Canton boys, Avon girls look strong in winning NCCC track titles

Canton’s Cam Daley finishes a close third in the finals of the 300 hurdles behind Coventry’s Dan Manzi and Enfield’s Tyrik Henry at the NCCC championship meet. Manzi beat Henry by 0.01 of a second and Daley by 0.05 of a second.

COVENTRY, May 21 – It was an afternoon of overwhelming performances for the Canton High boys track and field team and the Avon High girls track and field team at last week’s NCCC championship meet.

Undefeated Canton, which hasn’t lost a NCCC dual meet since the middle of the 2010 season, won its fourth straight championship meet by 50 points over Ellington. The victory gave Canton its third straight NCCC league championship.

The Avon girls also went undefeated this season at 13-0 and they topped Granby by 46 points to win its first league championship meet since 1989 and clinch its second league title in the last four years. The Falcons, who shared the title in 2011 with Suffield, won the title outright for the first time since 1989.

Canton had three individual champions (Matt Graziano, Keith Wilson, Julian Franklin), including Graziano who won for the second straight year. The Warriors had five individuals and the two relay teams that finished second. Eleven individuals came home with 21 medals for finishing in the top eight of their respective events.

“We’re fortunate that there is a certain culture of kids who are willing to try and do something different,” Canton coach Tim O’Donnell said. “We’re fortunate we haven’t been crippled by the one sport specialists.”

Many high school students across the nation today focus on one sport in the quest to get collegiate scholarship money.

O’Donnell praised the spirit of cooperation in the school from teachers in the music department and teachers that lead academic activities who are flexible enough to allow the students to compete in track and field.

And he praised the work ethic of his athletes who continue to work hard and grow throughout the season.

Graziano, the defending New England champion in the discus, continued to out throw the facility. He set a new meet record with a throw of 173 feet, 5 inches that landed on one hop and sailed into the woods. Two weeks earlier, he had three throws over the fence in the Greater Hartford Invitational at Simsbury High.

He also took second in the shot.

Wilson had an outstanding afternoon. He won the 400 meters in 52.18 seconds, pulling away from Avon’s Cory DiBacco in the final 50 meters. Wilson also took second in the 110 hurdles, losing by 0.2 of a second, and the 200 meters.

Franklin won in the triple jump with a leap of 41 feet, 11 inches beating Avon’s Jake Sartain by over a foot. Franklin was also second in the long jump.

Canton’s 4×400 meter relay team (Colin Martin, Keith Goeben, Keith Loureiro, Jimmy Spatcher) was second to Avon, two seconds off the pace. The 4×100 relay (Loureiro, Deryk Parsons, Martin, Goeben) was second behind Granby, 0.6 seconds behind.

Matt DeMarco was second in the 1,600 meters and fifth in the 800 meters for Canton while Cam Daley was second in the javelin and third in the 300 hurdles. The Warriors had three runners in the top six in the 300 hurdles. Canton had multiple medalists in eight events.

Avon’s Alannah Noonan was third in the 100 hurdles with her best time of the season (16.63).

The Avon girls received a balanced effort with 19 individuals winning 25 medals. The core strength of the team lies with its ability to run. The Falcons won the NCCC and Class MM championship in cross country last fall and added the NCCC indoor track title in February.

Molly Hamel won the league title in the 3,200 meters for the second straight year while Maddi McHugh surged on the final lap to come from behind and win the 1,600 meters.

Avon also won in the 4×100 meter relay (Stephanie Koo, Emma Schweitzer, Tara Shayler, Karina Bucci) by a half second over Stafford and the 4×400 meter relay (Jennifer Koo, Colleen Norton, Shayler and Shilip Donde) by two seconds over Coventry.

Shayler was also second in the 200 while Sara Stokesbury took second in the 800 meters.

Avon’s depth was overwhelming. The Falcons had three girls finish among the top eight in the 1,600 meters (McHugh, Hamel, Risa Lewis) and three among the top seven in the 400 meters (Jen Koo, Norton, Donde). Avon had four girls among the top eight in the 3,200 meters (Hamel, Higgins, Hannah Fusaro, Sarah Kate Mascoli).

