Many boys and girls from West Hartford’s Hall and Conard high schools earned spots in the State Open on Feb. 22 following their performances in divisional meets last weekend.
Conard’s Gavin Sherry (right) speeds to victory in the 3200 over runner-up Aidan Puffer of Manchester in the Class LL meet Feb. 13. He broke a meet record and is seeded first in the State Open. Photo courtesy of Ron Knapp
By Ronni Newton
The Hall High School boys indoor track and field team took home the Class LL title Feb. 13 – the fourth year in a row the boys have won their divisional meet, finishing with 48 points to Ridgefield’s 47 points.
West Hartford’s Conard High School boys also had a great performance at the Class LL meet, finishing in third place with 44 points.
The Hall girls took second place in Class LL with 55 points. Glastonbury finished in first place with 69 points.
The Conard girls, who competed in Class L on Saturday, Feb. 15, finished in fifth place with 36 points.
Among the girls and boys at both schools, event championships were won and school records were broken, and in the case of Conard sophomore Gavin Sherry, the state’s Gatorade Cross County Runner of the Year for 2019, a meet record was also broken.
Sherry won the Class LL championship in the 3200 on Feb. 13, setting not only a school record but also a Class LL record in a time of 9:06.06, beating top rival Aidan Puffer of Manchester by 3 seconds. Sherry’s teammate, Vebjoern Roeed, took third place while Sherry’s twin brother, Callum Sherry, finished in fourth place. The trio are among the top five seeds in this year’s State Open.
Gavin Sherry also anchored the Conard boys 4×800 relay team that was event champion at the Class LL meet on Feb. 13 in a time of 8:14.17. Other team members included Callum Sherry, Sophonias Dires, and Roeed.
Hall’s Marcus Ramsey, with a shot put throw of 50-04.25 set a school record in the Class LL meet on Feb. 13 and won the event championship. Ramsey is seeded fourth heading in to the State Open.
Jackson Grady, who finished second in the 1000, was also a key contributor to Hall’s overall win.
The Hall 4×400 relay team of Israel Henriques-Setho, Tobias Ruffo, Max Rodman, and Isaiah Lizardi also took second place in Class LL.
School records set at the Class LL meet on Feb. 13 by the Hall girls include Katherine George’s 38-07.25 shot put throw. George finished in second place at the meet.
Jenna Zydanowicz took second place in Class LL in the 1600 and 3200. Courtesy of Elizabeth Hanlon
Jenna Zydanowicz ran 5:07.65 in the 1600, setting a new school record and earning a second place finish in Class LL. She is seeded second in the State Open.
Zydanowicz also finished second in the 3200 (11:11.05), and is a third seed in the State Open.
Zydanowicz also anchored Hall’s 4×800 relay team, which broke a school record with a 9:29.67 finish. Other teammates included Nora Holmes, Mia Healer, and Rose Kitz. The relay team is seeded second heading into the State Open.
Hall’s sprint medley team of Hana Roggendorf, Catherine Mancini, Mia Healer, and Nora Holmes took first place with a time of 4:21.84, entering the State Open seeded second.
Conard freshman Audrey Kirkutis won a gold medal, clearing the bar with her 5-foot-2-inch high jump in the Class L indoor track and field meet Feb. 15.
Conard junior Chloe Scrimgeour won two gold medals in the Class L meet on Feb. 15 – finishing the 1600 in 5:09.57, and the 3200 in 11:10.86. Heading into the State Open, she is seeded third in the 1600 (right behind Hall’s Zydanowicz), and second in the 3200, just ahead of Zydanowicz.
Conard junior Chloe Scrimgeour won both the 1600 and the 3200 in the Class L meet Feb. 15. Photo courtesy of Ron Knapp
The winners of each divisional meet and the next best 14 athletes from across all meets in each event qualify for the State Open, which will be begin at noon on Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven.
Overall, dozens of individual athletes – male and female – and relay teams from both Conard and Hall will compete in the State Open.
The top six finishers in each event at the State Open are invited to compete in the New England Regional Championships, which will be held Saturday, Feb. 29, at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.
Complete results of the Class LL and Class L indoor track and field championships, and the seedings for the State Open, can be found here on the CIAC website.
More information, as well as a fan guide to the State Open, can also be found on mysportsresults.com.
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Conard’s Audrey Kirkutis won the High Jump in the Class L meet Feb. 15, with a jump of 5-02.00. Photo courtesy of Ron Knapp
The Hall 4×400 team of Israel Henriques-Setho (not pictured), Max Rodman, Tobias Ruffo, Isaiah Lizardi finished second in the 4×400 relay. Courtesy of Elizabeth Hanlon
Hanna Roggendorf, Catherine Mancini, Mia Heeler, Norah Holmes-1st place 1600 sprint medley. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Hanlon
Hall boys are Class LL indoor track and field champions, their fourth year in a row winning the divisional championship. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Hanlon
