Rowland, Avon relay team win at McReavey Invitational

MIDDLETOWN, Jan. 11 – Chamiyah Rowland and an Avon girls relay team each won their respective events and two additional Avon High relay teams finished second to lead the Falcons indoor track and field team at the McReavey Invitational at Wesleyan University on Friday.

The Falcons and athletes from Canton continue to prepare for next Tuesday’s NCCC championship meet at the Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven. The McReavey Invitational was a competitive meet at Wesleyan with some events having over 50 competitors. No team scores were kept.

Rowland won the 55 meter dash by a tenth of a second in 7.63 seconds. Teammate Stephanie Koo was fourth in 8.03 seconds.

Avon’s 4×200 meter relay team of Jennifer Koo, Karina Bucci, Tara Shayler and Rowland won their event with a time of 1:56.09.

Avon’s 4×800 relay of Molly Hamel, Rachael Rosow, Sara Stokesbury and Amanda Holtzman beat a team from Hopkins by nearly two full seconds with their time of 10:29.63. Avon’s 1,600 meter sprint medley relay of Maddi McHugh, Shayler, Stokesbury and Stephanie Koo also finished second with a time of 4:41.29.

Avon had three girls among the top six in the 1,600 meters. McHugh was third in 5:32.68 with Rosow (5:33.03) finishing fifth and Hamel (5:37.50) taking sixth.

Canton junior Matt Graziano finished second in the shot with a throw of 44 feet, 10 inches, less than a foot behind the winner Zach Vole of Derby 45 feet, 3.25 inches in a field of nearly 70 athletes.

Canton teammate Julian Franklin finished second in the long jump with a leap of 18 feet, 7½ inches in an event with nearly 50 jumpers. Franklin was also fifth in the high jump at 5-foot-4, tying the school record set by James Solomon in 2010.

In the high jump, Canton’s Sarah Allen and Avon’s Caroline Rendeiro each finished tied for sixth with a leap of 4-foot-6.

In the girls 55 hurdles, Canton’s Sarah Allen and teammate Lucy Tanner were fourth and fifth, respectively in 10.10 seconds and 10.15 seconds. Allen’s time is just 0.02 seconds off the school record held by Tyisha Alexander and set in 2010.

In the boys 55 hurdles, Canton’s Keith Wilson was sixth in 8.67 seconds in a field of 25 runners.

Canton’s 1,600 meter spring medley relay of Deryk Parsons, Keith Wilson, Riley Hollis and Jim Spatcher finished fifth in 3:56.74.