Carly Regalado was third in the 300 hurdles and seventh in the 100 hurdles. Teammate Alannah Noonan was third in the 100 hurdles.

Avon also received help in the field, too. Kaely Quijano extended her school record in the pole vault to nine feet, six inches, good enough to finish second. Noonan took third with a season-high leap of eight feet.

Caroline Rendeiro and Erin Sherman were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the high jump while Sherman took sixth in the javelin and Maeve Reiss took sixth in the triple jump.

“It was a tremendous effort,” Avon coach Al Dadario said. “They really picked it up today. They have developed a culture in running that I will always be most proud of. To be a runner or in a field event is not easy. Track and field is a sport that is greatly underrated.”

The Avon boys were fourth with one event outstanding. Pole vault wasn’t completed when thunderstorms rolled through the area. It was Avon’s best finish since taking third in 2001.

The Falcons won their first NCCC championship since 2008 when the 4×400 relay team (Colin Ponzani, Evan Edgar, Zach Zweibel, Cory Dibacco) surged on the final lap to come from behind and beat Canton and Ellington with a time of 3:32.57. It was the best performance by an Avon team in the event since 2001.

Three Falcons finished second. Cory DiBacco was second in the 400, Colin Ponzani was second in the 800 and Jake Sartain took second in the high jump and triple jump. J.R. Reid was fourth on the long jump.

The Canton girls scored the most points ever in the event (20), led by Alex Martin, who was fifth in the 300 hurdles and Sarah Allen, who was fifth in the triple jump. Canton’s 4×100 relay team (Emma Skinner, Lucy Tanner, Jenna Janssen, Martin) was fifth with a school-record time of 54.23 seconds.

Ellington’s Andrew Oliwa beat Granby’s Nick Richards by 0.03 of a second in a photo finish in the finals of the 100 meters at the NCCC championships.

The Granby boys were third as a team with Mike Noyes winning the long jump and Alex Uhl capturing the high jump. And Granby’s 4×100 relay team upset Canton to win a league championship.

“We had a great, great day,” Granby boys coach Bob Casey said. It was Granby boys’ best finish since 2002, when they finished third. The Bears have finished third four times since their last championship in 1985.

The Granby girls have finished second for two consecutive years. The Bears were 12-1 this season with its only loss coming to Avon.

“We had a good day,” Lobo said. “We had a lot of girls who had personal bests today. We lost to a team that is deeper than we are. But we had some great performances.”

The day began with a strong start as the Bears upset Avon in the 4×800 relay. Cynthia Jones, Alexa Cipkas, Catherine Pinson and Ashley Piccirillo-Horan got the job done with decisive 13-second win.

Paige Kibby leaped five feet to win the high jump while Emily Uhl earned three medals by taking second in the discus and javelin and third in the shot put. Cassandra Miller also brought home three medals – taking second in the 300 hurdles, fifth in the 200 meters and sixth in the 100 meters.

Piccirillo-Horan (1,600 meters), Emily Jackson (high jump) and Anna Fede (discus) each finished third for Granby.

For the Granby boys, it was the sprinters and jumpers that led the way. The Bears had three runners in the finals of the 100 meters, earning 15 points. Nick Richards was just nipped at the finish by Ellington’s Andrew Oliwa by 0.03 of a second. Mike Noves finished fifth and Jared Grier was sixth.

Granby’s 4×100 relay team (Jacob Yankauskas, Jared Grier, Richards, Owen White) held off a charging Canton squad, winning by 0.60 of a second.

Alex Uhl won the high jump with a leap of five foot, 10 inches, was eighth in the long jump and was fifth in the pole vault.

Noyes captured the long jump with his jump of 20 feet, 6½ inches with Tom Bartos taking seventh. Bartos was also fifth in the triple jump. 

