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06/13/2023 08:27 AMBuilding a team of success is hard enough in itself, but having a squad that excels above their peers takes extra dedication, time, and a constant grind to succeed. A special group of boys on the Westbrook outdoor track team used their passion for the sport and their hard-working attitudes to punch a ticket to the big stage.
The boys’ 4x100 relay team qualified for Nike Nationals after running a team race time of 43.79 on May 6 at the Marty Roberts Invitational. A few weeks later, the foursome improved their time with a 43.17 while winning their second Shoreline Conference Championship on May 24. 43.98 is the qualifying time for Nationals, and the boys ran their legs of the race at approximately 10.79 seconds each. As a result, they will compete at the University of Oregon in Eugene at the Hayward Field on June 17.
The 4x100 team is comprised of cousins Vinny Naccarato and Brandon Naccarato (known as the Naccarato Sandwich) and twin brothers John Grace and James Grace. All four runners are seniors. The team showed up on the track last year as juniors, with the exception of Brandon, who joined his sophomore year and was part of the Second Team All-Shoreline 4x100 relay in 2021.
James, who runs the third leg of the relay, always enjoys running with his twin brother, because it brings a good mix of fun and competitiveness to the practices and races.
“Running with John makes it both fun but also he helps keep me competitive by pushing me to do what I need to do,” said James. “Also with a twin on the team it helps have a nice balance of competitiveness and fun at the same time.”
The team is coached by Sheridan Bauman, an East Lyme native who has been the team’s coach since 2012. For Bauman, seeing the boys qualify for Nationals meant everything after they came up just short a season ago.
“Qualifying for the Nike Outdoor National Championship in Eugene, Oregon was a year-long goal when we came within hundredths of a second in qualifying last year at the State Open,” said Bauman. “It felt great to achieve that goal before the season was over and to see them run so much faster to win the championship.”
This is the first time in about a decade that Westbrook has had a team earn this accomplishment and all four kids were very proud of the feat, knowing all along that they could make it happen. For Brandon, who runs the extremely crucial anchor leg of the sprint race, it was something he had his sights set on for a few years.
“It meant a lot to me as we worked so hard to get there,” said Brandon. “I started track as a sophomore and it’s been a huge goal of mine to qualify for Nationals so it really meant a lot to me. This is definitely up there with basketball All-State and 1,000 points. Those three are three of my most proud accomplishments.”
John runs the second leg for the group and knows he is in a crucial spot of having to keep the momentum that was started in the first 100 meters, making the moment that much more special for him.
“This is definitely the biggest accomplishment I’ve had throughout my high school career,” said John.
The first leg of any relay race is important, but particularly a sprint one that involves having to start off strong to maintain a competitive pace. For the Knights, this portion is run by Vinny, who recognized the significance of racing at such a big level.
“It meant that all of our training and hard work paid off. It also meant that we reached our biggest team goal,” said Vinny. “I would say as a 4x1 team this is our biggest accomplishment because we’ve won races in the past but never qualified for Nationals.”
Trust in each other played a large part in the foursome’s accomplishments this spring. Bauman said that the team’s confidence in one another and their individual selflessness are key components of what makes the boys successful. Each athlete wants their teammates to succeed just as much as they want to, and that’s why the boys have great chemistry which Bauman believes is the secret sauce to being successful in the sport.
James understands the value of having that trust in one another, making it that much more enjoyable as a group when you accomplish something special.
“It definitely feels good especially as a relay because it helps us develop trust in each other that we will all come through when we need it most together,” said James.
As the team prepares for the biggest run of their lives, Bauman is using her own experience to help ease the athletes’ nerves. She competed for Nationals as a rower in high school and understands the pressure that comes with that level of competition. As a result, she’s been telling them to “do your thing,” and treat the race as if it’s like any other race.
In order to prepare for the trip to Oregon, the boys are fousing on loosening up their bodies, bumping up the intensity at practice, remaining calm, cool, and collected while staying hungry to place first in the event.
With Westbrook being a small town, the boys hope to put it on the map and bring home a national championship for the 4x100. Vinny knows it will take perfect execution on all fronts to make that happen.
“It would mean the world to us because everything would have to come together perfectly and we would have to run the best race of our lives,” said Vinny. “Also, that would be the absolute best way to end our high school track and field careers.”
Brandon echoed the sentiments of his cousin, saying that for him personally, giving the community of Westbrook, CT national recognition would be extremely rewarding.
“I would love to give our small town such a big reputation booster around not only the state, but the whole country,” said Brandon.
James and John know that they can set the precedent for athletics in their town for years to come if they bring home a trophy when facing the best athletes the country has to offer.
“If we were to place first at Nationals that would be a very big accomplishment not just for us, but also the town of Westbrook,” James said. “It would put our town in the spotlight for Westbrook sports down the line so kids can get the recognition they deserve.”
The bigger schools typically get more recognition for athletics especially at the state-wide level, so John understands that winning Nationals would mean more acknowledgement for a sports town that isn’t used to seeing the spotlight.
“It would be very cool to win Nationals coming from a school that’s not very big for sports,” said John.
Bauman is grateful to have been able to coach the boys and watch them grow throughout their track careers, hoping the experience of competing at a country-wide level will translate to real-life situations and encourage them to set higher personal goals in their lives.
“Running at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon on June 17 on the track where the most famous track and field athletes in the world have run is an opportunity I really want the boys to experience,” said Bauman. “Westbrook is such a small school and our team is tiny. I want them to have that big moment, to be with the best in the country. They may not fully grasp what it means yet, but I look at sports as a metaphor for life. I want them to know they can make big goals, work hard, and go get something bigger. I hope this experience gives them the confidence to do that in life, to apply for that internship in college, to advocate for a higher paying job, to set big life goals and go make them happen.”