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

Last week’s competition brought out the best in athletes as they dueled with in-state and out-of-state rivals and MySportsResults continues to recognize our top boys' and girls' track and field athletes each week with the help of your votes. 

Within almost 500 votes cast in polling for the HOKA CT Indoor T&F Athletes of Week 4 where Brooke Strauss of Glastonbury earned 200 votes and in an amazing tie Cromwell’s Dylan Bathrick and Xavier’s Jack Oullette both gained 197 votes. In addition to the recognition each week award recipients will receive a commemorative t-shirt in recognition of their performance that is sent to their school in care of their coach.

If there is Mount Rushmore of CT girl distance runners, you must include Ceci Hopp, Liz Mueller, Hannah Debalsi and Danae Rivers. Well it might be time to find some more room on that mountain for Glastonbury’s Brooke Strauss who won the 3000m at the Yale HS Track Classic on Saturday, in a US #1 time of 9:30.58. Her time broke Hopp’s 44-year old state record by three seconds. For those of you too young to remember, Hopp won the Kenney (now Footlocker) National Championships, several NCAA championships and even the USATF National 5000m title in 1994. 

Strauss, who has committed to UConn, went through the 800m in 2:29 and the 1600m in an incredible 5 minutes flat, good enough to win the championship mile later in the day. Her time also broke the 13-year old meet record by Samantha Nadel by just over a second and would convert to a 3200m performance of about 10:12. Strauss lapped all but the next two next two finishers.

There are some distance runners who are grinders and just make you hurt until you can’t hang on any more and others who can stay relaxed off a fast pace and still have a lethal kick at the end. Xavier’s Jack Ouellette was an example of the latter in the 3k at the Yale HS Track Classic on Saturday. His teammate Owen Martin led the field with a sizable lead for the first 2000m and went through the 1600m in 4:33 with the pack just over two seconds behind. Amity’s Luke Cushing put himself into the lead to keep the pace honest but with two laps to go, the lead pack had dwindled to three with Ouellette lurking in second place behind William Smitas of Guilderland. But Ouellette, a Boston University commit, swung wide off the final turn to walk down the New York runner in a time of 8:28.58, the US # time and a new CT state record. He broke the Eric van der Els record by just a half second set at this meet nine years ago. 

The Yale HS Track Classic on Saturday, which began at 8:30 in the morning and went past 9 pm, ended on a high note with the boys 1000m. Defending Class LL 1k champion Kyle Jeffers led most of the race with the field hot on his heels. Cromwell’s Dylan Bathrick was content to remain in the pack until he struck with 150m left, going to the outside on the back straight away and battling Jeffers on the final turn. But with 50m to go on the home stretch Bathrick pounced and crossed the line in a new school record of 2:32.02 with Jeffers a second behind. 

In addition to our award winners, voting results were as follows for all other girls and boys nominees:

Girls HOKA AoW #4 Nominees

Vanessa Agyemang, Bloomfield, won LJ & placed 3rd in the 55m hurdles at 40th Yale HS Classic, leads CT in both. (Votes: 43)

Jordan Carr, Joel Barlow, placed 1st in PV with height of 12-0  at 40th Yale HS Classic, CT#1. (Votes: 49)

Samiya Eady, Manchester, won the 55m dash in 7:15 at 40th Yale HS Classic, CT#1. (Votes: 20)

Chase Gilbert, Lyme-Old Lyme, placed 1st in 1000m in 2:55.00 at Shoreline Conference Meet, CT#1. (Votes: 112)

Tess Sherry, Conard, won the 1-mile in 5:02.20 at 40th Yale HS Classic, CT#1. (Votes: 29)

Boys HOKA AoW #4 Nominees

Chris Amy, NFA, placed 1st in Shot Put with PR 63-3.75 at 40th Yale HS Classic, CT#1, CT#2 all time, US#5. (Votes: 10)

Sebastian Perez, Trumbull, won the 300m in 34.56 after helping set school records in the 4x200m & 4x400m at 40th Yale HS Classic. (Votes: 34)

Marshall Potter, Simsbury, set PR of 70-3.5 in WT at 40th Yale HS Classic, Ct#2 all time and US#6. (Votes: 7)

Luke Richardson, Bethel, won 55m dash in PR/CT#1 6.38 at 40th Yale HS Classic, placed 3rd in 300m. (Votes: 8)

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