Avon secures victories in debut on their new track and field facility

Avon High’s Matt Marshall twirls to throw the discus in Tuesday’s home opener against Northwest Catholic. Marshall won the discus event as Avon swept the visiting Lions in the first meet at the new track and field facility.

AVON, April 20, 2021 – It has been just over two years since the Avon High track and field program hosted a meet outside the high school on their own track.

The Falcons last hosted a meet on their home field on April 16, 2019. A few days later, the six-lane track facility that dater back to 2000 was dug up and the Falcons spent the rest of the season on the road and practicing at Avon Old Farms.

A new eight-lane track and field complex, that included a synthetic turf field, was built and went into service in the fall of 2019.

The Falcon track program was looking forward to using their new facilities in the spring of 2020 but when the COVID-19 pandemic began sweeping across the planet last spring, the plan was altered when school moved to online classes and all spring sports were cancelled.

There was plenty of energy at Avon on Tuesday as the Falcons hosted Northwest Catholic in their first home meet at the new facility. Some of the excitement came from using the new facility and some came from athletes simply getting a chance to compete.

Coaches and athletes wore masks, except when they were competing, to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

“Everyone is pretty happy to be out here,” senior Matt Marshall said. “With COVID and everything, people are just happy to be out here working hard and just participating.”

It’s Marshall’s first time competing on the track and field team. He had planned on playing football for the Falcons but that wasn’t allowed to be held to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

“This is awesome,” he said. “I was looking for something else to participate in and it’s awesome that we can get out here and play and hang out with everyone. It’s been pretty fun.”

Marshall won the discus and was third in the shot put.

Runners take off for the 1,600 meter race in Tuesday’s track and field meet at Avon High. Carver Morgan, closest to the right, won the event.

One of the reasons that kids participate in sports is to compete and hang out with their friends. In this year of social distancing, masks, contact tracing and quarantines, it has been a challenge for students to spend time with their peers.

The athletes were together in groups – in their masks – spread out across the turf as the meet went on under spectacular April weather with sunny skies and the temperatures in the high 60s.

“This is amazing,” Avon High senior Wren Worth said. “I have been waiting to run on this track for two years and this is a beautiful day. We all love it.”

Avon High girls head coach Al Dadario has been coaching with the Falcons for 25 years. In his first years on the coaching staff, the track was an uneven cinder track surrounding the natural grass football field. “It wasn’t level. It was uneven and as you ran around the corner, I will never forget, it was underwater half of the time,” he said with a laugh.

Things are different in 2021. “It’s really great not just for Avon athletics but for the town, too,” he said. “It’s a showpiece and since we are in the CCC (Central Connecticut Conference), the big time, we have to really compete and this facility gives us the (opportunity) to compete with those other teams.

“We have a first-class track with eight lanes. We have two jumping pits, throwing facilities and new pole vault equipment,” he said.

Avon’s Rebecca Berman stays ahead during the 1,600 meter race in Tuesday’s track and meet in Avon.

Courtney Fusco, an assistant coach with the program, agreed. “It’s great,” he said. “We’ve waited a long time to have a meet here. It is an exciting experience to have a meet here and get a win for both teams.”

The Avon boys won 15 of 18 events to earn their first win of the season with a 102-34 win over the Lions of Northwest Catholic.

Jack Grady won three individual events, taking the high jump, long jump and 300 hurdles. Paul Netland swept the 110 hurdles and triple jump while Jack Martin (400), Nick Bailey (800), Carver Morgan (1,600), Lucas Hester (3,200), Jack Leavens (shot), Marshall and Jack Nusom (pole vault) each won individual events.

Martin qualified for the Class MM meet with his winning time of 52.89 in the 400 meters. Morgan also ran a state qualifying time (4:33.15) in the 1,600 meters. The Falcons are 1-1 on the year.

The Avon girls also won their first meet with an 84-50 win over the Lions. Katrina Frez and Tessa Hofheimer each won three events. Frez swept the high jump, shot, pole vault while Hofheimer won the discus, shot put and javelin. Hofheimer qualified for the Class MM meet in the javelin with her throw of 92-5 feet.

Mareen Ek swept the 1,600 and 3,200 meter races while Wren Worth swept the triple jump with a leap of 31-3 feet and the 100 meter hurdles. Her jump in the triple jump was the eighth best in school history.

Top scorers were Worth and Frez with 16 points each. Along with her wins, Worth was second in the 300 hurdles and long jump. Frez had three individual wins and was third in the long jump.

