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

The multi event athletes are often overlooked because they are good but not great at many events. They are usually good enough to score in the conference and Class meets but not usually at the Open or New Englands. The pentathlon is rarely held except in maybe one or two invitationals a season and then at nationals so these athletes better be on their game. Well, two CT athletes were certainly up for the challenge on Saturday at Nike Indoor Nationals in NYC. Guilford’s Ethan Wienkamp finished 3rd with 3501 points which is the 4th best in state history. He did it by setting three PRs and two other performances very close to his best. In the 60m hurdles he finished in 8.78 and in the high jump he cleared 5-2.0. The Grizzly went to work setting PRs in the long jump (21-6.0), shot put (45-8.5) and the 1000m (2:45.26) 

Taking 5th to earn a NIN medal was Dante Rodriguez of East Haven who scored 3376 points. The senior ran 9.14 in the 60m hurdles, cleared 6-2.25 in the high jump and leaped 19-6.0 in the long jump. In the shot put he tossed 37-0.5 and finished in 2:44.95 in the 1000m.

Records are made to be broken and the SWC record in the 60m was broken and then broken less than five minutes later at the New Balance Nationals Indoor meet in Boston. Bunnell’s Jayson Vanterpool clocked 6.93 in heat 9 to break Nolan Freeman’s conference record. Then in heat 11 Bethel’s Luke Richardson finished in 6.85, finishing 14th and qualified for Sunday’s semi final. The pair now own the 4th and 6th fastest times in state history. Norwalk’s Ethan Hudson came within .01 seconds of breaking the FCIAC record crossing the line in 6.98, the 14th fastest time all time in CT. 

More conference records were broken in the 200m. Richardson ran 21.62, the 3rd fastest time in state history. He broke up a Hillhouse sweep of the top three times in state history, finishing .01 seconds behind Terrell Wilks and .05 seconds in front of Ralphael Hawkins with Glenn McFadden’s state record of 21.05 still a ways away. His time was the first SWC boy under 22 seconds during indoor track. 

Ridgefield’s Kieran Boyle has been close to his school record in the 55m but was finally able to earn a record in the 200m. His time of 22.01 broke his teammate Pierce Graber who ran 22.03 with both of them going under the FCIAC all time record. 

After her great race in the 400m on Friday, Naugatuck’s Lauren Kropo returned to run 7.68 in the 60m in the NBNI event, good for 38th place and 5th fastest time in state history. 

New Balance Nationals Indoor 

at The Track at New Balance, Boston, MA

RESULTS

Saturday Track Results

Boys Championship 60m Hurdles Prelims (24 to Semi)

24th Delante Senior, 12 Bloomfield TC  8.10q - CT #4 all time

81st Owen Rich Wallingford TC Lyman Hall 8.38

Girls Championship 60m Hurdles Prelims (24 to Semi)

84th Vanessa Agyemang  11 Bloomfield TC 9.14

Boys 60m Freshman Prelims

7th Breydon Evans Bloomfield 7.16q

Boys Championship 60m Dash Prelims (24 to Semi)

73rd Boyle, Kieran 11 Ridgefield TC 7.00 

Girls Championship 60m Dash Prelims (24 to Semi)

67th Eady, Samiya 11 Redhawk Track Club - Manchester 7.78

99th Chapman, Tamia 12 Plainville TC 7.86

105th Brown, Saphyr 10 Bloomfield TC 7.87

127 Fletcher, Nacquelia 12 Bloomfield TC 7.91

Boys Championship 60m Hurdles Semi (8 to final)

23rd Delante Senior, 12 Bloomfield TC  8.11

Boys Championship 200m Dash Prelims (8 to final)

96th Simpson II, Shelldon 11 Windsor Track 22.26 

117th Joseph, Jamal 12 Bridgeport- Notre Dame Prep TC 22.39

123rd Perez, Sebastian 12 Trumbull Track Club 22.42

Girls Championship 200m Dash Prelims (8 to final)

