Windsor boys, Hand girls win Class MM Outdoor Track titles

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Windsor boys win Class MM Outdoor Track and Field team title with 98 points.

Members of the Daniel Hand girls track and field team celebrate after winning the CIAC Class MM title at Willow Brook Park on Thursday, June 1, 2023.

Leonaya Knox of Hillhouse wins 100 hurdles in meet record 14.29 seconds.

Wilton's Tristan Burke won the 1600 in 4:23.29 at the CIAC Class MM Outdoor Track Championships Thursday, June 1, 2023.

Lucy Moran of Branford took the lead with two laps to go and pulled away to win the 1600 in 5:05.94 at the CIAC Class MM track championships Thursday, June 1, 2023.

NEW BRITAIN – Every time Leonaya Knox of Hillhouse steps on the track, she gets in a zone.

"Whenever I compete in a race, when it comes to my mindset, it's all about Leonaya," Knox said. "I don't worry about the runners around me. I focus on me, on what I have to do to win each time I compete."

She was certainly focused in the 100 hurdles on Thursday at the CIAC Class MM Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Willow Brook Park.

She broke a 24-year-old meet record to win the 100 hurdles in 14.29 seconds.

She broke the previous record of 14.53 set by Keshia Haughton of Hillhouse in 1999.

Knox started strong and pulled away the last 10 meters to lead the race start to finish.

"I was determined, really determined to win this race," Knox said. "My whole goal is to always get a PR (personal result). It's always me against the clock. For me, a strong start has always been as important as a strong finish. It's something I have always worked on."

Two events after the 100 hurdles, barely enough time to catch her breath, Knox finished third in the 100 dash in 12.42. Jalena Martin of Ellington set a meet record in the 100 with a win in 12.32.

Hand girls won the the 4x400 relay, the meet's final event, in 4:05.92, to earn 10 points and clinch the team title with 64 points. Hillhouse was second with 61 points and Bethel third with 59.

Hand also won the 4x400 relay in 4:05.92 and Annecy Vlieks won the 3200 in 11:16.22. Depth was the key for the Tigers.

"I knew we were one of the top teams coming into the meet, but the girls had to execute," Hand girls coach Steve Swift said. "They did and everyone contributed. This title is great for the kids and shows how much time and effort they have invested into this season."

This was the second Class MM title in the 15 years Swift has coached the Tigers.

"We are all so excited, I actually cried when they announced we won the title," Vlieks said. "This is huge for all of us. In the 3200 I wanted to do well and what I could to contribute points for the team."

Windsor had six wins to win its second-straight Class MM team title and eighth state title overall with 98 points points. Rockville was second with 64 and Hand was 63.5.

Grant Harris won the 300 hurdles (39.10) and the long jump (22-0.25), Achillus White won the 100 (10.76), Hunter Howard won the 400 (49.08) and Taeshawn Berry won the 200 (21.96). The 4x100 relay won in 42.53.

"It feels great, it's sweet and the kids worked hard to repeat," Windsor boys coach Kelvan Kearse said. "All these kids gave a great effort out there."

Lucy Moran of Branford made her move to take the lead in the 1600 with two laps to go and pulled away to win in 5:05.94.

"I decided to hang back the first two laps and see how the race developed," Moran said. "The pace on the first and second laps were slow. Going into the third lap I felt strong and I decided to take the lead.

"The heat didn't bother me. I actually embrace the heat. I felt good and ran hard the last 100 meters."

Moran also had a solid finish to win the 800 in 2:17.76.

Tristan Burke of Wilton had a similar experience as Moran in the boys 1600. He stayed behind the leaders for three laps and made a move to take the lead at the start of the last lap. He finished strong the last 100 meters to win in 4:23.29. Nicholas Montana of Hand was second in 4:24.72 and Harrison Grenier of Hand was third in 4:27.42.

"The first lap was super slow," Burke said. "I stayed back to conserve energy and I felt strong going into the last lap. I knew the guys from Hand were getting close so the last 100 meters I ran hard.

"It feels good to start off this meet with a win. It's a good boost going into the State Open (Monday, 1:30 p.m., Willow Brook Park)."

Olivia Walters of Brookfield has had a successful season and was confident going into the girls 400. She finished strong to win in 56.94. Julia Coric of Hand was second in 58.07.

"I always have a good kick and finish strong," Walters said. "It's been a good season and I expected to win. I just waited for the right time to make a move."