Top scorer in the boys meet was Grady with 16.25 points for his three wins and 0.25 points for being part of a winning 4×100 relay team. Netland scored 16 points with his two individual wins and a second place finish in the 300 hurdles.

And since it was the first meet at the new facility, each winner set a new facility record. Avon returns to action on Tuesday when they host Glastonbury at the high school.

Avon senior Wren Worth won two events and came in second in a third during Tuesday’s meet against Northwest Catholic in Avon.

BOYS TRACK and FIELD
Avon 102, N.W. Catholic 34
At Avon
4×800: Avon (Gilberth Elizondo, Rodrigo Portal, Jack O’Donnell, Ian McLaughlin) 11:45.57
4×100: Avon (Ethan Williams, Jack Grady, Jack Donlin, Sawyer Hernandez) 49.17
100: James Millerick (N) 12.07, Jay McNamara (N) 12.35, Jack Donlin (A) 12.63
200: James Millerick (N), Sawyer Hernandez (A), Atticus Putt (A)
400: Jack Martin (A) 52.89, James Millerick (N) 55.05, James McNamara (N) 57.94
800: Nick Bailey (A) 2:16.81, Alvin Guo (A) 2:22.9, Tucker Beaudin (A) 2:27.53
1,600: Carver Morgan (A) 4:33.15, Nick Alphonso (A) 4:50.00, Nick Bailey (A) 5:05.47
3,200: Lucas Hester (A) 10:18.91, Mason Bussiere (A) 11:57.30, David Parry (A) 12:01.04
110 hurdles: Paul Netland (A) 17.32
300 hurdles: Jack Grady (A) 45.33, Paul Netland (A) 45.84
Discus: Matt Marshall (A) 92-10, Max Guy (N) 88-4, Luke Dicenza (N) 78-9
Javelin: Brendan Keefrider (N) 114-11, Paul Netland (A) 107-7
Shot: Jack Leavens (A) 38-3, Aidan Wlochowski (N) 37-3, Matt Marshall (A) 33-9
High jump: Jack Grady (A) 5-10, Brendan Keefrider (N) 5-0
Long jump: Jack Grady (A) 17-9, Sawyer Hernandez (A) 15-1¼, Brendan Keefrider (N) 14-10¾
Triple jump: Paul Netland (A) 33-4
Pole vault: Jack Nusom (A) 7-6
4×400: Avon (Jack Martin, Carver Morgan, Jack Donlin, Nick Alphonso) 3:42.60
Records: Avon 1-1, NW Catholic 0-2

GIRLS TRACK and FIELD
Avon 84, Northwest Catholic 50
At Avon
4×800: Avon (Rebecca Berman, Annabelle Alphonso, Sara Trautman, Mareen Ek) 13:42.15
4×100: NWC (Benaitis, Ciotti, Liu, Mitchell) 57.20
100: Katelyn Westerberg (A) 14.86, Cioffi (N) 14.88, Katelyn Cifaldi (A) 15.25
200: Benaitis (N), Mitchell (N), Ciotti (N)
400: Hope-Eesha Chokshi (A) 77.52, Evan Bailey (A) 78.18, Srinivasula Bhumireddy (A) 83.50
800: Berman (N) 2:49.90, Mooney (N) 2:53.71, Sara Trautman (A) 2:54.11
1,600: Mareen Ek (A) 5:44.05, Rebecca Berman (A) 6:06.27, Mooney (N) 6:18.90
3,200: Mareen Ek (A) 12:47.54, A. Griffin (N) 15:23.91
4×400: NWC (Goffi, Liu, Mitchell, Montgomery) 5:09.17
110 hurdles: Wren Worth (A), Benaitis (N), Katelyn Cifaldi (A)
300 hurdles: Benaitis (N) 52.43, Wren Worth (A) 53.60, Katelyn Cifaldi (A) 57.20
Discus: Tessa Hofheimer (A) 73-1
Shot: Katrinia Frez (A) 26-6, Tessa Hofheimer (A) 23-7
Javelin: Tessa Hofheimer (A) 92-5, Mooney (N) 62-4
High jump: Katrina Frez (A) 3-9
Long jump: K. Mitchell (N) 14-8, Wren Worth (A) 13-9¾, Katrina Frez (A) 13-3
Triple jump: Wren Worth (A) 31-3, Katelyn Westerberg (A) 29-1½
Pole vault: Katrina Frez (A) 7-6
Records: Avon 1-1, Northwest Catholic 0-2