Connecticut Future Stars: April 20th-26th Standout Underclassmen Performers
Connecticut's next generation of talent took center stage during the April 20-26 competition window and made a collective statement as the championship portion of the season draws near!
Sprints & Hurdles
The sprint events were led by an impressive group of underclassmen, headlined by Ajani Walker (Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy), who clocked 10.84 in the 100 meters to lead all freshmen and sophomores. Close behind, Nicholas Mochlas (Trumbull) ran 10.94, continuing his strong progression and reinforcing his position among the top sophomores in the state. Freshman standout Hanief Jones (Hartford Public) added a dynamic double, running 10.96 in the 100m and returning with a meet-leading 22.76 in the 200m.
In the longer sprints, Wyatt Trefry (Daniel Hand) led the 400 meters at 52.04, narrowly ahead of Dorian Greene (Ledyard) and Xavier Chieffo (Guilford) in a tightly packed field of underclassmen this last week.
On the girls side, Kyra McLean (Stratford) delivered a commanding sprint double, winning the 100 meters in 12.55 and the 200 meters in 25.66. Amaira Traynham (Wilbur Cross) added range by placing among the top 200m runners before leading the 400 meters at 59.17.
Over the hurdles, Zeki Duman (Shepaug Valley) led the boys 110m hurdles at 15.34, while Caiden Henry (Danbury) topped the 300m hurdles in 41.51. On the girls side, Kayla Berning (Canton) posted the fastest 100m hurdles time at 16.11 and doubled back for a runner-up finish in the 300m hurdles, where Cynthia Singleton (Naugatuck) led the event at 47.24.
Several breakthrough performances added depth to the sprint group. Philip Galullo (Nonnewaug) surged to 11.14 in the 100 meters, setting a school record and establishing himself among the top emerging sprinters in the state. Airyn Berube (Northwestern Regional) also showed strong development, lowering his 100m time to 11.54 while continuing to build consistency in the 400 meters.
Distance
Alexander Bianchi (Ellington) led the 1600 meters at 4:27.37 and returned to place among the top finishers in the 3200 meters, where Jack Dempsey (Norwich Free Academy) set the tone for the underclassmen with a 9:45.80 performance.
In the 800 meters, Matheus Ferreira-Franca (Daniel Hand) led the field at 2:05.00, with James Perrault (Xavier) and Darren Haverkampf (The Morgan School) close behind in a competitive group that featured both 2028 and 2029 talent.
On the girls side, Ardyn Wishart (Plainville) led the 1600 meters at 5:17.83, while Abigail O'Neil (Fairfield Ludlowe) continued her strong week by posting a 5:30.58 1600m performance and leading the 3200 meters at 11:39.07. Madeline Garguillo (Nonnewaug) and Samantha Russo (Trumbull) set the tone in the 800 meters, with both athletes finishing under 2:29 in this past week's competition.
But it was the breakthrough performances that defined this group. Abigail O'Neil (Fairfield Ludlowe) lowered both her 1600m and 3200m times, continuing a strong upward trajectory. Cayden Tran (Loomis Chaffee) delivered a major improvement in the 3000 meters, cutting over 30 seconds from his previous best. Lilah Glazer (Hotchkiss School) also showed range with significant drops in both the 1500m and 3000m, while Julia Koch (Brookfield) improved sharply in the 1600 meters to move up among the top freshmen in the state. Astrid Moquete-Blomstro (Stamford) added another notable performance with a substantial drop in the 3200 meters from 14:20.06 down to 12:17.13.
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Jumps
The jumps saw strong performances across all events, led by David Fenoff (Enfield), who topped the underclassmen in the long jump at 20-10. Justin Cook (Seymour) and Parker Kennedy (Wilcox Technical) added depth to a competitive horizontal jumps field.
In the triple jump, Yallop Bodie (Brien McMahon) led all athletes with a 41-11 performance, showcasing versatility after also placing among the top hurdlers earlier in the week.
The high jump featured one of the top marks of the week from Christian Gaskins (E.O. Smith), who cleared 6-4 to lead all future-class athletes. In the pole vault, Christian Alonzo (Coventry) and Alexander Ascone (Danbury) shared the top mark at 11-6, while Valentin Graf (Hotchkiss School) led the Class of 2029 with an 11-0 clearance.
On the girls side, Manuela Rozo (Staples) led the underclassmen in the long jump at 16-5.5, while Cynthia Singleton (Naugatuck) added a triple jump win to her strong all-around week. In the high jump, Sarah Alamu (Naugatuck) cleared 5-6, continuing her impressive progression in the event. The pole vault was led by Kaylin Diglio (Guilford) at 11-3, with several Class of 2029 vaulters clearing 9-6 to show depth in the event.
Throws
The throws featured a wide range of developing talent, with Aiden Nosol (North Haven) leading the shot put at 44-3, narrowly ahead of Ryan Augustin (Cromwell).
In the discus, Luke DePiano (Lyman Memorial) set the top underclassmen mark at 136-2, while Augustin doubled back to place among the leaders once again. The javelin produced one of the top marks of the week from Titus Streckfuss (Ledyard), who threw 161-7 to lead all future-class athletes.
On the girls side, Zoe Bailey (South Windsor) led the shot put at 36-6, while Elliana Rexinger-McConne (Plainville) topped the discus at 105-3 and added a strong showing in the javelin. Hailey Mayo (Coventry) led the javelin at 108-6, with Hadley Fazekas (East Hampton) also surpassing the 100-foot mark.