Danbury girls, Ridgefield boys win FCIAC indoor track championships

NEW HAVEN — It was an unforgettable night for the Danbury girls and Ridgefield boys at the FCIAC Indoor Track Championships Thursday at Floyd Little Athletic Center at Hillhouse High School.

The Danbury girls captured their fourth FCIAC Indoor Track title in five years. Danbury collected an insurmountable total of 70 points to defeat all comers.

Trumbull had 56 points and Ridgefield had 54 as Danbury’s closest pursuers. Ludlowe and Greenwich (49) tied for fourth. Wilton (43.5), Staples (42), McMahon (34), St. Joseph (23) and Darien (21.5 ) completed the top ten.

“When we projected out the meet early in the week, we saw it would come down to Danbury, Ludlowe, Trumbull, Ridgefield and Greenwich,” said Danbury girls coach Nick Fraticelli. “I told the girls ‘It is up to you to do all you can to represent our program.’ The girls responded so well tonight.”

Wilton’s Simon Alexander wins the Boys 55 meter hurdles in 8.11 #cttrack pic.twitter.com/sjUKbLNwP5

— Will Aldam (@AldamWill) February 7, 2020

Among the winners for Danbury were Daniela Grullon-Pena (1,000 meters) as well as the 4 x 200 and the Sprint Medley relay quartets.

“The girls asked early in the week ‘which was the best Danbury girls track team ever?’ And we answered ‘Last year’s outdoor track squad.’ ” Fraticelli said. “We asked ‘How many girls here now we’re part of that team? And about 2/3 of the hands went up. The girls realized how much they had to do with our tradition of excellence. And they carried it forward here tonight.”

The Ridgefield boys indoor track team made history Thursday as they broke a streak of six consecutive indoor titles won by the Danbury boys.

Ridgefield finished the proceedings with 85 points to hold off Staples (66).

“We felt it was achievable. It was a quiet bus ride here,” said Ridgefield’s Charlie King. “We knew Staples would be tough. It was unfortunate for them that two of their runners had to stay home sick. But we were firing on all cylinders tonight.”

Among the winners for Ridgefield were Charles Namiot (3200), King (1000) and the Sprint Medley Relay (which set an FCIAC record).

“We are always all about team. Individually we try to find that extra gear and have no energy left to give at the finish line. That’s when we know we did everything we could for the team,” King said. “We’re looking forward to the state meets. It will be more hard work but the stars could be in alignment for us.”

Danbury (57 points) was third in the boys standings. Darien (37) tied with Wilton (37) for fourth place. Trumbull (34) was sixth followed by Ludlowe (31), Norwalk (28), Greenwich (24) and New Canaan (10th, 21 points).

Stapleton sets pair of records

Tess Stapleton of Ludlowe wins the Girls 55 meter hurdles with a time of 8.08 #cttrack pic.twitter.com/UhuuBpU0WZ

— Will Aldam (@AldamWill) February 7, 2020

It appears there is very little that can keep Ludlowe’s Tess Stapleton from track & field success.

Despite a balky right knee, the junior managed to set FCIAC records in both events she won Thursday night at the FCIAC Championships.

Stapleton captured the 55 meter hurdles in 8.08 seconds, smashing the old mark of 8:19.

“I still have my eye on the state record in the hurdles. It’s another goal I can strive for,” Stapleton said wearing a pair of ice packs on her knee. “I saw the 8.08 mark on the timing board and said ‘WOW!’ It is a personal best time for me in the 55 hurdles.”

Stapleton took home the gold medal in the long jump with a leap of 18-feet-11.75 inches. She was a co-holder of the old mark of 18-feet-9, which she tied at the Yale Classic matching a competitor from 1982.

“Getting to 19 feet is my ultimate goal. To almost get there for the third time is great,” Stapleton said. “I’m happy with tonight. But I’m excited about the state meets in the future.”