53rd Eady, Samiya 11 Redhawk Track - Manchester 24.93 CT #7 all time

59th Wilson, Paige 10 Windsor Track  25.01 CT #8 All Time

77th Eastman-Grossel, Zoe 12 Old Lyme 25.15 CT #11 all time

121st Chapman, Tamia 12 Plainville TC 25.59

Boys Championship 800m Final on Time

48th Alexander Medina Hamden Dragons TC 1:55.21

62nd Dylan Bathrick Rose Town TC Cromwell 1:55.81

138th Evan LoPresti East Hampton 1:58.33

Girls Championship 800m Final on Time

50th Liv Sherry Conard TC 2:14.43

73rd Maya Donzella Windsor Track 0695 2:16.21 

75th Sarah Roberts South Farms TC- Mercy 2:16.25

91th Alexandra Morgan Fairfield- Warde 2:16.82

106th Tess Sherry Conard TC 2:17.51

163rd Kate Littler Ledyard TC 2:23.15

Boys Championship 4x1 Mile Relay Final on Time

7th East Lyme 17:30.32

Sam Leone 4:20, Sean McCauley 4:17, Jack Faitsch 4:27 and Jilali Benjdid 4:25

Boys Championship 4 x 1 Mile Relay Heats

8th  Hall TC  18:06.51

1) Connole, Donovan 12 2) Doot, Thijs 12 3) Schulman, Jonah 11 4) Dewander, Yohannes 12

Girls Championship 4x1 Mile Relay Final on Time

8th South Farms - Mercy 21:31.53   -   #5 CT all time

Cora Wasiolek, Sarah Roberts, Beatrice Perrault, Calista Nephew

13th Ridgefield TC 21:44.05

Erin Byrne, Vivienne Namiot, Angelina Ruggeri, Nora Foley

NBNI Saturday Field Events

Girls Championship Pole Vault Finals

17th Carr, Jordan 12 Falcon Track - Joel Barlow 11’11.75

Boys Championship Weight Throw Finals

7th Marshall Potter Simsbury 70’10.50  US #13 in 2025 and #2 CT All Time

14th Thomas Matlock East Lyme TC 65’10.5

31st Lucas DeCrescenzo Wallingford- Lyman Hall 61-02.00

36th Liam Sweeney Colchester- Bacon Academy 60-08.75

40th Francis, Khile 11 Bloomfield TC  60’02.0

50th Gray, Mason 11 Bloomfield TC  58’1.75

Girls Championship Weight Throw Finals

40th Sirdine, Payton 11 Bloomfield TC  43-08.50

Boys Championship Triple Jump Finals

22nd Singleton Jr., Jessie 11 Bloomfield TC  45’06.25

Nike Indoor Nationals 

at The Armory Track & Field Center

RESULTS

Boys 60mH Championship Prelims

11th Davian Johnson East Hartford TC 7.98q CT #4 All Time

30th William Gibson, The House TC 8.31

48th Jaylen Titus Derby TC 8.70

Boys 60m Championship Prelims

47th Quincy Carter Derby TC 7.19

Girls 60m Emerging Elite Prelims

24th Destini Reid The House TC- Hillhouse 7.89q

Boys Shot Put Championship

17th Chris Amy, Norwich TC-56’9.5

Boys Pole Vault Championship

12th Zachary McKirryher, Seymour TC- 14’6.25

18th Sean Arms, Hand TC- 14’00.50

Girls Triple Jump Championship

22nd Sabra Dewar, Plainville TC- 36’7.75

Girls Shot Put Championship

15th Bryanna Boroze, East Hartford TC- 39’08.5

16th Lyla O'Connor, Canton TC- 39’07.5

22nd Lauren Smith, New Canaan TC- 36’9.5

Boys High Jump Championship

9th Joal Barros, Norwich Free TC- 6’06.25

26th Brodie Scott, Waterford- 6’03.25

Boys 4x55 Shuttle Hurdles Finals

DQ - East Hartford TC-  E. Frimpong, D. Johnson, K. Williams, J. Estrella  - 31.38

Faster than Woodstock Academy’s 15 year old state record by 3.33, but not a record due to disqualification.