NCCC Boys Track Championship
At Coventry

Team Results: 1. Canton 145, 2. Ellington 95, 3. Granby 75, 4. Suffield 74, 5. Avon 63, 6. Coventry 54, 7. East Windsor 33½, 8. Enfield 31, 9, Stafford 26, 10. Bolton 24, 11. Windsor Locks 23, 12. East Granby 22, 13. Somers 21½, 14. Sport Medicine Science Academy 14

4x 800m relay: 1. Ellington (Tim Daigle, Jordan Dixon, Neil Hulstein, Jonathan Wing), 8:20.71; 2. East Windsor, 8:28.29; 3. Bolton, 8:32.50; 4. Avon (Colin Ponzani, Ben Crawford, Cory Dibacco, Adam Helmy), 8:41.49; 5. Canton (Athan Chekas, Jake Neely, James Yost, Jim Spatcher), 8:47.44; 6. Suffield, 8:49.25; 7. Granby (Kevin Bates, Matthew O’Neil, Jeremy Raym Dylon Chicoine) 9:00.34

4x 100m relay: Granby (Jacob Yankauskas, Jared Grier, Nick Richards, Owen White), 45:11; 2. Canton (Keith Loureiro, Deryk Parsons, Colin Martin, Keith Goeben), 45:71, 3. Windsor, 46.66; 4. Avon (Christian Salhany, Scott Frederick, Zach Zweibel, JR Reid), 47.24; 5. Ellington, 47:48; 6. Stafford, 47.61; 7. East Windsor, 47.97; 8. Enfield, 47.99.

100 meters: 1. Andrew Oliwa, Ellington, 11:62; 2. Nick Richards, Granby, 11:65; 3. Jarvis Miller, Suffield, 11:80; 4. Matthew Rodriguez, Windsor Locks, 11:81; 5. Mike Noyes, Granby 11.84, 6. Jared Grier, Granby 11.92

200 meters: 1. Andrew Oliwa, Ellington, 23.79; 2. Keith Wilson, Canton, 24:10; 3. Nick Richards, Granby, 24:18; 4. Colin Martin, Canton, 24:25; 5. Jarvis Miller, Suffield, 24.33, 6. Jacob Yankauskas, Granby, 24.36, 7. JR Reid, Avon 24.38

400 meters: 1. Keith Wilson, Canton, 51.18; 2. Cory Dibacco, Avon, 51.75; 3. Keith Goeben, Canton, 52.35; 52.35; 4. Drew Monroe, Bolton, 52.46; 5. Patrick Richards, SMSA, 52.60, 6. Thomas MacKintosh, Ellington, 53.17. 8. Evan Edgar, Avon 54.10

800 meters: 1. Jordan Dixon, Ellington, 2:04.24; 2. Colin Ponzani, Avon, 2:05.70; 3. Jonathan Wing, Ellington, 2:05.73; 4. Jimmy Spatcher, Canton, 2:07.29; 5. Matt Demarco, Canton, 2:07:38; 6. Ramis Saleem, East Windsor, 2:07.71

1,600 meters: 1. Neal Hulstein, Ellington, 4:30.10; 2. Matt Demarco, Canton, 4:36.87; 3. Jimmy Clark, Suffield, 4:41.38; 4. Patrick Begley, Suffield, 4:42.33; 5. Clayton Odell, East Windsor 4:42.68, 6. Alex Norstrom, Coventry, 4:46.77, 7. James Yost, Canton 4:48.97

3,200 meters: 1. Neal Hulstein, Ellington, 10:09.05; 2. Patrick Begley, Suffield, 10:16.87; 3. Brendan Callahan, Bolton, 10:21.34; 4. Jimmy Clark, Suffield, 10:21.46; 5. Jordan Dixon, Ellington, 10:28.01; 6. James Yost, Canton 10:28.49, 7. Justin Alessio, Avon, 10:41.83, 8. Connor Wise, Avon, 10:42.16

100m high hurdles: 1. Tyrik Henry, Enfield, 15.26; 2. Keith Wilson, Canton, 15.44; 3. Evan Cummins, Stafford, 15.69; 4. Dan Manzi, Coventry, 16.17; 5. Cameron Dalev, Canton, 16.35, 6. Kevin Jones, East Windsor, 16.70

300m hurdles: 1. Dan Manzi, Coventry, 42.26; 2. Tyrik Henry, Enfield, 42.27; 3. Cameron Daley, Canton, 42.31; 4. Kevin Jones, East Windsor, 43.17; 5. Julian Franklin, Canton, 43.97, 6. Keith Loureiro, Canton 44.39, 7. Jake Neeley, Canton 44.77

