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06/05/2024 10:49 AMThe Haddam-Killingworth boys’ outdoor track team may have been knocked off its perch atop the Shoreline Conference last season and seen its three-year reign come to a close. Yet the Cougars clawed their way back to their throne with a well-rounded performance to begin a potential new dynasty.
At the Shoreline Conference Championships on May 22 at Portland High School, the Cougars tallied 142.5 points and claimed their first conference crown since finishing off a three-peat from the 2019, 2021, and 2022 seasons. H-K was runner-up to Cromwell (134 team points on the day) a year ago, the same squad they outlasted by 8.5 points to take the top spot this spring.
“Cromwell was a strong team last year, and we knew they were returning a strong team this year. We prepared all season long for this meet. We actually beat them in a dual meet the week prior,” said Head Coach Matt Diglio. “It was a tough day and was really hot. The kids performed well, and a lot of them did three or four events, so they all battled hard. These kids deserve all the credit, and Cromwell is also a well-coached team. We actually won the team title without any solo event winners, which shows the depth of our team.”
Sophomore Eli Hamann-Shay was fourth for the 100 meters in a time of 11.88 seconds. Shay was then runner-up for the 200 by clocking in at 23.03 seconds, as Portland’s Sam LaMalfa finished first in a mark of 22.84 ticks.
“The Shoreline Championship to me was a special meet and, in my mind, the most important one of the season. Out of all the meets we had this season, it was the one that meant the most to me and everyone else and brought the team together as well as the entirety of the team,” said Shay. “Coming into the meet, there was obvious nerves for everyone, especially me. Once we arrived, I knew I needed to perform, and I needed to do the best I could for the team and myself, since this meet required a massive team effort to win. I knew that I would run up to five races and would really need to push myself, and giving it my all would be a huge contribution to the team's success.”
Shay kept pace in the sprinting events by seeing third in the 400 in a span of 53.07 seconds. Senior Luke Staskelunas was right behind him in fourth (53.26 seconds), while classmate Dylan Churyk finished sixth in 54.77.
“When it came to the 100-meter dash finals, I knew I would have to step it up and get top five minimum to score a good amount of points for the team,” said Shay. “Then to the 400-meter dash, my personal favorite, I ended up finishing third which was great, especially with the hindrance of finishing the 100-meter dash finals hardly five minutes before racing in the 400. Now to the 200, I was extremely fatigued due to having three races already, but I knew I had to place well for the team and push through whatever pain and fatigue I had. I ended up finishing second in the 200-meter dash, scoring eight points for the team, and in total for my individual events, scoring 19 points for the team.”
In the 800, junior Matt Lara raced to seventh (2:12.74), and sophomore Cash Smigel came in eighth (2:12.80). For the 1600, H-K was paced by sophomore Dan McCourt in fourth at 4:38.45, junior Jack Cozean in sixth (4:41.45), and senior Luke Hedges at eighth (4:45.44). McCourt was then second with respect to the 3200–recording a time of 10 minutes and 23.67 seconds–behind only Hale Ray’s Matt Kraszewski (10:18.02). Smigel was seventh (10:33.15) and Cozean was eighth (10:36.06) for the same event.
Senior Ryan Ruggiero finished fifth for the 100 hurdles (18.14 seconds) before coming in fourth for the 300 hurdles (44.24 ticks).
In relays, the 4x400 squad took home the top spot in three minutes and 30.36 seconds with the foursome of Smigel, Samuel Greenwood, Dylan Churyk, and Staskelunas. Also victorious on the day was the 4x800 group in Cozean, Hedges, Lara, and Smigel with a collective clock of eight minutes and 29.66 seconds. The 4x100 group of Greenwood, Tetsuya Imai, Jonah Keithan, and Staskelunas finished fourth (time of 45.15 seconds).
Junior Trevor Dixon tossed his way to fourth in the shot put (48-6), and then junior Mitchell Kelsey placed sixth (46-0), and fellow junior Tim Cavrell was seventh (42-9). In the discus, Cavrell finished fourth (131-4) and Kelsey followed at fifth (125-11). Dixon was the conference runner-up for the javelin with a 169-10 showing, as Rob Estabrook of Morgan was first (174-3). Cavrell came in third (155-05) for the competition. Ruggiero came in third for the pole vault (10-6), junior Koen Thomen finished fifth (10-0), and senior Jonah Keithan was seventh (9-6).
Junior Cody Robinson placed eighth for the high jump (5 feet-6 inches). Junior Joseph Slane came in seventh for the long jump (18-1.5). Staskelunas saw second in the triple jump (40-4), coming behind only Portland’s Kylon Martinez (41-9). Meanwhile in that same event, junior Ryan Rafferty placed seventh (38-2), and Robinson was eighth (37-9.5).
“I am very proud of how everyone went out and competed to the best of their ability with how hot it was. We had some really good all-around performances, and everybody did their part to help the team win,” said Staskelunas. “Coming into it, we knew it was going to be close between us and Cromwell. Coming down to the last few events really showed how much our depth helped us beat them. Being in the final event and going out and getting a huge PR in the triple jump on my final jump to clinch the championship really meant a lot to me, and to do it with my family watching really helped me to get that jump. It really means a lot to be able to be a captain of this team; being able to see them get better each and every day makes me really happy. Being so close during indoor track and coming out and winning this title just proves how much each of us wanted it, and it was very nice to be able to watch it all unfold.”
On the day, all of the event winners were awarded First Team All-Shoreline recognition, while runners-up were bestowed with Second Team accolades.
At the Class M State Championship on May 28, Dixon was third for shot put (48-4), Hamann-Shay was fourth for the 400 (50.03), Cavrell finished eighth for the javelin (148-3), and Staskelunas saw seventh with the triple jump (41-2.5). In relays, the 4x100 relay was eighth (44.65 seconds), and the 4x400 group was seventh (3:30.02). H-K placed 16th as a team with 17 points.
Dilgio commended his captains in Ruggiero, Hedges, and Staskelunas for their leadership abilities and influence felt throughout every tier of the program. He explained it all culminated in the Cougars’ finest hour for the 2024 campaign.
“We have a great group of seniors and also captains. We had our ups and downs this year, but the kids kept working hard. The captains led the way, and the rest of the team followed,” said Diglio. “We had a win in the 4x800 relay, which was a nice way to start. The team standings went back and forth all day, and then it came down to the last three events. We finished second, seventh, and eighth for the 3200, and then the 4x400 was a big swing for us. Then, we were up by 2.5 points going into the triple jump, the final event that took us over the top. The boys worked hard all year long, and they really stepped up at Shorelines. I am very proud of them all.”
The 2024 H-K boys’ roster is comprised of seniors Churyk, Hedges, Caden Lawrence, Ruggiero, Logan Rich, Staskelunas, Ben Werner, Kevin White; juniors Tyler Anderson, Cavrell, Cozean, Liem Criscuolo, Dixon, Greenwood, Eduardo Karkutt-Kulak, Kelsey, Bryce Lacoss, Lara, Eli Lowrey, Colin Mitchell, Ryan Rafferty, Slane, Jackson Snow, Thomen; sophomores Alexander Fredericksen, Anthony Fredericksen, Hamann-Shay, Tetsuya Imai, Michael Johnson, McCourt, Cole Newman, Nate Novick, Smigel, Adam Stall-Ryan, Wesley Stevens; plus freshmen Evan Berardino, Paul Birkmeyer, Dylan Brown, Jake Favalora, Grant Ignatuk, Chase Keeling, Hugh Law, Cole Therrien, Desmond Thompson, and Wyatt Voegtli.