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

RESULTS

RECORDS

Boys Decathlon

In only his second season of outdoor track Griswold senior Brenden Hopkins won the CIAC Decathlon with 5561. He moved up from 13th last year after winning the discus and pole vault, placing second in the javelin, and sixth in the high jump. 

Gabriel Kvadus of Glastonbury had a solid two days, finishing top five in six events to score  5491 points and take the runner-up spot. 

Decathlon veteran Nicholas Zaprianov of Lyman Memorial has gone over 5000 points for the first time. He set four season best including a few PRs to score 5420 points, good for 3rd place. 

Five personal records allowed Greenwich’s Thomas Donovan to score 5274 points, 405 better than last year when he placed 12th.  

The Berkshire League conducts their own decathlon competition which provides their athletes an opportunity to gain experience in the 10 events contest before moving on to the more competitive CIAC event.  Nonnewaug’s Thomas Lengyel improved over 600 points to take fifth with 5200 points and set PRs in five events. 

The last medal went to sophomore Jacob Smith of Fitch who set a PR of 6-2.0 in the high jump, his best event. It is difficult for underclassmen to do well in the multi event competition because they don’t have the experience in the ten events. Whenever a sophomore is able to do well in this event, it is an indication of natural talent that will only blossom with more years under his belt. The Falcon scored 5126 to take 6th. 

Girls Heptathlon

Another athlete who used her experience gained from the Berkshire League’s multi event competition was Lakeview freshman Greysen Thomas. When she entered her brand new school that combined Wamogo and Litchfield High Schools in the fall, no one could have predicted the success she would have had this year. Pretty much every event she tried was a school record, but her performances in many events are among the best in the state including a 5-5.0 HJ, 16-6 LJ and 46.74 300m hurdles. She used this versatility to win the CIAC Heptathlon with 3885 points which is 25th nationally. She had the best high jump of 5-0.25 and finished top four in the 100mm hurdles (16.67), 200m (27.38), 800m (2:27.56) and LJ (15-11.0). 

Mallory Boney of East Haven had PRs in the 200m (27.77), 800m (2:38.08) and high jump 4-10.25 and came away with the silver medal with 3859 points, only 26 points away from the win. 

Sophie Riche was instrumental in Greenwich’s first FCIAC and Class LL title since the early 80s. The FCIAC and Class LL champion in the 100mm hurdles won her speciality in 15.52 and the long jump (16-4.25). Four of the events she did for the first time but her natural athleticism was apparent as the senior took 3rd with 3817 points.

It is rare when an athlete sets a PR in an event she specializes in during a multi event competition. Woodstock Academy’s Isabel D'Alleva-Bochain was Class MM champion and 5th at New Englands in the javelin but pulled out a lifetime best of 126-10, which was the best throw of the day. She also had the 2nd fastest 800m of the day (2:26.37) which catapulted her from 6th into 4th place with 3651 points.

At the SWC Championships Lincey Bazile finished top three in both hurdle events, the long jump and shot put. That gave her the experience she needed to take on the seven event heptathlon. The Bunnell senior finished top five on four events which helped her score 3628, good for 5th place.

With a total of 3,586 points, Izzy Northrop shattered the Montville heptathlon school record. Her 6th place finish at the CIAC State Heptathlon Championship is the highest ever by any Montville athlete in either the heptathlon or decathlon. Across two days and 7 events, Northrop set personal bests in 5 events to score 3586 points. 

With six of the top nine finishers underclassmen, next year’s competition could be even more competitive. 

Boys 3000m Steeplechase

Of the nine athletes who entered the championships 2000m steeplechase only 6 competed while 64 entered and 57 competed in the non-championship 2000m event. With the 2000m steeplechase much more common in high school competition each spring, this might be the time for the CIAC Outdoor TF Coaches Committee to rethink the event program and only contest the shorter event. 

Oxford’s Joe DeLuise has already run five steeplechase events this spring and is entered in the 2000m steeple at NBNO. He used Wednesday’s race as a tune up and won in a PR of 9:44.42, the 26th best time nationally. The junior was 3rd in the State Open 3200m in a PR of 9:13.46 and his 2k SC time of 6:01.83 is 3rd nationally. 

Taking 2nd was North Haven’s Matthew DeNardis who recently committed to Providence College. He recently earned All New England with his 5th place finish in the 1600m and on Wednesday he ran 10:31.54. 

Also earning medals were freshman Lucas Hecker of Woodstock Academy in 3rd place with a time of 10:44.11 while 4th place was earned by Michael Jensen of East Catholic in 11:09.83, Jack Grasso of Windsor Locks in 5th at 11:58.45 and the 6th place medal was awarded to Evan Ritskowitz of Middletown who finished in 12:29.76. 

Junior Dominic Lombardo of Bolton was the winner of the 2k event with a finish time of 6:39.68 that ranks 6th in CT this season and 46th nationally.