Howe, Southington, 133-01
Emerging Elite Events - BOYS
4x100m-EE* 43.64 Danbury 43.05
800m Medley-EE 1:41.00 Seymour 1:37.01, Danbury 1:37.80, Greenwich 1:39.79,
Derby 1:40.80, Danbury 'B' 1:40.85, Darien 1:40.86
1600m Medley-EE* 3:40.00 Trumbull 3:37.44, Greenwich, 3:39.26
Distance Medley-EE* 10:34.00 Darien 10:25.71, Haddam Killingworth 10:28.90
High Jump-EE 6-4.5 Julian Campbell, Wethersfield 6-06.00
Triple Jump-EE 44-03.5 Julian Campbell, Wethersfield 44-07,
Elijah Young, Wethersfield 44-05.75
Javelin-EE 158-00 Ed Sharpe, Derby, 165-09
Hammer-EE 135-0 Raheme Dawkins, Bloomfield, 136 '10
Emerging Elite Girls
4x100m-EE* 49.54 Danbury, 49.51
800m Medley-EE* 1:59.00 Southington, 1:56.27, Seymour, 1:58.60
1600m Medley-EE* 4:20.00 Greenwich, 4:14.70; Windsor, 4:19.51
Distance Medley-EE* 12:32.00 New Milford,10:23.87
Discus-EE 127-00 Samantha Stevens, Shelton, 132-00