4x 400m relay: 1. Avon (Colin Ponzani, Evan Edgar, Zach Zweibel, Cory Dibacco), 3:32.57; 2. Canton (Colin Martin, Keith Goeben, Keith Loureiro, Jimmy Spatcher), 3:34.40; 3. Ellington, 3:35.24; 4. East Windsor, 3:42.35; 5. Bolton, 3:46.44, 6. Granby (Matthew O’Neil, Dylan Chicoine, Tyler Beaupre, Ryan Seger) 3:46.66

Long jump: 1. Mike Noyes, Granby, 20-6.50; 2. Julian Franklin, Canton, 20-4; 3. Luke Alvero, Somers, 20-2; 4. Jr Reid, Avon, 20-1; 5. Matthew Rodriguez, Windsor Locks, 19-5;  6. Brendan Coverdill, Somers 19-2, 7. Tom Bartoes, Granby 19-0, 8. Alex Uhl, Granby 18-10

Shot put: Tom Myers, Coventry, 45-1.50′; Matt Graziano, Canton, 44-3.50; 3. Chris Grabinski, East Granby, 42-2.50; 4. Lukasz Kluk, Enfield, 38-10.50; 5. Kayron Macon, SMSA, 38-02, 6. Brendan Coverdill, Somers 37-9, 7. Devin Glasson, Canton, 37-9

High jump: 1. Alex Uhl, Granby, 5-10; 2. Jacob Sartain, Avon, 5-10; 3. Taylor Stephan, Suffield, 5-8; 3. Tyrik Henry, Enfield, 5-8; 5. Tom Green, Stafford, 5-6, 6. Kerry McGeehan, Suffield 5-4; 7. Tom Bartoes, Granby 5-4

Discus: 1. Matt Graziano, Canton, 173-5 (new meet record. Old mark Brian Tarbox, Granby, 159-8, 1984) ; 2. Tom Myers, Coventry, 121-0; 3. Quintin Reed, SMSA, 116-11; 4. Jaime Stephen, Suffield, 107-7; 5. Kalvin Boldin, Stafford, 107-05, 6. Dan Gagnon, Ellington 105-6, 8. Devin Glasson, Canton 102-10

Javelin: 1. Tom Myers, Coventry, 184-0; 2. Cameron Daley, Canton, 139-9; 3. Chris Grabinski, East Granby, 139-9; 4. Dan Gagnon, Ellington, 138-8; 5. Troy Marin, East Granby, 128-9, 6. Ian Downey, Granby 126-9

Triple jump: 1. Julian Franklin, Canton, 41-11; 2. Jacob Sartain, Avon, 40-6; 3. Luke Alvero, Somers, 39-7; 4. Luke Bilodeau, East Granby, 39-4.5; 5. Tom Bartoes, Granby, 38-11, 6. Evan Cummings, Stafford 38-10

Pole vault: Due to rain on Wednesday. Competition in pole vault was suspended. It was completed three days later on Friday. 

Pole vault – 1. Taylor Stephen, Suffield 11-6, 2. Bumjooon Park, Suffield 11-6, 3. Nathan  Sheffer, Windsor Locks 11-6, 4. Dan Manzi, Coventry, 11-6, 5. Alex Uhl, Granby, 11-0, 6. Jon Lerch, Stafford 11-0

Final league standings: 1. Canton 13-0, 26 pts, 2. Ellington 12-1, 24 pts.; 3. Granby 9-4, 20, 4. Avon 10-3, 19; 5. Suffield 8-4-1, 18, 6. East Windsor 9-4, 16, 7. Coventry 6-6-1, 14, 8. Enfield 6-6-1, 12, 9. Stafford 4-8-1, 9, 10. Somers 6-7, 7 and Bolton 3-10, 7; 12. Windsor Locks 2-11, 5, 13. East Granby 1-12, 3, 14. SMSA 0-13, 0

Teams earn 1 point for each dual meet win and 1 point for each team they beat at the league championship meet 

NCCC Girls Track Championship
At Coventry

Team Results — 1. Avon, 141; 2. Granby, 95; 3. Coventry, 91; 4. Ellington, 63; 5. Stafford, 51; 6. Suffield, 49½; 7. East Windsor, 49½; 8. SMSA, 33; 9. East Granby, 28; 10. Somers, 24½; 11. Windsor, 23; 11. Bolton, 23; 13. Canton, 20; 14. Enfield, 16.

