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Preview of CT 2024-25 Indoor T&F Season - Boys DistancePublished by
By Special Correspondent Gerry Chester, Editing and Graphics by Ron Knapp The indicators have been set from the recent cross country season where many returnees displayed the stamina and strength that should make for quite a show this season as several upperclassmen vie for those top finishes in events from 1000m to the 3200m. While graduation has claimed a handful of standouts from last indoor season including Colby Bornstein (Tolland), Ben Lorenz (Staples), and Griffin Mandirola (Suffield), the 2024-25 Indoor Track season in Connecticut has the potential to be one of the best seasons in a while. Coming off of a strong showing at the New England Cross Country Championships where Connecticut runners took 14 of the top 25 places, the distance events will be fun to watch and loaded with possibilities. But it’s what makes this sport so exciting because anything is possible. 1000m Soheib Dissa (Newtown), who will be attending Duke University next year, is the defending State Open champion in this event with an indoor PR of 2:28.93. Despite a small injury early in the spring, he bounced back to take 2nd at New Balance Nationals Outdoor in the 2000m SC with a state record of 5:49.15. After watching him in the fall during cross country where he won the Class, Open, New England individual titles as well as a return to the Foot Locker Nationals after his 3rd place regional finish, he has to be considered one of the favorites coming into this season in any event he chooses to run. Danbury’s senior Kyle Jeffers was Class LL champ and runner-up in the State Open 1000m last year with a time of 2:31.87. He also has an all-season best in the mile of 4:19.26 and was Class LL champion in the 1600m last outdoor. He knows how to race in the big meets. The Hatter was an integral member of Danbury’s All American 4xMile at Nike Indoor Nationals. Xavier’s Owen Martin finished 5th last year in the State Open and owns a PR of 2:31.84 for the indoor 1000m. Heading for Rutgers University in the fall of 2025, he is a versatile runner and can easily move up in distance as witnessed by his recent PR in the 3200m of 9:17.09. Ridgefield seniors Charles Lovett and Magnus Manley have indoor 1000m PRs of 2:29.47 and 2:31.40 respectively. Both were members of the NBNO champion 4x800m relay that set the state outdoor record and the runner-up DMR that went under the national record but finished 2nd place in a nail biter. If one or both of them decide to compete at the indoor state championships, the 1000m may very well be one of the premier events of the season. This could be the year that the State Open record for the 1000m held by Hamden’s Chris Fitzsimmons of 2:27.15 from February 20, 2010, is taken down. 1600m-3200m Bethel’s senior Evan Bureau was the runner-up in the Indoor State Open 3200m in 2024 and holds indoor PRs in the 1600m and 3200m of 4:25.26 and 9:19.90. He has earned All New England for the 2nd year in a row in cross country. Luke Cushing, the junior from Amity, has indoor PRs of 4:22.35 (1600m) and 9:29.96 (3200m) and finished 6th at the State Open in the 3200m. As a sophomore last year he finished 7th at Open and New Englands last spring with a best of 9:18.08. He has solid cross country credentials as witnessed by his runner-up performance in the State Open Cross Country Championships in October and a 13th and the New England Championship. Headed to the University of Chicago next year, Staples senior Samuel Zwick-Lavinsky finished 4th in last year's indoor 3200m at the State Open with a time of 9:26.47. After a solid cross country season where he finished 8th at the State Open Cross Country Championship, he is one to keep an eye on this indoor season. Headed to Boston University in the fall of 2025, Jack Ouellette from Xavier has indoor PRs of 2:33.43 (1000m) and 4:17.14 (1600m) and was 5th in the 1600m at the Indoor Open last season. Last spring he simply dominated the 3200m sweeping the Class L, Open and New England titles with a best of 9:11.37. He and Owen were half of Xavier’s state record and All American 4xMile last outdoor track season. Senior Sean McCauley from East Lyme has indoor PRs in the 1600m and 3200m of 4:25.68 and 9:22.88 respectively. The indoor Class M champion in the 3200m last year, illness struck the top seed right before the Open and he could not compete. But he bounced back to pull off the 1600m and 3200m double at the Class MM championship in the spring and finished 3rd at New Englands. During this past cross country season he also won Class MM, finished 4th at the State Open, and 7th in the New England championship. The Watch List: Despite not finishing his Indoor Track season last year as a freshman, Griswold’s Tycen Labelle completed his initial year of competition by setting PRs in both the mile (4:27.33) and 2-mile (9:34.86) at the New Balance Nationals. In cross country this past fall, he won the Class SS title, finished 5th in the Open, and 10th at the New England Championships. With a year of high school running under his belt, he could make an impact this winter. East Lyme junior Sam Leone has made a huge jump in both track and cross country since indoors last year. His PR indoors was 4:34.64 for the 1600m and by the end of outdoor track, it had dropped to 4:17.43 when he finished 5th at the New England Track Championships. His improvement was further amplified In cross country when his PR on the Wickham Park course improved by 64 seconds and he placed 10th at the Open.
Contributors Wanted - News and Pics: MSR is always on the lookout for anyone interested in submitting news or pics from their team, meets and conferences for publication on our site. If you are interested then contact Owner-Editor Ron Knapp at mysportsresults@gmail.com with a quick email with details about your area of interest.
HOKA Track & Field Athlete of the Week! Throughout the season, MySportsResults will again recognize our top boys’ and girls’ T&F athletes each week with our first awards slated for the week of December 22nd.
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