Ludlowe’s Tess Stapleton wins the girls long jump clearing 18-11.75 #cttrack pic.twitter.com/tBUhA1DzTW

— Will Aldam (@AldamWill) February 7, 2020

Vaulting to success

It was a glorious battle for the gold medal in the FCIAC boys pole vault Thursday night.

Both New Canaan’s Andrew Charkales and Ludlowe’s Bennett Hemphill cleared the 12-feet, 6-inch bar. But Charkales was awarded the victory as he had less misses (one to two) at the height. Both athletes tried and failed three times at 13 feet.

“I love it. This is such a surprise. I didn’t feel well at all Thursday morning,” said Charkales, a senior who was fifth in the FCIAC pole vault last year. “The height is an in-season personal best. But it’s not the height I want to be at. I can’t wait for the state meets. I know I have more left in the tank.”

Hemphill, a sophomore, was thrilled for a number of reasons including knowing time is on his side.

“The 12-feet, 6-inch height is a double personal best for me,” Hemphill said. “My older brother Jackson (by three years, currently a pole vaulter at Tufts University) cleared 12-feet-6 as a sophomore. So I’m thrilled to get there myself. I can’t wait to talk to Jackson about this.”

Record-setters

Trumbull girls set meet a record 9:26.60 in 4 x 800 meter relay (Evelyn Marchand, Kali Holden, Alessandra Zaffina, Emily Alexandru snapped a three-year-old mark.

2019-20 FCIAC INDOOR TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Floyd Little Athletic Center, Hillhouse HS, New Haven

BOYS RESULTS

4 x 200 meter relay: Danbury (Jason Cazorla, Luka Santos, Kyle Thomas, Malachi Hopkins) 1:34.68; Trumbull 1:36.05; Ridgefield 1:36.17; Greenwich 1:36.95; St. Joseph 1:37.31; Staples 1:37.40.

4 x 800 meter relay: Danbury ( Glenn Addotey, Jack Watson, Dylan Rosemark, Gabriel Kwarteng ) 8:16.51; Trumbull 8:18.57; Staples 8:28.50; Ridgefield 8:32.25; St. Joseph 8:37.47; Ludlowe 9:00.10.

1000: Charlie King (Ridgefield) 2:39.61; Davis Cote (Wilton) 2:40.56; Zach Jelinek (Greenwich) 2:40.96; Nicholas Klaiber (Trumbull) 2:41.36; Ryan Lytle (New Canaan) 2:42.76; Leo Rector (Ridgefield) 2:43.70.

600: Simon Jupp (Ridgefield) 1:25.66; Amit Markos (Ridgefield) 1:27.03; Chip Coffin (Ridgefield) 1:27.43; Frank Bonaddio (Norwalk) 1:27.75; Jack Watson (Danbury) 1:29.17; Mohit Gupta (Staples) 1:30.12.

Shot Put: Ja’Den Williams (Norwalk) 47-feet-6; Louis Tuccio (St. Joseph) 47-feet-5.50; Robesen Hall (Staples) 42-7.50; Max Greenberg (Wilton) 42-075;Matt Harvey (Warde) 41-2.50; Mathew Smith (Ludlowe) 40-6.75.

55 Meter Hurdles: Simon Alexander (Wilton) 8.11; Tahzir Fulton (Norwalk) 8:14; Johanse Martinez (Danbury) 8.18; Sam McDonough (Ridgefield) 8.32; Tyler Kennedy (Wilton) 8.42; Javier Reyes (Danbury) 8.56.

High Jump: Jack Reynolds (Ludlowe) 6-feet-0; Connor McGeehan (Staples) 6-feet-0 (more misses); Ben Funk (Ludlowe) 6-feet-0 (more misses); Zach Carifa (Greenwich) 5-10; Matt Catuccio (Trumbull) 5-8; Aaron Berkowitz (Trumbull) 5-8 (more misses)

Pole Vault: 1, Andrew Charkales (New Canaan) 12-feet-6; 2, Bennett Hemphill (Ludlowe) 12-6 (more misses); 3, Jack Burg (Staples) 12-0; Aidan Hills (Darien) 11-6; Jeremy Merkin (Trumbull) 11-6 (more misses); Jacob Green (Danbury) 11-0.