4x 800m relay: 1. Granby (Cynthia Jones, Alexa Cipkas, Catherine Pinson, Ashley Piccirillo-Horan), 9:53.05; 2. Avon (Sara Stokesbury, Ryley Higgins, Molly Hamel, Maddi McHugh), 10:06.09; 3. Coventry, 10:12.35; 4. Suffield, 10:14.27; 5. Ellington, 10:24.70; 6. Bolton, 10:25.64; 8. Canton (Emily Chouinard, Amanda Curvino, Emily Jarka, Lacey Sullivan), 11:46.07.

4x 100m relay: 1. Avon (Stephanie Koo, Emma Schweitzer, Tara Shayler, Karina Bucci), 52.44; 2. Stafford, 52.91; 3. East Windsor, 53.00; 4. Ellington, 53.07; 5. Canton (Emma Skinner, Lucy Tanner, Jenna Janssen, Alex Martin), 54.79; 6. Suffield, 53.97; 7. Somers, 54.80; 8. Windsor Locks, 54.87.

100 meters: 1. Joy Padgett, SMSA, 12:77; 2. Daisia Walker, East Windsor, 13:10; 3. Stephanie Koo, Avon, 13:17; 4. Kathryn O’Connor, Somers, 13:20; 5. Jasmine Murray, Stafford, 6. Cassandra Miller, Granby 13.46, 7. Emma Schweitzer, Avon 13.65

200 meters: 1. Joy Padgett, SMSA, 27:16; 2. Tara Shayler, Avon, 27.56; 3. Daisia Walker, East Windsor, 27.59; 4. Kathryn O’Connor, Somers, 27.68; 5. Cassandra Miller, Granby, 27.97, 6. Stephanie Koo, Avon 28.02

400 meters: 1. Hannah Bodner, Bolton, 59.87; 2. Amanda Jacobsen, Stafford, 1:01.54; 3. Meredith Weigert, Windsor Locks, 1:02.03; 4. Katie Cobb, Windsor Locks, 1:02.91; 5. Jennifer Koo, Avon, 1:04.22. 6. Colleen Norton, Avon 1:04.27, 7. Shilip Donde, Avon 1:04.61, 8. Cynthia Jones, Granby 1:04.68

800 meters: 1. Raquel Pouliot, Coventry, 2:27.29; 2. Sara Stokesbury, Avon, 2:28.41; 3. Lauren Izabel, Suffield, 2:29.32; 4. Kayla Sgarlate, Ellington, 2:29.76; 5. Samantha Couture, East Windsor, 2:30.08, 6. Nancy Montemerlo, Windsor Locks 2:32.33, 8. Maddi McHugh, Avon, 2:34.15

1,600 meters: 1. Maddi McHugh, Avon, 5:29.53; 2. Samantha Nyser, Bolton, 5:30.91; 3. Ashley Piccirillo-Horan, 5:34.89; 4. Hannah Goodale, Coventry, 5:37.14; 5. Molly Hamel, Avon, 5:37.93, 6. Catherine Pinson, Granby 5:39.43, 8. Risa Lewis, Avon 5:51.04

3,200 meters: 1. Molly Hamel, Avon, 11:58.27; 2. Monqiue Labarre, Suffield, 12:28.49; 3. Hannah Goodale, Coventry, 12:35.10; 4. Anna Chamberland, Ellington, 12:47.87; 5. Ryley Higgins, Avon, 12:57.22, 6. Hannah Fusaro, Avon, 12:58.29, 8. Sarah Katherine Mascoli, Avon, 13:30.52

100m high hurdles: 1. Alissa Rogers, Ellington, 16:22; 2. Eugenia Weaver, SMSA, 16:36; 3. Alannah Noonan, Avon, 16.63; 4. Marianna Sticca, Granby, 17.07; 5. Meg Oliphant, Coventry, 17.11, 6. Sam Eaton, East Granby, 17:20., 7. Carly Regalado, Avon, 17.26, 8. Lucy Tanner, Canton 17.70

