NHS Track Competitors Have Success

Selected members of the Newtown High School indoor track team traveled to Coxe Cage at Yale University in New Haven on January 30 to compete in the 2009 South-West Conference Track & Field Tune-Up Invitational. This was a last opportunity to qualify or improve upon qualification times and distances for the SWC Championships which will be held Saturday, February 7, at the New Haven Athletic Center. It was also an opportunity to qualify for the Class LL State Championships which are scheduled for Friday, February 13, also at the NHAC.

A new school record was set at the meet in the boys’ 4x200 meter relay. The team of Kevin Bonacci, Brian Cawley, David Hutchison and Matt Narel set the new mark at 1:39.91. The previous record had been set in 2005 during the Class LL State Championships (1:41.37) by Nick Varga, Dan Tichon, Dan Gindraux and Liam Cawley (Brian Cawley’s older brother).

In addition to a number of time and distance improvements at the meet, the following athletes qualified for the SWC’s and/or State Championship competitions.

New SWC Qualifiers:

55-meter dash - Brian Cawley, 7.31

600 - Ryan Powers, 1:36.99

1000 - Palmer Lintz, 2:56.53

55 - Kelley Sullivan, 8.20

300 - Lauren Pettinelli, 46.07

1600 - Jenny vanVeen, 5:59.82

3200 - Erin Begg, 12:43.25

long jump - Lauren O’Connell, 13-04.25    

New State Qualifiers:

300 - David Hutchison, 39.67 and Ken Toal, 40.20

300 - Lauren Pettinelli, 46.07

1600 - Erin Begg, 5:48.81

long jump - Emily Korth, 14-08.75