Cayden Drost of Notre Dame-West Haven won 110 hurdles in 15.59, Rosa Linda Volpintesta of Bethel won 300 hurdles in 45.57 and won the high jump (5-0), Talia Graham of Bethel won the girls 200 in 25.55 and pole vault (12-0, meet record), Ryder Kropiwnicki of Branford won the pole vault (14-0), Belle Smith of Torrington won the discus (123-2), Lucas DeCrescenzo of Lyman hall won the discus (152-3).

Girls 100 Meter Dash: (w: -2.1) 1. Jalena Martin, Ellington, 12.32#; 2. Talia Graham, Bethel, 12.36; 3. Leonaya Knox, Hillhouse, 12.42; 4. Darielys Arnold, New London, 12.50; 5. Shanaya Brown, Killingly, 12.79; 6. Shalom Olawale, Bullard Have, 12.89 Girls 200 Meter Dash: 1. Talia Graham, Bethel, 25.55, w:-0.6; 2. Ella Mcgee, Masuk, 25.59, w:-0.6; 3. Jalena Martin, Ellington, 25.85, w:-0.6; 4. Jenna Wenzel, Berlin, 26.08, w:-0.6; 5. Juliet Allard, Woodstock Ac, 26.10, w:-0.6; 6. Olivia Walters, Brookfield, 26.11, w:-0.6

Girls 400 Meter Dash: 1. Olivia Walters, Brookfield, 56.95; 2. Julia Coric, Daniel Hand, 58.07; 3. Jessica Dickson, Pomperaug, 58.84; 4. Olivia Matthews, Suffield, 58.91; 5. Deanna Moore, Hillhouse, 59.09; 6. Lauren Haddad, Rockville, 59.47

Girls 800 Meter Run: 1. Lucy Moran, Branford, 2:17.76; 2. Kate Littler, Ledyard, 2:19.71; 3. Clara Gahm, Guilford, 2:20.68; 4. Gabrielle Carroll, Pomperaug, 2:22.71; 5. Ella Stephenson, Ledyard, 2:25.18; 6. Emma Forde, Fitch, 2:25.64

Girls 1600 Meter Run: 1. Lucy Moran, Branford, 5:05.94; 2. Olivia Matthews, Suffield, 5:07.48; 3. Annecy Vlieks, Daniel Hand, 5:18.88; 4. Clara Gahm, Guilford, 5:19.54; 5. Ashley Colberg, Masuk, 5:33.68; 6. Violet Marrandino, Branford, 5:35.46

Girls 3200 Meter Run: 1. Annecy Vlieks, Daniel Hand, 11:16.22; 2. Alexa Suchy, Guilford, 11:21.22; 3. Sophia Oliva, Pomperaug, 11:31.35; 4. Keira Warner, Ellington, 12:04.71; 5. Meghan Guilbeault, Brookfield, 12:08.65; 6. Madelyn Mariani, Pomperaug 12:10.81

Girls 100 Meter Hurdles: (w: -1.9) 1. Leonaya Knox, Hillhouse, 14.29#; 2. Rosa Linda Volpintesta, Bethel, 14.87; 3. Caden Simpson, Jonathan Law, 15.56; 4. Dayanara Gonzalez, Platt, 15.88; 5. Isabella Sorrentino, Woodstock Ac, 16.13; 6. Kmara Royster, New London, 16.17 Girls 300 Meter Hurdles: 1. Rosa Linda Volpintesta, Bethel, 45.57; 2. Caden Simpson, Jonathan Law, 45.69; 3. Juliet Allard, Woodstock Ac, 46.03; 4. Erica Canfield, East Haven, 47.43; 5. Taniyah Mabry, Hillhouse, 47.87; 6. Estella Feenstra, Stratford, 48.42

Girls 4x100 Meter Relay: 1. New London (Kmara Royster 12, Tatiana Pemberton 10, Leilani Robinson 10, Darielys Arnold 10), 49.87; 2. Rockville (Alexia Diaz 10, Melody Rowe-Cary 9, Lauren Haddad 12, Gabrielle McKayle 11), 49.93; 3. Hillhouse (Taniyah Mabry 12, Ramaya Glass 9, Amaiya Ellis 10, Leonaya Knox 11), 49.94; 4. Platt (Dayanara Gonzalez 12, Monet Dorrell 9, Genesis Villatoro 9, Estrella Delacruz 11), 50.23; 5. Joel Barlow (Olivia Taylor 9, Sedonia Holub 11, Jenna Najjar 11, Emma Bourgeault 12), 50.26; 6. Berlin (Rose Fas 11, Jenna Wenzel 12, Izabella Jamrozek 10, Julia Palmese 11), 50.71