McMahon’s Korey Morton wins the FCIAC Boys 55 meter dash finishing in 6.54 #cttrack pic.twitter.com/QUMtEMej0T

— Will Aldam (@AldamWill) February 7, 2020

55 meter dash: Korey Morton (McMahon) 6.54 seconds; Jason Cazorla (Danbury) 6.58; Nick Balenzano (Darien) 6.73; Greg Foster (Norwalk) 6.81; Maxwell Warren (St. Joseph) 6.83; Austin Dehmel (Darien) 6.84.

1600: Morgan Fierro (Staples) 4:29.75; Colin McLaughlin (Westhill) 4:30.21; Austin Hutchens (Warde) 4:36.40; Nathan Cramer (Ludlowe) 4:37.57; Alessandro Maligoli (New Canaan) 4:37.87; Aidan Byrne (Danbury) 4:37.97.

Sprint Medley Relay: Ridgefield (Chip Coffin, Will Baker, Diego Pepe, Charles King) 3:42.459 (FCIAC record); Darien 3:45.79; Danbury 3:47.02; Staples 3:49.09; Norwalk 3:50.24; St. Joseph 3:51.94.

300: Simon Jupp (Ridgefield) 35.69; Jaden Cazorla (Danbury) 36.72; Jack Myers (Wilton) 37.24; Blaise Mazurkiewicz (McMahon) 37.29; Amit Markos (Ridgefield) 37.34; Griffen Dayton (New Canaan) 37.63.

3200: Charles Namiot (Ridgefield) 9:40.58; Cyrus Asgari (Trumbull) 9:47.74; Teddy O’Kane (Staples) 9:48.81; Alex Bein (Greenwich) 9:53.05; Trevor DeMarco (Ridgefield) 9:57.06; Nathan Cramer (Ludlowe) 9:58.63.

4×400 relay: Darien (Austin Dehmel, Alec Armstrong, Jacob Grimm, Jack Holly) 3:34.30; Staples 3:40.83; New Canaan 3:41.64; Danbury 3:41.72; Ridgefield 3:44.88; Wilton 3:45.85.

Long Jump: Connor McGeehan (Staples) 21-feet-2.50; Nick Balenzano (Darien) 21-0.50; Wooder Thoby (Wilton) 20-8; David Faugno (Greenwich) 20-3; Zane Nye (Greenwich) 19-11.75; Andy Soillane (Trumbull) 19-10.25.

GIRLS RESULTS

4 x 200 meter relay: Danbury (Florence Dickson, Meilee Kry, Brianna Gillard, Jessica Glowacki ) 1:48.27; McMahon 1:48.27; Staples 1:50.96; Wilton 1:51.48; Ridgefield 1 (:51.98; Stamford 1:54.36.

4 x 800 meter relay: Trumbull ( Evelyn Marchand, Kali Holden, Alessandra Zaffina, Emily Alexandru ) 9:26.60 (new meet record); Greenwich 9:34.03; Ridgefield 9:38.74; Danbury 9:53.39; New Canaan 9:54.00; McMahon 9:55.17;

1000: Daniela Grullon-Pena (Danbury) 3:05.90; Georgia Keller (Ridgefield) 3:06.61; Elizabeth Jasminski (Ridgefield) 3:06.74; Tatum Havemann (Staples) 3:07.39; Grace Collier (Greenwich) 3:07.54; Emily Mrakovcic (Wilton) 3:08.48.

600: Emma Langis (Ridgefield) 1:38.96; Emily Alexandru (Trumbull) 1:39.67; Grace Michalowski (Ridgefield) 1:41.29; Zoe Harris (Greenwich) 1:41.48; Evelyn Marchand (Trumbull) 1:41.62; Annelise Bentley (Ludlowe) 1:43.90.

