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05/31/2015 12:00 AMHeading into this year’s Shoreline Conference championship, the Rams’ boys’ outdoor track team had a title to defend after it had won last season’s meet by scoring 133 points. On May 27, Old Saybrook once again demonstrated why it’s the conference’s top squad by claiming its second-straight Shoreline crown with an even higher point total of 165—well ahead of runner-up and host Coginchaug, which scored 109.
“The team did very well. A lot of these kids were on last year’s team and they displayed their experience on the track,” said Rams’ Head Coach Adam Eldridge. “We had athletes that placed in the top three and athletes that were able to get close to the top 10. They’ve put in the effort needed to win. This is how hard these kids worked and they’re getting rewarded with another title.”
Lucas Sumby got the Rams charging with a win in the 110-meter high hurdles behind a time of 15.29 seconds and he also took first in the 300 hurdles at 41.35. Fellow junior Alex VanVliet was triumphant in long jump with a distance of 20 feet-7 inches, along with posting a victory in the triple jump (43-5) to go with third-place showings in the high jump (5-10) and 110 hurdles (16.08).
"Lucas has been lights-out on the hurdles and he outshined everyone against the top hurdlers in the conference. "He's been a top performer and he's been able to help out the team get better in their events and he leaves a lasting impression," said Eldridge. "VanVleit's been giving his all on the jumping events. He adds a dynamic that is hard to go up against."
Other first-place performers for the Rams were Thomas Strand in the 400-meter dash (50.94), senior classmate Max Urban in the high jump (6-0), and senior Noah Boland in the discus (164-6).
Strand also took fourth in the 800-meter run at 2:05.82, junior Dondre Swain was second in the 200 (23.26), and both Strand and Swain joined forces with juniors Quinlen Earles and Aaron Jiang to take third in the 4x400 relay (3:37.34). Also, junior Austin Smith claimed third in pole vault (12-0), Boland was fifth in javelin throw (140-0), junior Carl Anderson placed third in javelin (141-3), senior Sone Sourignamath finished second in triple jump (42-1.25), junior Mitch Bruehwiler finished third in that event with a 39-8, and sophomore Austin Reynolds placed fifth in triple jump at 39-5. Other point-scoring performances for the Rams included Sourignamath earning fifth in long jump (20-3.75) and senior Say Sourignamath taking third in the discus (128-2), an event in which junior Austin Goodhue was seventh (107-4).
“We had four out of five of our guys place in the top five in one event. We took away the triple jump and racked up plenty of points,” said Coach Eldridge. “Getting three athletes from your team earn top-three spots in one event is just unheard of. These kids trained hard before and during the season to get to this position.”
The Rams’ 4x800 relay of senior Nick Husted, Reynolds, junior Hunter Stuart, and Jeff Dicker finished third (8:36.50); plus the 4x100 grouping of Swain, Earles, Jiang, and Smith placed sixth (46.08).
“Coming into the Shoreline Championship, we knew that our relay teams were going to have to make a push against the other schools in our conference and they did well,” said Eldridge. “We earned two third-place finishers from our 4x400 and 4x800 teams and our 4x100 team set a new [best] time this season at 46.08 seconds—just .12 seconds better. They did tremendous coming off the line and running around the corners and passing the baton off well.”
The determination, heart, and effort that Old Saybrook showed in winning its consecutive conference titles has Eldridge eager to see will unfold in the Class S State Championship at Willowbrook Park in New Britain on Monday, June 1. Old Saybrook finished third in last year’s meet with 58.5 points and the Rams are looking to improve their class status.
“We have over 15 guys that will be partaking in the states. All of our guys that placed well in Shorelines and earlier meets are getting a chance to get into the medal spots on [June 1],” said Eldridge. “I’ll be happy with our team’s performance regardless of team points. As long as everyone keeps working hard and leaving everything out, I’ll be happy.”