Girls 4x400 Meter Relay: 1. Daniel Hand (Alice Agovino 9, Vivian Glaser 12, Michelle Jiang 12, Julia Coric 12), 4:05.92; 2. Branford (Joelle Budz 11, Glorianna Buckley 10, Sarah Nwagboli 12, Lucy Moran 11), 4:08.87; 3. Ledyard (Margaret Dykes 9, Megan Armstrong 10, Ella Stephenson 11, Kate Littler 10), 4:11.29; 4. Pomperaug (Kitan Arole 11, Caitlin Flaherty 11, Gabrielle Carroll 10, Jessica Dickson 12), 4:11.64; 5. Hillhouse (Deanna Moore 9, Taniyah Mabry 12, Ramaya Glass 9, Bernadette Karpel 12), 4:13.01; 6. Joel Barlow (Sedonia Holub 11, Jenna Najjar 11, Katherine Czerkawski 12, Emma Bourgeault 12), 4:14.79

Girls 4x800 Meter Relay: 1. Ledyard (Samantha Doran 11, Josephine Withbroe 10, Ella Stephenson 11, Kate Littler 10), 9:58.06; 2. Woodstock Academy (Julia Coyle 11, Olivia Tracy 9, Talia Tremblay 11, Isabell D'Alleva_bochain 9), 10:07.05; 3. Ellington (Julia Goric 11, Karla Greenwood 9, Olivia Tebbetts 12, Keira Warner 11), 10:18.34; 4. Masuk (Ashley Colberg 11, Erin Davis 11, Emma Sheppard 9, Molly Halliday 12), 10:32.56; 5. Joel Barlow (Sydney Borofsky 11, Olivia Kotula 9, Mia Tartaglia 9, Ally Bardani 10), 10:33.54; 6. Suffield (Rosie LaRochelle 11, Emma Conway 11, Brynna Tinnirella 12, Natalie Ho 10), 10:36.56

Girls High Jump: 1. Rosa Linda Volpintesta, Bethel, 5-00; 2. Brooke Anderson, Daniel Hand, 4-10; 2. Jillian Edwards, Woodstock Ac, 4-10; 4. Ella Esposito, Guilford, J4-10; 5. Caroline Wittenauer, Masuk, 4-08; 6. Morandah Montaque, Waterbury Ca, J4-08; 6. Leah Conway, Suffield, J4-08; 6. Avery Clouse, Branford, J4-08; 6. Kmara Royster, New London, J4-08; 6. Lily Sullivan, Guilford, J4-08

Girls Pole Vault: 1. Talia Graham, Bethel, 12-00#; 2. Jordan Carr, Joel Barlow, 11-06#; 3. Tatiana Gaither, Hillhouse, 9-06; 4. Lacey-Lee Keramidas, East Lyme, 9-00; 5. Erin Sola, Platt, 8-06; 6. Alexis Borecki, Jonathan Law, J8-06

Girls Long Jump: 1. Darielys Arnold, New London, 17-03.75, w:NWI; 2. Heidi Storey, Suffield, 17-00.50, w:NWI; 3. Shalisha Robertson, Hillhouse, 16-08.50, w:NWI; 4. Jayla Washington, East Lyme, 16-08, w:NWI; 5. Brooke Landry, Rockville, 15-09, w:NWI; 6. Makayla Farrington, Torrington, 15-06.50, w:NWI

Girls Triple Jump: 1. Shalisha Robertson, Hillhouse, 37-02.25, w:NWI; 2. Lauren Hinckley, East Lyme, 34-02.75, w:NWI; 3. Sophia Seguin, East Lyme, 34-02, w:NWI; 4. Isabella Schweitzer, Ledyard, 33-11, w:NWI; 5. Heidi Storey, Suffield, 33-05.25, w:NWI; 6. Reegan Reynolds, Woodstock Ac, 32-11.50, w:NWI

Girls Shot Put: 1. Redmond Sullivan, Daniel Hand, 39-11.50; 2. Kelly Aspras, Foran, 36-06; 3. Lourdes Lawson, Suffield, 35-07.75; 4. Isabella Sorrentino, Woodstock Ac, 35-00.50; 5. Shalisha Robertson, Hillhouse, 34-10.50; 6. Aniya Franklin, East Haven, 34-02

Girls Discus: 1. Belle Smith, Torrington, 123-02; 2. Redmond Sullivan, Daniel Hand, 117-02; 3. Alice Stettinger, East Haven, 108-08; 4. Lily Hollworth, Rockville, 105-02; 5. Sophia Quinn, Woodstock Ac, 100-11; 6. Avery Englund, Bethel, 94-11

