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

As we enter into our 25th year of CT Indoor T&F coverage that includes news, photos, results and records of our state athletes and teams, MySportsResults kicks off the season with our previews. 

An enjoyable and diverting task each preseason for MySportsResults is taking out the crystal ball to predict which individuals will make a difference for their teams as they work towards qualifying for the Class and Open Championships in February. 

In our first preview, MySportsResults will do our best to highlight some of the top returnees from last year in the sprint and hurdle events. On the boys side, there are five returning State Open champions, but the girls return eight of the eleven individual champions so we will obviously present some familiar names. 

Girls Sprints & Hurdles

The great athletes have a tremendous amount of confidence and faith in themselves and Leonaya Knox is the epitome of a great athlete. Last year as a junior she announced on Twitter (just can’t call it X) “I will be the first girl to sub-14 in the 100mh in CT history.” The Hillhouse junior was able to break the CT state record in the event winning the SCC East in a time of 13.95 and then easily won the State Open. During indoor track she was the State Open and New England champion and ran the 2nd fastest time in state history in the 55m hurdles. She was a double threat, scoring in the 55m dash at the State Open as well. 

Kareema McKenzie was 3rd at the State Open in the 55m hurdles and also scored at New Englands. During the spring season the Windsor junior won the State Open in the 300m hurdles and was the State Open and New England champion in the 300m hurdles and ran a leg of their 4x400m relay. 

Hartford Public’s Aleisha Clarke was mostly known as a hurdler during indoor track last year, but she has so many other tools in her kit. Her winning time at the CCCs of 8.52 makes her one of the top returners and she was one of three returners who scored at the State Open. But during spring track, she scored 28 points at the Class M championships winning the 100m hurdles and discus, plus getting 2nd in the javelin. She medaled at the CIAC Heptathlon, taking 5th place in the seven event competition. 

A pair of freshmen burst onto the scene last winter. Bloomfield’s Jahniya Barclay swept the CCC, Class S and State Open championships last year, setting a PR of 7.16 at the Open. She was also a vital leg of the undefeated 4x200m that swept all the championships up to New Englands. An injury prevented her from reaching her lofty goals during the spring but there was no stopping her on the indoor venues.

By now, Barclay is quite familiar with Samiya Eady of Manchester. As another member of the Class of 2026, she was solid last winter taking 4th at the Class LL in the 55m and qualified for New Englands in the 300m. But she really took off once March rolled around. She won the Freshman 60m section at the Nike Indoor Nationals meet, going through the 55m split in a PR of 7.25 and during spring track she was undefeated up to the State Open, claiming the crown in a wind-aided time of 12.07.

The longer sprints saw the rise of another freshman last year. Naugatuck’s Lauren Kropo kept dropping her times all season, eventually grabbing 4th at the State Open in the 300m. But at New Englands she really popped something off, running 39.85, the 8th fastest time in CT history and earning All New England in the process. During the spring, she was the Open runner-up in the 200m and was part of several highly successful relays during both seasons. 

There is a reason Bloomfield won their third State Open Indoor title in seven years. The WarHawks not only had Barclay to win the State Open 55m title, but when Caleah Baker transferred from Classical Magnet in Hartford, that gave them another big point scorer. Last year as a sophomore, she not only scored a point at the State Open she also qualified for New Englands in the 55m but she set her PR of 40.31 to become the surprise winner of the State Open. Both Barclay and Baker also ran strong legs in their undefeated 4x200m relay team that ran 1:42.49 to win the New Englands. 

In Connecticut and New England competitions Gabby Hernandez of E.O. Smith is seldom beaten. She has already won three State Open and New England titles in the 600m, 800m events and her PR of 1:31.69 is less than a second off Precious Holmes’ CT State Record. The University of Alabama bound senior looks to be going for a three-peat in the 600m but also has the ability to move into the 1000m if she chooses this season. 

