By Senior Correspondent Marty Ogden, Editing and Graphics by Ron Knapp

The holiday break is often a tough time for coaches to manage their teams after only a few weeks of practice as athletes are often missing several days of training due to visiting family or just away on vacation. But many CT athletes are showing they are locked into the season, putting up impressive performances all over the region.

MSTCA Boston Holiday Challenge

@ the TRACK at New Balance, Boston MA

RESULTS

The Track at New Balance opened in April of 2022 and has already hosted professional meets, the NCAA championships and New Balance Nationals Indoors. This past weekend, they hosted the MSTCA Boston Holiday Challenge which drew athletes from all over the country including many of Connecticut’s top athletes.

The star of the day had to be Soheib Dissa who defeated a strong field which included Cole Boone of Virginia who ran 2:23 for the 1000m two weeks ago. Newtown’s Dissa, running unattached, was content to sit in third through the half mile in 2:06.1. But with three laps to go he went to work, running 30 seconds laps and dropping a 28 second bomb on the last lap to cross the line in a time of 4:06.64 to not only take over the national lead but run the 2nd fastest time in state history. He ran six seconds faster than his best time last year and has a legitimate shot at Gavin Sherry’s state record of 4:02.69. 

Photo courtesy of Lakhdar Dissa

Also running strong in the same race was a pair of runners from East Lyme’s State Open runner-up cross country team. Sam Leone finished 7th in 4:21.31 and Class MM cross country champion Sean McCauley was a place behind in 4:21.32

Multiple relay All Americans Owen Martin and Jack Ouellette of Xavier both went under the 2:30 mark in the 1000m. Martin took 2nd in 2:28.51 which is not only the 11th fastest time in state history, it also broke JT Burke’s school record. Long time fans of the sport might remember one of the great rivalries in the sport between Burke and Staple’s Tom Sheeran. Burke broke the state record in 1989 winning the Class L championship in 2:29.71. A week later Sheeran turned the tables and won 2:29.80. Ouellette just barely missed the Xavier school record, finishing 3rd in 2:29.98. 

On the girls side the spotlight was on Bloomfield’s Vanessa Agyemang. Last week she mentioned she wanted to go over 19-ft in the long jump. On Saturday she popped off a 19-00.75 jump on her 5th attempt for the win. Agyemang also finished 3rd in the 300m with a time of 42.41 and finished 2nd in the 55m hurdles in 8.54. Her long jump puts her 9th all time in CT history and gives the WarHawks two underclassmen over 19-ft. Sophomore Saphyr Brown’s school record is only a half inch away but more importantly, Tahari James’ 21-year old state record of 19-9 could be broken by both teammates in the next couple of years. 

Despite a small groin injury, D'Asia Duncan had a solid meet. Her primary event is the 300m hurdles outdoors, but she showed off her range by taking 2nd in the 600m in 1:40.01 to improve upon her state leady by .02 seconds. She also had the fastest time in the prelims of the 55m hurdles of 8.49 but hit some hurdles in the finals to finish 3rd in 8.80 with Agyemang claiming 2nd. 

Other top performances included:

Luke Cushing of Amity, winning the 2 mile in 9:28.0 to take over the CT #1 time this season. 

Bloomfield’s girls swept the 4x200m and 4x400m relays. Their team of Caleah Baker, Jahniya Barclay, Kiylah Williams and Saphyr Brown ran the short relays in 1:46.35. Their longer relay of Jahniya Barclay,  Soleigh Dixon, D'Asia Duncan and  Kiylah Williams took over the 4x4000m state lead in 4:02.96. 

The Bloomfield boys shined as well with their 4x400m team of Jahiem Lawrence, Jesse Singleton Jr. Steven White and Sergio Rose Jr took over the state lead in 3:30.75. 

Delante Senior took 3rd for the WarHawks, running the 55HH in 7.61.

Bloomfield’s Caleah Baker won the 300m in 41.65. 

April Nathaniel was 5th in the triple jump in the outdoor State Open, was only a few inches off her lifetime best, winning the event in 36-01.75.

