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

RESULTS

PHOTOS: click to view the freely available photos of many events by Ron Knapp from competition courtesy of MySportsResults sponsored by Marathon Sports & New Balance.

Take some time to check out our extended coverage that includes several interviews of the CIAC State Open Indoor TF Champions courtesy of MySportsResults sponsored by Marathon Sports & New Balance.

The State Open and all class meets are available on demand on a fee basis at the NFHS Network with Tom Felice and Marty Ogden on the call at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/associations/ciac/track-and-field 

The State Open is a truly special meet, and qualifying is a major achievement in itself. While we celebrate the team champions, it's important to recognize the incredible competition and performances that take place across all 15 events. MySportsResults ends our coverage with the top performances in the girls State Open competition across all 15 events. 

The Next Generation of All Time Greats is Rising

There are certain names that are said with reverence among long time fans of CT track and field. Hannah Debalsi simply dominated the state and New England winning four straight regional titles indoors in the 2-miles, several state records on the track and three State Open and New England titles in cross country. Glastonbury’s Lauren Parrett went right to the front just like Debalsi used to do and it wasn’t until the 1000m mark that her long time rival Sophie Passalacqua caught back up. The pair went through the half way mark in 5:19 and the Greenwich sophomore held the lead for a few more laps, until Parrett made a long drive for the finish with 1200m tremaining. Once she pulled away, she looked back a few times but won, breaking Debasi’s meet record with a time of 10:40.36. Her time is a new US #46 and the 4th fastest time in state history.

As Parrett pulled away, she used the motivation from her family and teammates to motivate her. “I was just thinking about my family and teammates and how my training pays off for this. I just wanted to make myself and my family and teammates proud.”

Passalacqua had a challenge from another FCIAC runner Sarah Bogdan of Staples but held on for second place with a top 70 time in the nation and a CT #11 all-time performance of 10:47.17. 

Hand’s Annecy Vlieks crept up from the 2nd pack and used a last lap finishing kick to move into third. The senior finished in the 14th fastest time in state history for the 3200m in a time of  10:49.44.

Relay Times Dropping 

Behind Bloomfield’s winning performance in the 4x200m, first event of the day, there was a lot of competition right behind them. The WarHawks ran a state leading time of 1:42.33 which is in the top 50 nationally. Windsor also popped off a season best finishing in 1:43.60. Manchester, with Samiya Eady splitting 24.62 on anchor, improved over three seconds from CCCs and finished 3rd with a time of 1:44.12. They weren’t the only teams that dropped significant time as 11 of the top 14 seeds set season bests.

Luoma Soars Again

Somehow or another Jenna Luoma finds a way to win. The Ellington junior is often not the top seed in the high jump, but always matches her best on days when other athletes don’t have their A-game. She won Class M her freshman year, the State Open her junior year and repeated with Saturday clearing 5-02. While state leader Frieda Patzner of Fairfield Ludlowe cleared 5-5.0 at the Class LL championships neither athlete was able to clear 5-4 so it came down to misses. Both had cleared 5-2.0 on their 1st attempt but Luoma had one less miss throughout the competition to become the first girl from Ellington to ever win two State Open titles. 

Surprises All Around in the Pole Vault

There is a reason we put on the competitions. It allows people to overcome the odds and surprise themselves and everyone else. There were five girls who cleared 11 feet in the pole vault this season and East Lyme’s Teagan Czaja was tied with six girls at 10-6 coming into the Open and would have been happy to score a point. She cleared the bar on her first attempts all the way through 10-6 but then set her PR of 11-0 on her 2nd attempt, the same as Sacred Heart Academy’s Sophia Ciarleglio. The Shark missed on her first attempt earlier in the competition at 9-6 that allowed Czaja to win the title. State leader Kaylin Diglio of Guilford set her PR in the 55m hurdles and made the finals in that event. She returned to the pole vault where she failed to clear 11 feet and settled for third place. 

There Can Be Only One

The best part of the State Open is when you get the best of the state all on the track at the same time. Manchester’s Samiya Eady was a two-time state State Open champion in the 55m but false started in the finals on Saturday. Lauren Kropo of Naugatuck was the defending champion in the 300m and had already defended her title in the 600m earlier in the meet. And Windsor’s Paige Wilson was State Open champion in the 400m last spring. These three accomplished athletes toed the line in the final heat of the 300m with Eady, most likely still fired up about her false start, pulling away and winning in a season best time of 40.06. Kropo had to settle for 2nd in 40.39 with Wilson coming across the line in third with a time of 40.46. This is one race that did not disappoint. 

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Depth in the Shot Put

Avery Plouffe came into the shot put competition to face a loaded field with six girls having already thrown over 39 feet. Each athlete could potentially take the crown but the Woodstock Academy thrower lived up to her seed with tosses over 40 feet her first three attempts and won with a lifetime best of 41-4.5. Bloomfield’s Payton Sirdine rose to the occasion to help her team, and came within inches of her best taking second with a mark of 38-4.75. Six girls went over 38 feet in this incredibly deep competition. 

