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

As we begin our 26th year of CT Indoor T&F coverage that includes news, photos, results and records of our state athletes and teams, MySportsResults kicks off the 2025-2026 Indoor Track & Field season with our previews. We will once again take out our crystal ball to predict which individuals will make a difference for their teams as they work towards qualifying for the Class and Open Championships in February. 

In our first preview, MySportsResults will do our best to highlight some of the top returnees from last year in the girls sprint and hurdle events. The girls return seven of the eleven individual champions from 2025 so we could obviously see some familiar names at the top of the podium. But with the depth of talent in the state, no one can rest on their laurels because there is always some new talent ready to take on the established stars. 

Bloomfield has so many cards in their deck, they have been tough to stop the past few years. The Warhawks have won 15 straight Class S titles and four Open championships in 7 years. Two of their Aces are seniors Vanessa Agyemang and D’Asia Duncan. Agyemang was State Open champion in the 55mHH and long jump last winter with a near state record of 19 '7 in the later event. She has an entire season to improve 2 inches to surpass Tahari James’ 21 year old record before she heads off to West Virginia University next year. In the spring, she took the runner up spot at the Open in both hurdle events and the long jump. A small injury in the middle of last winter took Duncan out of the hurdles, but she still found ways to make significant contributions to her team. Duncan, an All American multi event athlete excels in the longer running event and pulled off a tough triple, taking 2nd in the 600m and running legs of the winning sprint medley and 4x400m relays. At New Balance National Indoor she had the 2nd best point total in state history in the pentathlon. During the spring season with her injury behind her, the Texas A&M commit medaled at NBNO in the heptathlon, breaking a 26 year old state record in the process and just missed breaking 60 seconds in the 400IH. During the state meets she went undefeated in both the 100HH and 300IH with win in both at New Englands

Naugatuck’s Lauren Kropo pulled off the impossible last winter not only winning the 55m, 300m and the 600m at the Class L championships, she set meet records in all three. She nearly pulled it off again at the Open, but the 18 minutes between the 600m and 55m wasn’t enough rest but she still managed to win two events and get 3rd in the shortest. In the 600m she went undefeated and won the New England championship in the 4th fastest time in state history with a time of 1:32.30. She has also run 7.07 in the 55m (#5 CT All Time), 39.17 (#3 CT All Time) and 400m in 55.53 (#2 CT AT). She already is one of the greatest and most versatile sprinters to ever come from Connecticut and will keep her talents in state next year when she runs for the UConn. But in the meantime, she has an entire year to bring those times down and win more championships. 

One of the four defending State Open champions is Manchester’s Samiya Eady who is now a senior and will be going for a threepeat in the 55m. She went undefeated last winter in CT and  saved her best race for the State Open final which she won over a highly competitive field in a PR of 7.09. This time ties her as the 7th fastest time in state history. She was also a member of the State Open and New England runner up 4 x 200m relay. The Redhawk was also State Open champion and 3rd in the 100m last spring. 

Windsor certainly knows relays and knows hurdles. They always seem to excel in both and last year their best was Tomari Gillespie. The Warriors set the CT state record in the 4 x 55mHH at New Balance Nationals Indoors and Gillespie ran the state’s 2nd fastest time of 8.36. At the Open she was 3rd and just missed the finals of New Englands by .03 seconds. She led her team to their 9th consecutive title by taking 3rd in the 55m, 5th in the 55mHH and 2nd in the 300m. At New Englands she was put into the 4x200m and helped her team to the bronze medal. 

Last winter Paige Wilson was part of two All New England relays for Windsor. She helped her team to a third place 4x200m and a 6th place 4x400m at the regional meet but an unfortunate false start in the Class S 300m prevented her from accumulating more individual accomplishments during indoor track. But by the spring she showed off her talent with a State Open championship in the 400m and 4x100m. Her winning time of 55.02 is the 6th fastest time in state history. 

Now a junior, Saphyr Brown has already been running track since 1st grade. To call her a veteran in an understatement. In high school, the Bloomfield WarHawk has already won a State Open title in the long jump her freshman year and earned the runner up spot in the LJ and 55m dash last year at the Open. She will have tremendous competition from Kropo and Eady, but don’t sleep on Brown, she could be another contender. She is also a member of Bloomfield’s incredible 4x200m that went undefeated until Nationals and will try to continue their dominance again this year.

Hillhouse coach Gary Moore was inducted by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association into their Hall of Fame and won his 49th and 50th CIAC plaques since 1994. While the Academics lost some big points to graduation there is always someone to fill the shoes of those that have moved onto college. Last year it was Destini Reid’s turn. As a junior she won the Class M 55m title and finished 3rd in the Open and also scored in the 300m at the Class championships. Outdoors she was a double state champion taking the gold medal in the 100m and 200m at the Class MM Championships. She also scored in both the 100m and 4x100m at the Open. 

Glastonbury won their 5th straight Class LL championship last winter and Audrey O'Hare was a major contributor winning the 300m and taking home another gold in the 4x400m. She ran her best time of 42.14 to take 8th at the State Open and was part of the runner up 4x400m at that meet. Outdoors she was 3rd in the 400m at Class LL but made major contributions to the State Open 4x400m relay and was also a member of the All American DMR at New Balance Nationals Outdoors. Her 400m leg not only helped her team break their school record by 30 seconds, it also lowered Staples’ CT record in the event with their time of 11:44.50. She has committed to Fordham University next year. 

Others to Keep and Eye On:

Jahniya Barclay - Bloomfield

Tania Turner - Classical Magnet

Aaliyah Cook - Danbury

Olivia Taylor - Joel Barlow

Phoebe Cora Smith - Joel Barlow

Saniyah Demus - New Britain

Jaida Murray - Windsor

Shanez De Roche - Hamden

If you love the free content from MySportsResults then you can help keep it that way! Shop for your gear at our sponsors, Marathon Sports and New Balance, whose support makes articles like this possible.

It’s not too early to think about your plans for summer training that could include attending the Foss Running Camp!