Nighthawk Girls And Boys Compete In Class LL Track State Championships

By Anna Hodge

Coming off strong performances in the South-West Conference championships the week before, Newtown High School’s track and field teams competed in the Class LL State Championships in New Britain on May 31.

The boys’ team took eighth overall with 41 points, and Manchester won the meet with 75 points.

Newtown thrower John Wlasuk paved the way for the Nighthawks to place as they did. The senior took first in shot put event with a throw of 59-8, and in the discus, with a throw of 168-2. He then placed second in the javelin with a 176-5, falling only to Brian Eilers of Simsbury, who took first with a toss of 180 feet.

The relay teams added to the overall success of the team. The 4x800 meter relay team of Jake Feinstein, Palmer Lintz, Pat Sullivan, and Dieter Gutbrod placed fourth with a time of 8:02.1. Meanwhile, Brandon Capaldo, Peter Kerns, Ken Toal, and Aaron Nezvesky of the 4x100 relay, took ninth with their race time of 44.15 seconds. Kerns also contributed to the performance of the 4x400 meter relay. The junior, along with Logan Puleri, Aaron Nezvesky, and John Hampford, took 14th in the relay event in 3:37.35.

Kerns also competed in the 400 meter dash. The only Newtown athlete in the event, he took tenth with a final time of 51.73 seconds. Fellow relay team member and senior captain, Ken Toal, with a solid race of 23.64 seconds, took ninth overall in the 200 meter dash.

Newtown also rose to the challenge in the distance events. Sophomore Jake Feinstein took home the highest place earning among NHS distance runners. With a time of 9:32.95, Feinstein earned second in the 3200 meter run. Junior Palmer Lintz took 13th in the 800 meter run with a 2:03.81, and teammate Pat Sullivan followed seconds later in 17th place with a time of 2:05.23.

Newtown’s girls’ squad placed 12th with 22 points, and Danbury took first with 108 points. Despite the overall place holding, throughout the competition, the Newtown athletes took various top place finishes in their events.

In the 100 meter hurdles, senior Lauren Pettinelli took fourth overall in 16.60 seconds, followed by sophomore Zoe Eggleston who took seventh in 17.2. Pettinelli then took sixth in the 300 meter hurdles in a time of 48.56.

Sophomore Reagan Cerney was fourth in the 800 meter run in 2:22.03. Cerney was also part of the 4x400 meter relay team, along with Emma Fiore, Alex Scarpa, and Pettinelli. The relay placed 14th with a time of 4:21.32. Meanwhile, the 4x800 relay team of Erin Begg, Jenny VanVeen, Mara Scallon, and Anne Martino took tenth overall in 10:10.81.

Newtown fared well in the field events of the meet as well. In the javelin, junior Stefanie Clavette placed 11th, throwing 86-11. In the shot put, freshman Amy Anyoha took ninth with a toss of 30-7.5. In the high jump, junior Bri Hart took eighth with a jump of 4-10. Junior Lauren O’Connell, meanwhile, took the top places in long jump and triple jump. O’Connell placed seventh in long jump with a leap of 16-4.5, and set a new school record in the triple jump, placing fifth with a 34-10.5 effort.

Doug Russell, coach of the girls, was extremely pleased with the meet’s results. “We did very well,” Russell said. “We had great finishes with Pettinelli in the 100 meter hurdles, Cerney in the 800 meter run and O’Connell in the triple jump.” He added that these three athletes will be going to the State Open on June 7.

“Most of the girls that did well [at the LL meet] were underclassmen,” Russell said. “It gives me a really positive outlook for next year.”