Connecticut athletes continued to build momentum across a busy stretch of dual meets, league competitions, and invitational action from April 20-26. With strong performances coming out of matchups like Stamford vs. Trumbull, RHAM meets, Shoreline League competition, and several conference duals, the week featured both standout winning marks and a noticeable wave of breakthroughs.
Sprints & Hurdles
The sprint events produced some of the most competitive racing of the week, led by Ryan McCann (Trumbull High School), who clocked 10.74 to win the 100 meters at Stamford vs. Trumbull. McCann's mark stood as the fastest 100m performance statewide last week, reinforcing his status as one of Connecticut's top junior sprinters.
Justus Richardson (West Haven) also delivered a strong sprint double at the Hand vs. Lyman meet, winning both the 100 meters in 10.94 and the 200 meters in 21.84. His ability to control two large fields (33 and 47 athletes respectively) highlighted his consistency and closing speed - you've simply gotta Hand it to him.
On the girls side, Jayda Smith (Weaver) made a significant jump in form, dropping from 13.91 to 13.10 in the 100 meters at GHC Meet #3. In doing so, she won a large 67-athlete field while continuing to climb the state rankings.
A major breakthrough came from Soham Chakraborty (Xavier), who improved from 12.03 to 11.44 in the boys 100 meters at Hillhouse vs. Mercy/Xavier. Not only did he bolster his PR, he won the event and moved into the top tier of developing sprinters in the state.
Distance
The distance events were highlighted by one of the top performances in the state this week from Harper Shirley (Manchester High School), who ran a state-leading 4:54.84 in the 1600 meters at RHAM vs. Manchester. She controlled the race from start to finish, winning comfortably in small a seven-runner field.
In the girls 3000 meters, Caleigh Lane (Hotchkiss School) continued her breakout spring with a 10:30.20 victory at the Tri-Meet Hotchkiss/Deerfield/Loomis. The junior lowered her PR by more than 24 seconds and now ranks #9 in the state.
On the boys side, Ezra Klauber (Hotchkiss School) made a notable leap in the 1500 meters, improving from 4:28.65 to 4:18.70 at the same tri-meet. The senior finished second in a competitive field of 15 and moved into the top 20 statewide.
A significant girls breakthrough also came from Astrid Moquete-Blomstro (Stamford), who dropped nearly two minutes in the 3200 meters, running 12:17.13 at Stamford vs. Trumbull.
Jumps
The jumps events featured one of the most impressive individual breakout weeks in Connecticut, led by freshman standout Sarah Alamu (Naugatuck High School). Alamu cleared 5-6 in the high jump at Seymour vs. Naugatuck, improving from 4-10 and jumping to #1 in Connecticut and #1 among freshmen statewide. She also added PRs in the 100 meters and long jump, displaying precocious multi-event range.
In the boys pole vault, Sean Arms (Daniel Hand High School) cleared 15-10 to win at Hand vs. Lyman/Woodhaven, producing one of the top vaults in the state this week.
Kamden Garrison (Windham Technical High School) also delivered a strong performance in the long jump, winning Grasso Meet #2 with a 22-1 effort against a 17-athlete field.
Throws
The throws saw dominant depth on both sides, led by Liam Sweeney (Bacon Academy), who swept the shot put (59-6) and discus (164-8) across dual meet competition. Both marks came against large fields and ranked among the best statewide performances this week.
At the same time, Alexandra Lockwood (Fairfield Ludlowe) delivered a clean sweep in all three girls throwing events at Norwalk vs. Ludlowe. Her shot put mark of 41-1 stood as the top performance in Connecticut this week, while she also added wins in the discus (116-4) and javelin (104-1).
Kara Khan (Windsor High School) also highlighted the girls throws with a 129-0 discus winning mark at Windsor vs. Tolland, while adding a strong 33-2 shot put performance to finish second.