55 Meter Hurdles: Tess Stapleton (Ludlowe) 8:08 (new FCIAC record); Shelby Dejana (Wilton) 8.62; Nia Christie (St. Joseph) 8.83; Jill Roberts (Wilton) 9.16; Christline Edward (Norwalk) 9.37; Kayla Clark (St. Joseph) 9.41.

Shot Put: Caitlin Fillaramo (Ludlowe) 34-feet-10.50; Tyler Symonette (Staples) 34-4.25; DiLayni Dorce (McMahon) 33-3,25; Alexis Chikezie (Danbury) 33-2.50; Chloe Adams (New Canaan) 32-8; Allyson Joseph (Danbury) 32-4.25.

Long Jump: Tess Stapleton (Ludlowe) 18-feet-11.75 inches (FCIAC record); Peyton McNamara (McMahon) 17-6.25; Nia Christie (St. Joseph) 16-9.25; Meilee Kry (Danbury) 16-8.50; Chelsi Chevannes (Darien) 16-5.50; Jocelyn Lister (McMahon) 15-10.75.

Shelby Dejana of Wilton wins the Girls 55 meter dash with a time of 7.35 #cttrack pic.twitter.com/ZBP4zRfoRW

— Will Aldam (@AldamWill) February 7, 2020

55 meter dash: Shelby Dejana (Wilton) 7.35; Florence Dickson (Danbury) 7.50; Claudia Nanez (Wilton) 7.50; Peyton McNamara (McMahon) 7.54; Giuliana Robles (Danbury) 7.55; Abbygail Michel (Trumbull) 7.59.

1600: Mari Noble (Greenwich) 5:07.99; Mairead Clas (Darien) 5:08.50; Kali Holden (Trumbull) 5:08.74; Katherine Rector (Ridgefield) 5:15.26; Anna Keeley (Ludlowe) 5:20.34; Alessandra Zaffina (Trumbull) 5:21.27.

Sprint Medley Relay: Danbury (Abigail Copeland, Shakira Rosario, Jessica Glowacki, Maya Gawley) 4:32.27; Staples 4:35.01; Ludlowe 4:36.46; Greenwich 4:37.99; Ridgefield 4:40.02; New Canaan 4:40.30.

300: Claudia Nanez (Wilton) 42.17; Meilee Kry (Danbury) 42.19; Christline Edward (Norwalk) 42.82; Samantha Dewitt (Staples) 43.26; Emily Alexandru (TRrumbull) 43.63; Jada Williams (Greenwich) 44.03.

3200: Kali Holden (Trumbull) 11:13.56; Mari Noble (Greenwich) 11:14.55; Alessandra Zaffina (Trumbull) 11:27.95; Amanda Graham (McMahon) 11:29.34; Daniella Grullon-Pena (Danbury) 11:32.77; Sarah Johnson (Danbury) 11:32.79.

4×400 relay: Ridgefield (Tess Pisanelli, Emma Langis, Katherine Langis, Grace Michalowski) 4:09.40; Greenwich 4:12.58; Danbury 4:12.61; Staples 4:14.93; McMahon 4:19.93; Ludlowe 4:20.46.

High Jump: Nia Christie (St. Joseph) 5-feet-4; Chelsi Chevannes (Darien) 5-2; Tia Stapleton (Ludlowe) 5-0; Calista Hedbabny (Greenwich) 4-10; Kailey Wackerman (Ludlowe) 4-10; Natalie Reilly (Ludlowe) 4-10.

Pole Vault: Jaime Tolk (Trumbull) 8-feet-6; Isabelle Blend (Staples) 8-feet-0; Bella Dial (New Canaan) 8-0 (more misses); Jessica Amaral (Warde) 7-6; Joen Etchverria (Darien) 7-6; Simona Gheorghe (Wilton) 7-0.