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

Meet Info: Monday June 2nd, Field Events at 4:00 p.m Running Events at 4:30 p.m.

The Entry Lists for the CIAC Class Championship Meets are available on Athletic Net:

CIAC Class LL Girls Championship

CIAC Class LL Boys Championship

LIVE RESULTS: https://live.nestiming.com/meets/48743

Boys Defending champions:  Hall, Runners up: Danbury  

Girls Defending champions: Glastonbury,  Runners up: Conard 

Boys Teams to Watch: Danbury, Greenwich, Hall, Hamden, Norwich Free Academy, Ridgefield, East Hartford

Girls Teams to Watch: Glastonbury, Greenwich, Ridgefield, Hamden, Manchester, East Hartford

Boys Events to Watch

This year's CIAC Class Championships are set for a thrilling Monday, showcasing a deep pool of talented athletes. Predicting an overall team winner proves challenging with strong contenders from multiple leagues. The FCIAC sends powerhouses Greenwich, Danbury, and Ridgefield, while the CCC is represented by East Hartford, the runner-up, and Hall, the defending LL champions. Adding to the competitive mix are ECC champion Norwich Free Academy and SCC champion Hamden, guaranteeing an unforgettable championship event.

Make sure to get to the meet on time for the start of track events as CT#1 Ridgefield brings their CT#1 seed of 7:45.94 with Danbury and Hall both within reach if Tigers need to substitute their front 4 runners. The following 4x100m is an event that is over in a few blinks of the eye as top seeded Danbury (42.47) will be challenged by 8 other teams within seconds of the Hatters. It all comes down to who can move the baton quickest around the single lap of the track.

Danbury speedsters are led by defending champion Machai Henry who is seeded #2 behind Fairfield Prep’s Jack Davis with his 10.58 wind-aided time. The prelims of this event should be exciting to watch as the 9 fastest will secure starts in the final that should include 3rd ranked Ethan Hudson of Norwalk and Ridgefield’s Kieran Boyle among several who have qualified under 10.9 this season. Several of those top contenders return later in the 200m again led by Davis (21.64) followed by #2 seed Isaiah Jeffers of Hamden (21.94) and Boyle (21.94) as the three already under 22 seconds this season.

Junior Davian Johnson of East Hartford leads his team as the top seed in the 110m hurdles with a CT #1 of 13.75 that is a CT #2 all time. Johnson returns in the 300m hurdles with his CT#1 top seed of 38.17 followed by teammate Emmanuel Frimpong almost a second behind. Johnson is also the top entrant in the triple jump at 44-8 that should make for a busy day.

If you attend on Monday afternoon then you have a ticket to view one of the top fields in the 1600m that boasts the top 11 seeds under 4:21 led by the top seeded junior Luke Cushing of Amity at 4:14.29. Ridgefield should compete for podium places with Trevor Fuller (4:16.41) and Aidan Nelson (4:17.85) while Hamden brings Alexander Medina (4:17.76). Hall fills out the top 7 seeds with three of their own in Jonah Schulman, Donovan Connole and Yohannes Dewander, all at 4:19.

After the finals of the 100m and 110m hurdles stay attuned for the 400m final heat that should make your day more exciting as top 9 are seeded under 50 seconds with fastest, Sebastian Perez of Trumbull in the center lane with his 48.77 entry time. 

The following 800m could also come down to tenths or even hundreths of a second at the finish as top seed Charles Lovett of Ridgefield entered with his PR of 1:52.61 followed by teammate Magnus Manley at 1:54.09. If Hamden’s Medina is fresh for this race then he has the opportunity to defend his title from 2024. It is another deep race where the top 10 entrees are all seeded under 1:57.

As the last of the distance races, the 3200m often provides thrilling competition depending on weather as well as health of entrants from previous events. This season’s event is stacked with many of the state’s top performers led by sub-9 minute entrants Manley and Lovett of Ridgefield followed by Amity’s Luke Cushing (9:09.03) and defending champion Samuel Zwick-Lavinsky of Staples with his 9:11.62 seed time.

Off the track over in the field for the throwing events, senior Chris Amy of NFA should defend his shot put title as he 4 feet over his 2024 toss of 58-6 with his CT#2 mark of 62-2. Amy also looks to be the dominant force in the discus as well with his entry mark of 170-2 that is 12 feet more than his rivals on Monday. 

Back in the stadium over at the long jump pit, top seeded Mason Sweeney of Trumbull looks to equal or improve on his #1 mark of 23-3.25. At the opposite end of the stadium in the south side D-ring, the high jump features defending champion Joel Barros of NFA and Greenwich’s David Akinnubi pushing each other to meet or exceed their seed height of 6-7.