Girls Javelin: 1. Lily Hollworth, Rockville, 113-07; 2. Linda Holeman, Ledyard, 111-09; 3. Emily Yurcisin, Brookfield, 108-06; 4. Arielle Shivers, Rockville, 103-08; 5. Alice Stettinger, East Haven, 101-01; 6. Hailey DeNucci, East Lyme, 95-06

Boys 100 Meter Dash: (w: -1.3) 1. Achillius White, Windsor, 10.76; 2. Cameron Washington, Rockville, 10.91; 3. Taeshawn Berry, Windsor, 11.00; 4. Gabe Garnett, Jonathan Law, 11.07; 5. Maxwell Czarnecki, RHAM, 11.10; 6. Jalil Pena, Prince Tech, 11.15

Boys 200 Meter Dash: 1. Taeshawn Berry, Windsor, 21.96, w:-0.8; 2. Cameron Washington, Rockville, 21.98, w:-0.8; 3. Rayshon Andrews, Bristol East, 22.11, w:-0.8; 4. Maxim Copeland, Windsor, 22.22, w:-0.8; 5. Achillius White, Windsor, 22.52, w:-0.8; 6. Jalil Pena, Prince Tech, 22.71, w:-0.8

Boys 400 Meter Dash: 1. Hunter Howard, Windsor, 49.08; 2. Kyle Hoffman, Daniel Hand, 49.13; 3. Joshua Chen, Guilford, 49.74; 4. Hason Green, Rockville, 50.89; 5. Khailaun Shealy, Weaver, 50.94; 6. Jack Bretthauer, Jonathan Law, 51.53

Boys 800 Meter Run: 1. Jack Mulcunry, Bristol East, 1:53.43#; 2. Thomas Conklin, Lyman Hall, 1:53.55#; 3. Jack Mattingly, E.O. Smith, 1:54.70#; 4. Jacob Robinson-Smey, E.O. Smith, 1:57.67; 4. Colin Donahoe, Branford, 1:57.67; 6. Tristan Burke, Wilton, 1:57.81

Boys 1600 Meter Run: 1. Tristan Burke, Wilton, 4:23.29; 2. Nicholas Montana, Daniel Hand, 4:24.72; 3. Harrison Grenier, Daniel Hand, 4:27.42; 4. Matthias Galban, Joel Barlow, 4:27.61; 5. John Glidden, Rockville, 4:29.19; 6. Evan Bureau, Bethel, 4:29.65

Boys 3200 Meter Run: 1. Sean McCauley, East Lyme, 9:31.27; 2. Michael Byrnes, Wilton, 9:34.98; 3. John Glidden, Rockville, 9:37.74; 4. Nico Boyle, North Haven, 9:39.16; 5. Evan Bureau, Bethel, 9:39.30; 6. Matthew Carrier, East Lyme, 9:47.52

Boys 110 Meter Hurdles: (w: -2.2) 1. Cayden Drost, Notre Dame-W, 15.59; 2. Austin Zold, Pomperaug, 15.62; 3. Mickael Camara, Torrington, 15.80; 4. Liam Elliott, Daniel Hand, 15.85; 5. Garrett Paul, Rockville, 16.01; 6. Ryder Kropiwnicki, Branford, 16.07

Boys 300 Meter Hurdles: 1. Grant Harris, Windsor, 39.10; 2. Maxwell Czarnecki, RHAM, 39.11; 3. Isaiah Adams, Avon, 39.94; 4. Andres Gutierrez, Guilford, 40.04; 5. Cayden Drost, Notre Dame-W, 40.88; 6. John Daniels, Daniel Hand, 41.34

Boys 4x100 Meter Relay: 1. Windsor (Achillius White 12, Jaden Long 12, Damion Sparrow 11, Maxim Copeland 11), 42.53; 2. Rockville (Cameron Washington 12, Chase Carnevale 12, Lexington Hunter 11, Amir Knighton 10), 43.41; 3. Notre Dame-West Haven (Tremaine Barr 10, Malcolm Benton 12, Connor Seabrooks 12, Ajay Bellamy 12), 43.49; 4. Bristol Eastern (Preston Poirier 12, Justin Sanchez 12, Dennis Cruz 12, Rayshon Andrews 11), 43.67; 5. Lyman Hall (Cam Pragano 12, Timothy Conklin 10, Thomas Conklin 10, Michael Fisher 11), 43.73; 6. Foran (William Batts 10, Xavier Douglas 12, Daniel Enrico 11, Anthony Small 12), 44.12

