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

One of the highest honors given a coach is to name a meet after them. It is an indication of their impact on a particular school and their impact on the sport as a whole over an extended period of time. The Org-Jake Spartan Invitational is named after longtime coaches Bob Orgavan and Thom Jacobs who guided Amity for decades, bringing home State Open and New England titles and while coaching countless championship athletes. For many years Marty Roberts put on the Blue Devil Invitational at Coginchaug HS and when he retired the meet was renamed as the Marty Roberts Invitational in his honor due to the success he brought to his school and the respect he earned by his athletes and fellow coaches. 

Org-Jake Spartan Invitational

RESULTS

Naugatuck’s Lauren Kropo had a historic indoor season and she has started off the outdoor season just as strong. She took over the state lead with wins in both the 100m (11.91) and 400m (55.46). Her 100m time is only .02 off her winning time from last year’s State Open and her 400m time ties her PR from her 2nd place finish at New Englands. With a little more than a month until New Englands and Nationals, the junior still has many opportunities to improve on those performances. Her 100m is the 3rd best time in New England behind the Raye sisters and she has the 2nd best 400m time as well. 

Kropo hasn’t run a high quality 200m yet this season and once she does, she will have to face Hamden’s Shanez De Roche who has taken over the state lead with her 25.14 winning time. De Roche has had her greatest success as a member of the Green Dragon relays, but the junior just might be getting some major individual honors this season. She also finished 2nd behind Kropo with her time of 12.32 and was a member of the winning 4x100m and is the 4th CT team under 49 seconds with their time of 48.87.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in the Wallin family. Carl Wallin was the long time throws Hall of Fame coach at Dartmouth and his son John is establishing his own credentials as an All American decathlete and current coach at his alma mater, Southern Connecticut State University. Now the third generation of Wallins is making a name for himself as Torsten was 3rd at the indoor State Open in the PV this winter for Hamden and just set a personal record, clearing 14-6 on Saturday. He has also made a stab at the decathlon like his dad. He competed in the SCSU Wil Wright Invite where he scored 5306 in less than ideal conditions due to the weather. 

There are some big early season times being put up in the 400m this spring. Bloomfield’s Jahiem Lawrence recently committed to Indiana Tech and popped off his PR of 48.76 for the win. Up to this point, he focused on the 4x800m and 4x400m relays but his time puts him among the elite in the state as the 2nd fastest time with three others also under 48 seconds. He was pushed to the wire by Naugatuck’s Jaiden Roach who ran 48.96 which is the 4th best time this season. He didn’t break 50 seconds last year until the championship season but now the junior is looking like someone to keep an eye on this spring.

Delante Senior was Class S champion and earned a medal at New Englands in the 55m hurdles during indoor track. He is living up to expectations as the senior won the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.23 and ran 14.22 in the prelims to move into the 2nd fastest time in CT. He is only .01 seconds off his time from last year’s 3rd place finish at New Englands.

There are already 11 boys under 40 seconds in the 300m hurdles and Eliezer Pena’s 2nd place time of 38.86 is the 2nd fastest time in the state. The Naugatuck junior trailed Nicholos Sealey of Harry S Truman (NY) who won in 37.18. Also breaking 40 seconds was Ethan Wienkamp of Guilford. The senior earned a medal in the pentathlon at Nike Indoor Nationals and finished 3rd on Saturday in 39.89.

Marty Roberts Invitational 

RESULTS

Class S 1000m record holder Dylan Bathrick of Cromwell is establishing himself as one of the favorites to win the State Open. The Central Connecticut commit earned a meet record and state leading time, easily winning in a time of 1:54.73. 

Montville Senior Enzo Valenti broke his own school record in the discus with a huge throw of 155-10, surpassing his 2024 mark of 151-0. That throw didn’t just win the event, it shattered the 10-year-old meet record of 153-1. 

Samuel LaMalfa has been the star of the Shoreline Conference and Class S but now he seems to have made a jump into one of CT’s all time best. His winning 400m time of 47.91 isn’t only the top time in CT and New England among schools eligible to compete in the regional meet, it is #18 all time in CT history. He returned to set another PR of 21.72 in the 200m which is also the top time in CT and New Englands. The Portland senior has set the standard for the other sprinters in the state to chase. 

Montville’s Kamryn Plikus tied the meet and school record in pole vault with her teammate Brenna LaBranche setting her PR of 10-6 to give the Wolves a 1-2 sweep of the event. 

Anna Vlieks received the Best in Distance Award. After an injury plagued indoor track season, the All New England cross country runner from Hand set a PR in the 1600m by defeating Briana Belanger finishing in 5:12.50. Vlieks returned to run a solid 3200 and held off Kaitlyn Kumpf of Wheeler by 2 seconds with a time of 11:27.71.

Joe Wynne Somers Lions Club Invitational

RESULTS

One of the best sophomores in state history, Brenan McCabe ran 47.72 to take 4th in an ultra competitive State Open. During the soccer season, he was injured which took him out of the indoor season but it looks like the Immaculate junior is returning to form. He finished 3rd at the Joe Wynne Somers Lions Club Invitational in New York in the first significant race since last year. His time of 49.18 while a ways away from his performance last year is 7th in CT now and a sign of better things to come. 

Foss Running Camp

Will take place August 14-19, 2025 at Camp Wah Nee in Torrington, CT

Visit their website at fossrunningcamp.com for more information and to apply for 2025.