Newtown High School’s indoor track and field teams competed in the Class L State Championships at the Floyd Little Athletic Center on February 18 and came home with a record-setting performance. The boys’ squad had a pair of champions and the girls’ lineup took home a runner-up event finish along with several top fives.

The sprint medley relay team (1600), comprising Danniel Teixeira, Bryce Maddox, Elias Brady, and Soheib Dissa was first in a Class L Championship meet record-setting time of 3:36.83 (also a Newtown High record).

As a team, the Nighthawk boys finished in a three-way tie for sixth with 24 points; Xavier of Middletown was first with 88 points. On the girls’ side, NHS was eighth with 30 points; Windsor took first with 93.

“The coaches are really proud of the immense efforts and enthusiasm of our student athletes. They worked tremendously hard all season and took pride in their efforts and continue to come together to do amazing things,” said NHS boys’ Coach Nick Fraticelli, noting that two school records were broken this season with Brady’s 22-7.5 in the long jump before the state meet.

In the Class L meet 1000 Soheib Dissa was first in a time of 2:36.52 and Ubay Dissa placed ninth in 2:44.23. Newtown’s Orion Lowery came in eighth in the 3200 with a time of 10:14.24 and Ubay Dissa placed 11th in 10:36.98.

The 4x200 relay team of Teixeira, Maddox, Tanner Smith, and Justyn Gonzalez came in 11th in 1:39.50. Newtown’s 4x800 relay comprising Aarav Shetty, Mitchell Greenhaw, Mark Caratas, and Reid Karnas was 11th in 9:19.24. The 4x400 relay team of Derek Jopp, Smith, Gonzalez, and Gabriel Marques came in 15th in 3:59.62.

NHS had some strong efforts in the field events with Brady coming in fourth with a leap of 21-00 and Maddox finishing 15th with a 19-08 in the long jump. High jumper Owen Smith placed eighth, clearing the bar at 5-08.

The girls were led by Natalie McLean with a second-place outcome in the 1000; she came across the finish line in 3:09.81.

The 4x400 relay contingent of Rachael Albrecht, Natalie delCampo, Kelsey Brennan, and McLean came in fifth in 4:17.93. The 4x800 of Albrecht, Clare Csaszar, McLean, and delCampo was third in 10:10.71. Newtown’s sprint medley team of Abigail Manka, Summer-Rose Chaljub, Jessie Moore, and Csaszar came in fifth in 4:40.32. The 4x200 squad comprising Manka, Moore, Brennan, and Lola Kessler placed 11th in 1:53.57.

Newtown was strong in throws and jumps. Jamie Humphreys took tenth in the shot-put event with a 30-05. In the pole vault competition Kessler was third with a 9-06, Bridget Gioffe placed eighth with an 8-06, and Csaszar was 13th with an 8-00.

Long jumper Aashni Shetty came in third with a leap of 16-10 and teammate Violet Assante-LaBash took 15th with a 15-00.50.

Up next is the State Open, back at the Floyd Little Athletic Center, Saturday, February 22 at noon.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.