The track and field teams at Guilford High School battled through adversity all season due to a lack of athletes this spring. However, that didn't stop the Grizzlies from putting together some solid showings at the SCC East Sectional Championship that was hosted at Bowen Field in New Haven last week.

The Guilford girls' team scored 57 points on its way to taking sixth place, while the boys finished eighth with 46 points scored at the West Sectional meet, which began on May 17

and resumed two days later due to rain and lightning. In the end, the Grizzlies were able to advance several athletes to the SCC Championship that is being held this week.

Guilford saw several top performances on the girls' side of competition at sectionals. Junior captain Julia Antony claimed first place in the 1,600 with a time of 5:05.97 and also finished second in the 3,200 with a mark of 11:27.44 for the Grizzlies.

"Julia has been unbelievable all season," girls' Head Coach Jon Rivera said. "She doesn't get enough credit for what she does. She is not only a great runner, but a great captain and leader of the team."

Sophomore Ursula Adams earned runner-up honors in the 800 by posting a time of 2:27 at the meet. Junior Rachel Ellison finished second in the javelin with a toss of 97 feet-5 inches. Senior captain Zoe McClure took second place in the high jump (4-8) and finished fourth in the triple jump (33-0) for the Grizzlies.

Sophomore Alexa Suchy finished fifth in the 3,200 (12:09.99) and was sixth in the 1,600 (5:27). Freshman Madeleine Gasparini also showed out in her first postseason meet by placing eighth in the triple jump (31-4.5) and 10th in the 300 hurdles (53.62) on behalf of Coach Rivera's squad.

"Overall, as a team, I thought we did well," said Rivera. "There are always going to be a few performances that aren't the best, but for the most part, the girls were at their best. This meet always marks the start of championship season, so every meet from here on out increases in importance.

Sophomore Clara Laughlin finished ninth (12:55.68) in the 3,200, while freshman Michaela Hogan came in 12th place (14:27.12) in the event. Sophomore Eliza Hastings took seventh in the long jump (14-9), and sophomore Jadyn Week finished tied for 13th in the high jump (4-4). Senior Kelsey Lynch finished in 16th place in the 300 hurdles with a time of 59.73.

The Grizzlies had plenty of athletes place in both the 200 and the 800 at sectionals. In the 200, sophomore Gabriella Esposito finished 10th (30.98), sophomore Eliza Hastings placed 26th (31.09) and senior Maya Rumanoff finished 28th (31.49). For the 800, senior Moira Kellaher took 12th place (2:36.69), junior Rachel Ellison finished 17th (2:42.68), senior Janna Ellman came in 22nd place, (2:48.17), and senior Sydney Schlagheck finished 24th (2:53.71).

Next up for Guilford is the SCC Championship that took place on May 25 (after press time). After that, the Grizzlies will compete in the Class L State Championship at Willow Brook Park in New Britain on Tuesday, June 1 at 4 p.m.

"For this upcoming week, we are hoping to keep improving our performances. We had several personal bests last week, and this is the time of year when we expect the best performances," Coach Rivera said. "Last week was very hot, which is not ideal for the distance runners, but beneficial to the field athletes, so there are pros and cons. Some girls, this may be their last performance of the season, so you want that to be their best to end on a high note. Our hope is to get a couple more girls qualified for states this week."

The Guilford boys' outdoor track team also put forth its fair share of quality performances in the East Sectional meet, qualifying several athletes for the SCC Championship. Senior captain Reese Puchalski and junior Justin Shiffrin led the way for the Grizzlies as each runner earned a second-place finish and a fourth-place finish at sectionals.

Puchalski took second place in the 800 with a time of 2:02.33 and claimed fourth in the 1,600 at 4:35.71. Shiffrin finished second in the 1,600 (4:31.60) and was fourth for the 800 (2:02.80). Guilford's 4x800 relay of senior Caleb Harris, sophomore Michael Masotti, sophomore Bretton Garrick, and junior Thomas Gregory also finished second by clocking in with a time of 8:31.84 for Head Coach George Cooksey's club.

"You want to have that imaginative belief that you could win, and I wanted these athletes to push themselves beyond what they thought they were capable at this meet," said Cooksey. "At the start of this meet, we talked about taking a risk. Most of them followed through by taking that risk and earned personal-best times. It was all about taking that risk and trusting their running."

Senior Tanner Updyke finished in third place in the 3,200 with a time of 9:58.78 for Guilford. Gregory came in sixth place in the 800 (2:03.78), and Masotti finished 12th in the 3,200 (10:53.82).

Freshman Andres Gutierrez finished seventh in the triple jump (37-11) and 12th in the 300 hurdles (50.74) for Guilford. Junior Carson Tosta finished eighth in the 300 hurdles with a 47.52. Junior Ian Rose finished 10th in the shot put with a throw of 38-2 and took 13th in the discus behind a distance of 101-3.

The Grizzlies were well-represented in the 800 as Garrick finished 10th (2:07.02), sophomore Zach Pawelek placed 13th (2:13.75), and freshman Mackinley Cho came in 14th place (2:15.07). Freshman Coleman Love finished 10th in the 1,600 (4:41.06), while junior Jaylen Dolmus ran a time of 25.08 to place 18th in the 200.

Like the girls' team, the Guilford boys participated in the SCC Championship earlier this week. For states, the boys' squad is competing at the Class MM State Championship at Willow Brook Park on Wednesday, June 2 at 10 a.m.

"Coming into this season, what I found out about this team is that we are special, because every kid works so hard," Coach Cooksey said. "No one goofs off, and they have a great sense of gratitude. That to me makes all the difference to me, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish at the next meet."