300m hurdles: 1. Meg Oliphant, Coventry, 47.91; 2. Cassandra Miller, Granby, 48.86; 3. Carly Regalado, Avon, 49.80; 4. Samantha Eaton, East Granby, 50.10; 5. Alex Martin, Canton, 50.80, 6. Alex Larochelle, Suffield, 51.38, 7. Lucy Tanner, Canton 51.51

Long jump: 1. Kelsey Sgarlata, Ellington, 16-0; 1. Erika Truden, Coventry, 16-0; 3. Marina Rose, Coventry, 15-08; 4. Rachel Kaliff, Enfield, 15-03; 5. Marianna Sticca, Granby; 15-0, 6. Apreal Sterling, Suffield, 14-9, 7. Sarah Allen Canton, 14-8

Shot put: 1. Kara Dumas, East Granby, 29-5.25; 2. Katie Riddell, Coventry, 29-4.75; 3. Emily Uhl, Granby, 29-4.25; 4. Patience Turkson, Ellington, 29-0.75; 5. Sabrina Gelazwicz, Stafford, 28-4.75, 6. Anna Fede, Granby 28-1, 7. Anna Waite, Canton 27-4

Pole vault: 1. Amanda Jocobsen, Stafford, 10-0; 2. Kaely Quijano, Avon, 9-6; 3. Alannah Noonan, Avon, 8-0; 3. Cassandra Looney, Suffield, 8-0; 5. Meaghan Clark, Suffield, 7-0, 6. (tie) Laura Oliwa, Ellington, Shannon Hendrickson, East Windsor, Karly Nesta, Stafford 6-6

High jump: 1. Paige Kibby, Granby, 5-0; 2. Marissa Simonelli, East Windsor, 4-10; 3. Emily Jackson, Granby, 4-8; 3. Caroline Renderio, Avon, 4-8; 5. Kaliegh Sherman, Avon, 4-6, 6. Rachel Gallison, Stafford 4-6

Discus: 1. Jasmine Murray, Stafford, 100-9; 2. Emily Uhl, Granby, 90-6; 3. Anna Fede, Granby, 86-06; 4. Gabrielle Ladanv, East Windsor, 82-10; 5. Katie Riddell, Coventry, 82-9, 6. Kassandra Wilk, SMSA 80-1

Javelin: 1. Kelsey Charette, Somers, 110-11; 2. Emily Uhl, Granby, 109-11; 3. Marina Rose, Coventry, 92-8; 4. Casey Tobin, East Granby, 91-5; 5. Alli Carson, Suffield, 90-10, 6. Erin Sherman, Avon 88-5; 7. Colleen Longley, Granby 80-0

Triple jump: 1. Rachel Kaliff, Enfield, 33-5.5; 2. Kelsey Sgarlata, Ellington, 33-1.5; 3. Erika Truden, Coventry, 33-0; 4. Sarah Allen, Canton, 32-0; 5. Maeve Reiss, Avon, 31-8, 6. Marina Rose, Coventry 31-6

4x 400m relay: 1. Avon (Jennifer Koo, Colleen Norton, Tara Shayler, Shilip Donde), 4:15.99; 2. Coventry, 4:17.06; 3. Windsor Locks, 4:26.33; 4. East Granby, 4:26.81; 5. Suffield, 4:27.01. 6. Ellington 4:27.41, 7. Granby (Cynthia Jones, Lauren Grashaw, Emily Jackson, Catherine Pinson) 4:41.51

Final league standings: 1. Avon 13-0, 26 pts. 2. Granby 12-1, 24 pts, 3. Coventry 9-4, 22; 4. Stafford 9-3-1, 18 and Ellington 8-4-1, 18; 6. Suffield 9-4, 17; 7. East Windsor 6-7, 13, 8. East Granby 6-7, 11, 9. Somers 6-7, 10; 10. Canton 7-6, 8, 11. SMSA 0-13, 6, 12. Bolton 3-10, 2. 13. Windsor Locks 1-12, 3, 14. Enfield 2-11, 2
Teams earn 1 point for each dual meet win and 1 point for each team they beat at the league championship meet