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 next preview, MySportsResults will do our best to highlight some of the top returnees from last year in the girls field 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. 

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The shot put gets more and more competitive every year. Tucked away in the far corner of Floyd Little Athletic Center, these athletes develop friendly rivalries and continue to push each other to greatness. Bloomfield’s Payton Sirdine has been a Class meet scorer the past three years in the shot put and last winter she was the State Open runner-up in the event with a lifetime best of over 40 feet. During outdoor track she was 2nd in the discus and 3rd in the shot at the Open. But this isn’t even her primary sport. She has made history by becoming the first WarHawk to sign to play Division I college volleyball. Sirdine signed her letter of intent to play at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in early November.

Every athlete wants to set a season best in each meet and Avery Plouffe nearly did that last winter. The Woodstock Academy thrower started off throwing 32 feet and consistently improved to 35ft, 37ft and finally set a PR of 41-1.75 at Nike Indoor Nationals where she took 2nd in the Emerging Elite competition. Outdoors she was Class M champion and State Open runner-up, finishing a foot and a half farther than Sirdine. The pair will surely battle it out in the circle multiple times this winter. 

Jenna Luoma was the surprise Class S high jump winter two years ago when she set a 2-inch PR and none of the other competitors matched their PRs on the day. The multi talented athlete from Ellington proved that wasn’t a fluke as last year she once again stepped up a bigger stage and won the State Open. She provides the Knights multiple tools to score in a variety of events. Now a junior, she has been All NCCC in cross country three straight years and was also a New England qualifier in the 300IH last spring and just missed a medal in the CIAC Heptathlon with a 7th place finish. 

Kaylin Diglio burst onto the scene last year as a freshman at Guilford clearing 10-6 in the pole vault to win her first high school competition. She eventually cleared 12-3, the 6th best height in state history and probably the highest a freshman has ever jumped. A small injury relegated her to 4th place at the Open but she bounced back in the spring time to go over 12 feet several times and eventually won the State Open title. Her father, Matt, a highly successful coach who led Haddam-Killingworth to a state title last spring in track and this fall in cross country, has decided to coach at Guilford starting this winter. 

Montville has built a successful pole vault program the past several years led by Kamryn Plikus. Last winter she went over 11 feet no less than four times, including at the State Open where she finished in third place. Last spring she was 5th at the Open and just missed All New England with an 8th place finish. She has also been a three time Class champion in the event. She has also been a successful high jumper who scored in the event at the Open as a sophomore. 

Windsor girls took home their 9th consecutive Class L title last year with the help of Layla Harris. Only a sophomore, she finished 5th in both the Class meet and the Open in the long jump and is the third returner behind the Bloomfield duo of Vanessa Agyemang and Saphyr Brown. She is also an accomplished hurdler who finished 6th at the State Open last winter and helped her team break the CT state record in the shuttle hurdle relays. During the spring she helped her team to another state title as she took 4th in both the 100HH and long jump in the Class L Championships. 

Others to Keep and Eye On:

Mijonia Hart - Naugatuck

April Nathaniel - Bloomfield

Serena Mazzi - Lyme Old Lyme

Sophia Ciarleglio - Sacred Heart Academy

Melinda Pettit - Wilton

Greysen Thomas - Lakeview

Alexa Flores - Bolton

Alexandria McWatters - Foran

Isabella Aldi - Amity

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