Hillhouse Holiday Meet

@ Floyd Little Athletic Facility, New Haven CT

RESULTS

Staying in state were several of the top stars in CT. Lauren Kropo of Naugatuck, was 2nd at the State Open in the 55m and won the 300m. On Saturday she won both events and set her PR of 7.17 in the straightaway sprint to take over the state lead. Her time of 40.62 is about three quarters of a second off her lifetime best from her sophomore year, but she took over the state lead in that event as well.

Check out interview of Lauren Kropo

In the corner of Floyd Little Athletic Facility, the crowd started with a rhythmic clapping, followed by a road when Simsbury’s Marshall Potter unleashed his lifetime best throw in the shot put. He was measured at 59’1.0 to become the 13th best thrower in CT history and the 8th best this century. CT already has two throwers over the 60-ft mark and now there is a real possibility we could have a third in that club in the very near future. 

Windsor always has great sprinters and the next link in the long chain sprinting excellence seems to be junior Shelldon Simpson II. Last week at the Hillhouse Invitational he ran the 2nd fastest 55m time in the state and this week he ran a PR of 35.54 to become 2nd in that event as well. The Warriors are saving him for the bigger meets later in the season as he has only run one event in each meet. 

Foot Locker Cross Country All American Brooke Strauss opened her indoor campaign with two solid races. She ran her 7th sub five minutes 1600m/mile race of her career, easily winning in 4:55.25. At the end of the meet, she joined her Glastonbury teammates Olivia McKay, Abigail Horesco and Lauren Parrett to become the first CT 4x800m team under ten minutes. Their time of 9:56.56 won by over 30 seconds with Strauss splitting 2:15. 

Former gymnast Zachary McKirryher of Seymour is looking at big vaults this year as he has big goals of competing in college. He is currently the state leader at 13-6 but went out at 13-ft to take the win on Saturday. He tried out a bigger pole at 13-6 and got his hips over it on his 2nd jump but still knocked the bar down. Once he gets used to a bigger pole, taller heights are in the very near future. 

Check out interview of Zachary McKirryher

ECC Developmental 2A and 2B Meets

@ the United States Coast Guard Academy, New London CT

RESULTS: Dev 2A and Dev 2B

Lyme Old Lyme has always had a solid program but their school record board had some major updates in one day with three records getting broken. Sophomore Patrick Lynch not only broke his school long jump record with a distance of 22-8.0 he tied for the state lead with Xavier’s Oliver Guzy. On the girls side Serena Mazzi broke her own school record in the event with a distance of 17 -6.0. The Coast Guard Academy is a flat, 180m track and not particularly known as lightning fast like the tracks in New York or Boston. That didn’t stop Zoe Eastman-Grossel from breaking her school record in the 300m with a time of 41.03 which ranks her 3rd in CT. 

With so many big named runners who might be competing in the 1000m at the end of the season, you just might have to add another name to this competitive event. Tolland’s Dillon Stoeffler made himself a contender for a spot at New Englands with his 16-second win with a time of 2:32.90. 

The shot put area hosted the state’s top 2 throwers as NFA’s Chris Amy took over the state lead with his toss of 60-7 in the 2B meet while ECC rival Thomas Matlock of East Lyme won with a toss of 60-2 in the 2A meet, just an inch shorter than his toss last weekend.

U.S. Marine Corps Holiday Classic 

@ Nike Track & Field Center at The Armory, NY

RESULTS

New Canaan has also been rewriting their school record board during these early season meets. Spencer Paine broke their 600m record last weekend and he joined his teammates Ryan Boulanger, Quinn Kilkenny and Ryan Monohan to take down their 4x800m record, running a time of 8:05.72. Along with the record, the boys are qualified for New Balance Indoor Nationals, the Penn Relays, and are ranked #5 in the United States for the relay.

Lyman Hall had a solid meet at the Armory with junior Aaron Rich taking over the state lead in the 300m, finishing 9th in a time of 35.25. Thomas and Timothy Conklin went up against Olympic 4x400m gold medalist Quincy Watts of Bullis High School in the 600m who ran the 2nd fastest time in US high school history, winning in 1:17.19. Thomas took 6th in 1:22.79 and Timothy finished 9th in 1:25.06. Thomas has the state lead and will be looking to become the first boy under 1:22 since we returned from the Covid break. 

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