Girls Chase Gilbert to Break Barriers in the 1600m

Chase Gilbert has been the dominant distance runner in Connecticut this year and she raced with the confidence that comes with it. The Lyme-Old Lyme senior took off from the gun and was going through the half way mark on state record pace. While the lead narrowed the second half of the race she still won in 4:55.13. Greenwich’s Sophie Passalacqua chased Gilbert down the last few laps which helped her to break five minutes for the first time, finishing in 4:58.73.

North Haven’s Ava Tarasuk used a furious last lap to move up from 5th place to third to break her one school record by nine seconds, running a time of 5:05.06.

While Gilbert won, the time wasn’t what she expected. She has already run a 4:47 for the mile this season and holds the meet record of 4:44.68 from last year. “I think this one's going to push me a little bit. That was not what I wanted today”, she said after the race. “I think that's pretty clear just based on my other times… One day doesn't define me and I guess not every day is going to be perfect and I guess that's like a good lesson for myself but also I hope for other people.”

Roberts Races With Confidence

Going into a race with confidence certainly helps performance. Sarah Roberts has great ranges and scored at the State Open last year in both the 600m and 3200m events but has come to feel the middle distance events are best for her. “ I'm really happy. I mean, today I definitely had a goal to win and I went into it pretty calm”, the Mercy senior explained after the race. “And then throughout the race, I felt like I was feeling good.” After settling in the pack the first lap she broke away clicking off 34 second laps and finishing in 2:53.32, the US #31 time this season and 14th fastest in state history. This is not only Roberts first State Open win, it is the first indoor track win for any Mercy athlete.

Fairfield Warde’s Alexandra Morgan was All New England last year in the 1000m and finished in a season best of 2:56.30, which is less than a second she ran last year at New Englands. South Windsor’s Sofia Holovatska ran 2:57 for the 3rd week in a row, taking the bronze medal in 2:57.49. 

A Mix of Rookies and Veterans in the 600m

Lauren Kropo took off and never looked back. The Naugatuck senior defended her title running a season best tie of 1:33.58, a new US #13 and CT #1.She admitted the 600m is a very awkward race and was anxious about it. When asked what motivated her on the last lap she said “It burns, but I know the faster I run, the faster it's done. And you can put your legs up and chill out.” 

She faced a challenge from Hall’s Alexandra Golder who doubled back from the 4x800m and she finished with nearly a two second PR of 1:35.05 which is a new US #26. After taking 6th in the outdoor 400m, the junior is in her first season of indoor track. Another athlete in her first season of indoor track was Canton’s Kayla Berning. She ran in the 2nd of three heats and broke 1:40 for the first time by three seconds, running a PR of 1:37.07.

More Top Performances

4x800m

1 New Canaan 9:36.76 New US #58 New CT #1 S.deKanter, L.Casey, G.Savelli, G.Harrington

2 Glastonbury 9:43.92 New US #94 New CT #3  E. Aguilar, A. Horesco, L. Parrett, O. McKay

3 Trumbull 9:47.59 New CT #5 'A' • +6pts • H2 • S. Russo, M. Kane, R. Drury, M. Lafaille

55m

1 Saphyr Brown Bloomfield 7.05 New US #35 New CT #1 PR 

2 Ella Barber Greenwich 7.18 New CT #3 PR

1600m SMR

1 Greenwich 4:13.26 New US #16 New CT #2  R. Barber, C. Culver, M. McCooe, E. Daplyn

2 Bloomfield 4:13.50 New US #17 New CT #3 A. Nathaniel, S. Dixon, D. Spears, D. Duncan

3 Mercy 4:14.40 New US #20 New CT #4 SB

4x400m

1 Greenwich 4:02.45 New US #74 New CT #2 N. Silver, G. Hardwick, M. McCooe, E. Daplyn

2 Joel Barlow 4:03.42 New US #90 New CT #3 V. Abukhovich, P. Smith, O. Taylor, K. Duggan

3 Windsor 4:06.69 4:06.69 • P. Wilson, A. Coleman, M. Donzella, E. Schwartz

More School Records

Isabelle Aldi broke a 32-year old Amity school record by finishing 6th in the prelims with a time of 8.54. She returned to the finals and finished 7th in 8.60. 

Shelton’s 4x400m of Folasade Danmola, Katie Hynes, Sailor Martin and Stephanie Sanborn broke 4:10 for the first time, taking 4th in 4:09.57. 

Sienna de Kanter broke her former teammate Charlotte Moor’s year old New Canaan school record, running 11:09.67 to take 7th place in the 3200m. 

Lyman Hall shattered school records in three relays. Mary Magno, Sadie Tierney, Isabelle Champagne, and Angelica Gournaris ran 4:20.77 in the 1600m SMR, clinching 4th place to earn All-State status. Champagne, Tierney, Magno and Diana Escurel finished in 1:48.89 in the 4x200 and earned another school record. Finally Tierney, Gournaris, Sophie Perrin, and Champagne clocked 4:12.15 in the 4x400 giving the Trojans their third new school record of the meet. 

Junior Camilla Murphy earned the 5th place medal in the 600M at the State Open finishing in 1:37.79 breaking the Sacred Heart Academy school record held by Meagan Cameron from 2020.

It’s not too early to think about your plans for summer training that could include attending the Foss Running Camp!