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05/20/2024 01:13 AMThe Valley boys’ outdoor track team has seen a remarkable surge of success when comparing the leaps it has made from last spring to now. Yet the work is far from over, as the Warriors are ready to wield that movement by making terrific postseason tracks.
The Warriors have held together and seen marked improvements in not only their total number of participants in the program but also their postseason qualifiers. Head Coach Kevin Woods gives credit to a great group of final-year competitors for the team’s growth, though he knows the impact made has its genesis from all levels of the club.
“We have a strong group of seniors that should have a successful season and help improve our team performance from last season. Many of the athletes are returning varsity letter winners, so we have high aspirations for the year. Many athletes will consistently compete in three or four events to help support the team for team scoring. We have a very dedicated group,” said Woods, whose team finished with a dual-meet season mark of 5-5. “The goal for this year's boys’ team was to finish with a record of .500 or better. We would like to see 50% or more of our team qualify for the Shoreline Championship. We would also like to improve from last year's numbers of state qualifiers.”
Captains for the squad this spring include juniors Lyle Pitman and Andrew Thomas. Pitman is part of the 4x800 and 4x400 relays while also competing in a solo effort for the 800, 300 hurdles, and 400 dash. Thomas is more of a field specialist by participating in the triple and long jumps, along with the javelin.
“Lyle has worked hard to qualify for the Shoreline Conference Championship meet. He had an outstanding race at the Running Rams Invitational, scoring an 800 time of 2:18.20, which was a team and personal best for the season. He is a vocal leader and has the respect of all his teammates both on and off the track,” said Woods. “Andrew is one of the first to arrive at practice and one of the last to leave. He never misses a competition or meet and has great dedication to improving his craft. He leads by example and consistently looks to mentor and teach other athletes, demonstrating his abilities to motivate and inspire others.”
Another resounding relay foursome is the 4x100 grouping of junior Cooper Mondelci as well as seniors McKinley Hartt, Jack Driscoll, and Aidan Babek, which clocked in a time of 45.42 seconds at the Running Rams Invitational.
Valley also boasts a great deal of depth and experience in the senior class. Those members include Driscoll (competing in the high jump, shot put, discus, 100), Babek (100, 200, high and long jump), Hartt (100 and 200; high jump), and senior Paul Giantonio (javelin, high jump).
“Jack is a multi-sport athlete who is very fast and strong. He ran an impressive time of 11.4 seconds in the 100 earlier this season. Aidan was one of the team's top point scorers from last year. He is in contention to medal in all the events he partakes in. He ran an impressive time of 11.25 seconds in the 100m against Morgan and Haddam-Killingworth,” Woods said. “One of the program's top sprinters, McKinley has grown into a very good athlete who electrifies the track with his speed. McKinley raced a speedy time of 23.58 seconds in a league meet held at Valley this past April. Paul suffered an early season injury. He is one of the league's top returning high jumpers, so it's been disappointing for him not being able to compete. He did find a new event with the javelin where he is throwing a team-best 120 feet.”
Additionally for senior stalwarts, Zach Scott is a distance runner in the 1600 and 3200, along with the 4x800 relay. Avi Siegel takes pace in the 800, 1600, and 4x800 relay squad. Zach Knox is a specialist in the shot put and discus, while Chris Lopez, Owen Livingston, and Stephen Courcy show their stuff in the shot put, discus, and javelin. Sam Kehlenbach also heaves the javelin. Junior Finn Boyles also takes flight in the trio of the long, triple, and high jump events.
“Zach is the team's top performer in the distance events. He is a strong competitor and demonstrates excellent sportsmanship at all times. Zach has run a team-best 11:18.65 in the 3200 and a 5:06 in the 1600. Avi should compete in the mid-distance and 1600 for points at the Shoreline Conference Championship,” said Woods. “Look for Zach to make a major impact in league meets, especially in the discus where he sports a throw of 103 feet. Chris helps bring depth to the throwing squad and should score consistently in the discus and shot put. Stephen is a big strong kid who should have a great year. Owen is a first-year track athlete but should be a welcoming presence to the throwing team. Sam is a returning letter winner who should contribute on both the track and in the field events. Finn is a strong jumper who should move up in the rankings amongst Shoreline Conference jumpers.”
The Warriors began postseason preparations, which kicks off with the Shoreline Conference Championship on Wednesday, May 22 at Portland High School. The Warriors have certainly cultivated a mass number of representatives to send to the conference and state title meets–a tremendous symbol of their efforts, attitude, and heart.
“We have seen many qualifiers for both the Shoreline and state championships,” said Woods. “The athletes who are the most committed to practices have seen the largest improvements since the start of the season. It shows that hard work and dedication are instrumental in both team and individual success.”
The Warriors boys’ outdoor track roster for 2024 is comprised of seniors Babek, Courcy, Driscoll, Giantonio, Hartt, Kehlenbach, Noah Knickerbocker, Zachary Knox, Livingston, Cooper Ohr, Scott, Siegel; juniors Boyles, MCoy Gosman, Alex Krizel-Boxwell, Mondelci, Pitman, Thomas; sophomores Joshua Clark, Rinze Knoop, Oliver Proctor; plus freshmen Kai Carlin, Ethan Dean, Jalen Harrell, Jonathan Howley, Kalonji Joyce, Finnegan Recchia, and William Ung.
Woods, who is also the boys’ basketball team’s head coach, is back for his third season at the helm for the track squad. He is assisted by Nathan Siegel (throwing coach, in his fourth season), hurdles/sprinting coach Ryan Guertin, and Kathryn Ryan (also the girls’ outdoor track team head coach) as distance coach.