Glastonbury was powered by a couple of Double A batteries last year in the form of Annika Paluska and Ava Gattinella. The pair were members of the Connecticut record setting 4x800m relay that won New England and part of the sprint medley that finished 2nd at the State Open. Pulaska had a PR of 1:35.99 to win the Class LL 600m title and finished 6th at the State Open while Gattinella finished two places in front at the Open and had a PR of 1:37.48.

Sandwiched in between the Glastonbury Guardians at the State Open was Greenwich freshman Julia Gustafsson who finished 5th. She ran a PR of 1:37.48 to take 3rd at Class LLs and earned All New England status by finishing 4th at the meet in Boston. On top of that, she also ran legs of the 4x400m and 4x800m that scored in the Class, Open and New England championships. 

Boys Sprints & Hurdles

Noble Gongon of Simsbury dominated the 55m last year winning every final race including the State Open and New England titles. Since he has since taken his considerable talents to UConn and seniors claimed most of the top spots at the State Open in the sprints there is room for some new stars to emerge this season.

Some of the top returnees in the boys sprints include several medalists.

Xavier’s Stylz Mitchell is the top underclassman. He not only ran the fastest time among returning sprinters last year in the 55m and 300m he was 4th at the State Open in both events. Mitchell finished 7th in the finals of the New England 55m indoors, just missing All New England but medaled in the 300m. He returned outdoors to claim the 200m title at the regional meet. He was also an instrumental part of the Falcon’s football team this fall. 

Only a step behind him is Deandre Duncan of Harding who was 5th at the Open and ran a PR of 6.55. He was All New England in the 100m and 200m last spring and trained with the Pride of Bridgeport Club over the summer and during the fall. 

Derby’s Bryan McLean was the Class S champion in the 55m with the 2nd fastest time among returners, but unfortunately he false started in the prelims at the State Open. He came back to duplicate his 6.51 PR to take 3rd at Eastern States and broke 11-seconds twice in the 100m outdoors. He was also recently awarded Class S All-State in football.

Windsor keeps producing sprinters and their next star could be Maxim Copeland. He was 5th in the indoor 300m and had a PR of 35.34 from the Class L championships. He was often hidden in many of Warriors relays last year where they were New England champions in the 4x200m and Open champions in the 4x100m outdoors among many of their honors.

Jahmeen Harrigan was a State Open scorer in the 300m and 4x200m for Bloomfield with a PR of 36.11. He was also part of the WarHawks Class S winning 4x100m and was a vital component to their Class championship last spring. 

Hall’s Jon York has such incredible range we weren’t quite sure where to put him in our preview. He has been a State Open champion in the 300m his sophomore year, the 600m his junior year, ran a 21.39 in the 200m to win the Open last spring, plus he has broken 11 for 100m AND a 1:54 split in the 800m. If he went to almost any other school, he would probably be varsity in cross country as well. 

York’s best competition is right next to him at practice every day. Gabe Sisk finished 2nd to him at the Open and then finished a step ahead of him at New Englands to take 2nd place. Both boys have broken into CT’s all time fastest times in the indoor 400m and were All American in both the 4x400m and 4x800m relays. 

There is a reason Hall pulled off the triple crown last year, winning the State Open for cross country, indoor and outdoor track. They were more than just a distance team though. One of the biggest surprises for the Titans last year was hurdler Joe Nham. During his sophomore year, he only broke nine seconds once in the 55m hurdles. By the end of his junior year, he ran a PR of 7.77 to win the Class LL title and take 5th in the State Open. 

Last winter Xavier’s Sam Forte broke eight seconds in the 55m hurdles five times before his season came to an abrupt end when he was DQed in the prelims of the Class L championships. The junior used that disappointment to go on a tear in the outdoor season where he was Class L champ in the 110m hurdles and finished 2nd in the Open behind state record holder Josh Mooney. He also earned All New England honors in both hurdle races breaking school records in the process. 

HOKA Track & Field Athletes of the Week!

Throughout the season, MySportsResults will recognize our top boys’ and girls’ T&F athletes each week with our first award slated for the week of December 18th.