Boys 4x400 Meter Relay: 1. Windsor (Grant Harris 12, Maxim Copeland 11, Taeshawn Berry 11, Hunter Howard 11), 3:21.01#; 2. Daniel Hand (John Daniels 10, Nicholas Montana 12, Liam Elliott 11, Kyle Hoffman 11), 3:22.95; 3. E.O. Smith (Jacob Robinson-Smey 12, Alessio Casa 11, Kenneth Bliven 12, Jack Mattingly 11), 3:25.27; 4. East Lyme (Lucas DeNucci 12, Finian Gates 11, Kai Ritz 11, Brendan Fant 12), 3:25.67; 5. Bristol Eastern (Damien Colon 11, Jack Mulcunry 12, Dennis Cruz 12, Justin Sanchez 12), 3:26.09; 6. Lyman Hall (Michael Fisher 11, Timothy Conklin 10, Cam Pragano 12, Thomas Conklin 10), 3:28.37

Boys 4x800 Meter Relay: 1. E.O. Smith (Gabriel Montoya 11, Jacob Robinson-Smey 12, Brendan Cook 10, Jack Mattingly 11), 8:00.60#; 2. East Lyme (Kai Ritz 11, Jilali Benjdid 10, Finian Gates 11, Brendan Fant 12), 8:03.31; 3. Rockville (Brendan Fauteux 12, Jared Burchell 11, John Glidden 11, Matthew Woodward 10), 8:10.69; 4. Guilford (Alex Milano 11, Coleman Love 11, Bretton Garrick 12, Michael Masotti 12), 8:11.41; 5. Bristol Eastern (Dominic Tartarelli 12, Jack Mulcunry 12, Cole Beland 9, Jase Koczur 9), 8:15.46; 6. Rham (Samuel Fortin 11, Josh Gauthier 12, Konrad Jandzinski 12, Cameron Rhodes 12), 8:20.19

Boys High Jump: 1. Dar Jankovic, E.O. Smith, 6-06; 2. Isaiah Moore, Foran, 6-04; 3. Gyan Davis, Windsor, 6-00; 4. Tremaine Barr, Notre Dame-W, 5-10; 5. Michael Sherrill, Bristol East, J5-10; 6. Enaji Muhammad, Branford, J5-10

Boys Pole Vault: 1. Ryder Kropiwnicki, Branford, 14-00; 2. Chance DeCrescenzo, Lyman Hall, 13-06; 3. Kyle Kurtz, Bethel, J13-06; 4. Shawn Henning, East Lyme, 12-06; 5. Ian Foster, Daniel Hand, 12-00; 6. Ajay Bellamy, Notre Dame-W, 11-06

Boys Long Jump: 1. Grant Harris, Windsor, 22-00.25, w:NWI; 2. Matthew Kasper, Daniel Hand, 20-09.75, w:NWI; 3. Rayshon Andrews, Bristol East, 20-04.50, w:NWI; 4. Xavier Douglas, Foran, J20-04.50, w:NWI; 5. Hason Green, Rockville, 20-02.50, w:NWI; 6. Joey Christian, Rockville, 20-00, w:NWI

Boys Triple Jump: 1. Matthew Kasper, Daniel Hand, 43-08.50, w:NWI; 2. SaVahn Warren, New London, 43-02.75, w:NWI; 3. Daniel Enrico, Foran, 42-00, w:NWI; 4. Andres Gutierrez, Guilford, 41-09.25, w:NWI; 5. Josiah Carter, Notre Dame-W, 41-03.50, w:NWI; 6. Joey Christian, Rockville, 41-01.75, w:NWI

Boys Shot Put: 1. Thomas Matlock, East Lyme, 53-10; 2. Jared Eaton, Woodstock Ac, 51-02; 3. Greyson Golda, Bethel, 50-09; 4. Quincy Davis, Windsor, 50-06.50; 5. Ethan Anderson, North Haven, 47-05.50; 6. Tristan Smith, Masuk, 46-07.50

Boys Discus: 1. Lucas DeCrescenzo, Lyman Hall, 152-03; 2. Ethan Anderson, North Haven, 152-00; 3. Tristan Smith, Masuk, 143-03; 4. Thomas Matlock, East Lyme, 141-01; 5. Jackson Hart, East Lyme, 138-05; 6. Greyson Golda, Bethel, 137-06

Boys Javelin: 1. Drew Schwartz, Branford, 172-10; 2. Joseph Fahey, RHAM, 163-03; 3. Dominic Salato, East Haven, 157-02; 4. Mason Stannard, Torrington, 153-07; 5. Thomas Bannon, Rockville, 152-02; 6. Jared Eaton, Woodstock Ac, 150-06