Returning Defending Champion and Performances from last year

100m - Machai Henry, Danbury - 10.73

200m - Machai Henry, Danbury - 21.74

800m - Alexander Medina, Hamden - 1:55.04

1600m - Kyle Jeffers, Danbury - 4:24.04

3200m - Samuel Zwick-Lavinsky, Staples - 9:26.58

High Jump - Joal Barros, Norwich Free Academy - 6-05.00

Shot Put - Chris Amy, Norwich Free Academy - 58-06.00

Girls Events to Watch

It'll be intriguing to see Glastonbury's Brooke Strauss's strategy at the championship, given her entry in three individual events and a relay, especially considering her status as the national 1-mile champion and state record holder in the outdoor mile as well. It remains to be seen which races she will prioritize to help Glastonbury repeat as team champions. 

Strauss brings a state record 1 mile status of 4:39.88 to the 1600m as well as her top rated 800m time of 2:08.26 and her 3200m time of 10:16.52 from a race earlier in the season. Her main competitors will be Conard’s Liv Sherry in the 1600m with her season best of 4:55.05 and Alexandra Morgan of Fairfield Ward rated #3 at 5:00.89. The 800m to follow also includes Liv Sherry again with her SB of 2:11.20 and 3rd ranked Eliana Daplyn of Greenwich at 2:15.03. Strauss’s strongest competition in the 3200m is from Sherry (10:44.76) and Glastonbury frosh Lauren Parrett at 10:52.10 with Greenwich frosh Sophie Passalacqua also seeded under 11 minutes.

Manchester’s Samiya Eady is a name to keep note of for this competition's sprinting events, seeded in the top spots of the 100m (12.04) and 200m (24.48). Hamden’s Shanez De Roche promises a fight at the finish line, entered with a time of 12.11, while Trumbull’s Mckenzyi Bell ranks as #3 at 12.27. This year’s 200m features the exact same lane start with Eady leading in the center at 24.48, and De Roche (24.83) and Bell (25.64) in the adjacent lanes. Eady has not lost a race all season in either the 100m or the 200m and looks to finish the season on a winning note.

The hopes of Greenwich to unseat Glastonbury includes the performances by top ranked hurdler Sophia Riche who is seeded number 1 in both the 100m at 14.82 and the 300m at 46.42. But she will need to contend with Norwalk’s Gabriella Rivera who is ranked second in both events (14.97 and (46.87).

Greenwich's hopes for adding to their FCIAC title last Tuesday with another one to add to their three Class L titles rests heavily on their performances in the opening 4x800m and the closing 4x400m where they are ranked second behind Glastonbury. It may come down to these closely seeded races where seconds count.

After a win last year by Newtown’s Grace Lyons (58.18), this year’s 400m brings top contenders Sultana Ali (New Britain, 57.54) and Eliana Daplyn (Greenwich, 57.95) to the track in spots 1 and 2 with mere milliseconds separating their seeded times. An electrifying race is in store with such evenly matched talent pushing the pace.

Eloise Mulready of Glastonbury returns to the high jump hungry for another win after clearing 5-02 last year. She is seeded in the top spot at an even higher 5-6, and establishes a 4 inch gap between herself and competitors. All eyes will be on Mulready as she attempts to raise the bar even higher. Mulready will also try to add points to Glastonbury’s total in the triple jump as she is seeded 4th behind Manchester’s Iyanna Sheets with her 37-2.5 mark.

East Hartford’s Bryanna Boroze will be exciting to watch as she steps back up to the shot put after a victory last year with a throw of 34-11.5. The reigning champion suggests domination once again with her top seed of 43-1.5 that she just accomplished to win the CCC championship earlier in the week.

Megan Kasica of Southington entered at PR of 11 feet for this competition’s pole vault set while winning the CCC championship last Tuesday. Following right behind her are Staples’s Manar Abis in spot #2 (10-6). Sydney Dzilinski of Fairfield Ludlowe and Elya Anor (Norwich Free Academy) rank together at #3 (9-6), as they look to keep the pressure on the top seeds throughout the event. 

Returning Defending Champion and Performances from last year

400m - Grace Lyons, Newtown - 58.18

High Jump - Eloise Mulready, Glastonbury - 5-02.00

Shot Put - Bryanna Boroze, East Hartford - 34-11.50

View our Free Fan Guide for the 2025 CIAC Outdoor T&F Championships 

If you are not able to attend in person then you can view the any of the championship meets on a fee basis at the NFHS Network at https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/associations/ciac 

 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.