Indoor Track: HKHS Boys Win Shoreline, Runner Up at States; Girls Place 2nd at Shorelines, 7th at States

Submitted by Richard Dupuis, Coach.

Haddam Killingworth Boys Indoor Track team wins Shoreline Championship. Girls place second

On Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, the 12-team Shoreline Conference held its Indoor Track and Field Championship meet at Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven.

In recent years, the Old Saybrook Girls team has dominated the Shoreline Conference and this year was no exception as the Saybrook girls accumulated 164 points to win easily. What was different this year was the performance of the HK girls. For the previous two years, HK had placed third in close competition. The team’s scoring had come from a handful of girls who did a great job, but they had moved on. This year’s team was for the most part, young and inexperienced. Yet as the season progressed, the team started to develop. As they entered the league championship, it wasn’t clear where they would end up. Much to the surprise of many, the girls earned 96 points to outdistance East Hampton which had earned 72 points. It was a total team victory. Based on a scoring system of places 1-8, With the exception of the 4×400 relay, which HK did not enter, HK had one or more scorers in every event entered. In addition; over the course of the meet, HK relays and individuals achieved their personal best performances in more than 20 instances. Both of these statistics are testimony to the progress and effort of the girls collectively.

That being said, two individuals stood out for their first place finishes. One of the best performances of the meet was that of Kedarjah Lewis who won the 300 meter dash with a time of 42.67 which was fractions of a second from both the meet record and HK’s school record. Kedarjah also placed second to Cromwell’s Andraya Yearwood in the 55 meter dash with a time that was 1/100 of a second from the school record. HK’s other gold medalist was Gabby Lester who won the Shot Put with a toss of 30’7”. HK’s top relay of the day was the 4×800 team of Isabel Beradino, Julia Callis, Charlotte Selmer and Ali Twachtman which finished second.

In recent years the boys’ competition has seen a close battle between HK and Old Saybrook. This year there was no reason to expect otherwise, as the Rams had several outstanding athletes returning. However, the result demonstrated both the quality and depth of HK as the boys pulled away from the Rams scoring 170 points with Old Saybrook scoring 108 and the third place team, East Hampton 80. As with the girls, it was essentially a total team effort with HK placing at least one or more athletes in the top five in all of the events. Also, like the girls, about 20 of them had personal best performances.

The meet began with HK’s 4×200 relay team of Dalton Modehn, Dmytri Mallon, Aidan Coleman and Seth Regan winning a time of 1:35.46. In addition, Dymtri and Seth were joined by Luke Sodergren and Max Cozean to win the Sprint Medley Relay. The members of those two relays were able to collectively provide 46 points from individual events, for a combined 66 points towards the team total. In the process, Seth Regan won the 55 dash and Luke Sodergren won the 55 hurdles.

Also, Matt Jennings repeated his remarkable feat from last year winning all three distance races, the 1000M run, the 1600M run and the 3200M run. Matt’s 1000M time of 2:32.94 broke the meet record demonstrating why the HK Junior is recognized as among of the better distance runners in the State. Joining Matt in the 1000, 4^th and the 3200 2^nd was Sophomore Caleb Freeman.

Still another first place finish was provided by John Bruder in the Shot Put. John’s throw of 43’8” surpassed his previous best by almost four feet. John was joined in the Shot put by Colin and Jaden Mack and Dylan Champagne who contributed 8 additional points to the team score. Without diminishing the efforts of the remainder of the Cougar Boy’s performances, one last individual contributor to HK’s scoring was Eamon Sweeney, Earlier in the season he demonstrated his overall talent and skills placing third in the CT HS Pentathlon, where he also met the State individual qualifying standards in four of the five events contested. His versatility as a jumper was demonstrated in the Conference Championship as he was able to place second in the high jump and fourth in the long jump.

A number of the girls and boys teams will be competing in the Class S Championship on Friday 2/14.

HK Co-Coaches, Sean Gallagher and Dick Dupuis wish to congratulate all of the girls and boys for their performances . They also wish to express their gratitude to Assistants Kristie Kaminski and Evan Woicik for their contributions to the success of the team.

HK Boys Indoor Track team Runner Up in Class S State Championship

Following their Shoreline Championship on Saturday, the HK Boys Indoor Track team turned in another great effort, earning the CIAC Runner Up trophy in the Class S State Championship behind the perennial powerhouse Bloomfield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2020. Two other Shoreline Schools, East Hampton 3^rd and Old Saybrook 4^th followed HK.

Standout performances were provided by Matt Jennings, who won the 1000, and then joined by Aidan Coleman, Seth Regan, Dmytri Mallon won the Sprint Medley Relay. Relays keyed much of the team’s success providing HK with 29 of the team’s 51 points. The 4×400 relay team of Aidan Coleman, Luke Sodergren, Owen Howes and Dmytri Mallon ran their best race of the season placing second. Earlier in the meet A. Coleman, Regan and Mallon joined by Dalton Modehn placed fourth in the 4X200 Relay less than one second from second place. That relay was followed by the 4×800 relay in which HK’s team of Lucas Kamoen, Max Cozean, Michael Coleman and Caleb Freeman place third.

In addition to the relays, several of the boys fared well in individual events. HK’s top individuals were: Caleb Freeman third, in the 3200 and Seth Regan, fourth in the 55 Dash. In addition, Eamon Sweeney, high jump, John Bruder, Shot Put and Luke Sodergren, 55 Hurdles each placed sixth.

The HK Girls finished seventh in the team standings. Kedarjah Lewis contributed 22 of the team’s 24 points. With still another amazing day, the newcomer to the track and field scene managed second place finishes in the long jump and the 300 meter dash and a third place finish in the 55 meter Dash where she set a new school record 7.24. The remainder of the Girls’ scoring resulted from the fifth place finish in the 4×800 relay team of Isabel Berardino, Julia Callis, Brianna Minervino and Ali Twachtman.

Photos by Carol Dupuis and Charles Lynskey.