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07/15/2016 12:00 AMThe Guilford girls’ outdoor track team featured a young group that had to move up to a tougher class in states this spring, but the Indians held their own, while building a foundation for some successful seasons trekking forward.
Head Coach Jon Rivera’s squad went 5-7 for the dual-meet season before placing fifth out of 10 schools at the SCC East Sectional Championship. The Indians then finished 14th at the SCC Championship and 24th in the state meet after they learned midseason that they were getting bumped up to Class L. Although Coach Rivera was hoping for a better finish at states, he’s still pleased with how his young club handled competing in a higher tier and feels that the experience will benefit his program down the road.
“Our goal coming in to this year was to build off of the previous year, where we did well at states. We had a younger team with many coming back. I was a little disappointed with how we did in states, but we did have a late switch, up a class, yet it ties into next year’s goals with trying to perform well at a higher level,” said Rivera. “The season was a good learning experience. With moving up to Class L, we got to see the best of the best and we’re better for it. We’re heading in the right direction.”
The crowning achievement of Guilford’s postseason came at the Sectional Championship, where the 4x800 relay of junior Andrea Basilicato and sophomores Chloe Shaw, Elissa Strand, and Jacqui Guerra claimed victory with a time of 10:27.85. Also at that meet, Guerra was runner-up in the 1,600 behind a mark of 5:41.49.
In terms of Guilford’s team awards, sophomore Lauren Hilgert, who did the high jump, triple jump, and 300 hurdles, scored the most points for the Indians and was also chosen as their Most Improved Player. Guerra was named Most Valuable Player for the track events, plus freshman shot putter Jalynn McCown was the field MVP, while anchoring a crop of throwers who shined brightly throughout the campaign.
“Jalynn threw close to 110 feet this year, which is outstanding for a freshman. She really carried us in throwing this year,” Coach Rivera said. “The year was a great experience for her and a very pleasant surprise. Throwing was actually a real strength for us this season.”
Guilford went through something rare this year in that the team did not have one single senior on its roster. However, junior captain sprinter Rachel Lauzier more then made up for that void with the winning pace she set through her work ethic.
“Rachel did a really great job as captain. She qualified in states for the 100 and 200,” Rivera said. “I was confident in her abilities to lead. She led by example and I think it was good for her to get that first year as captain under her belt.”
The fact that the Indians had no seniors bodes well for 2017 because they aren’t slated to lose any contributors. Coach Rivera feels there’s room for Guilford to improve upon its five wins from this spring and also believes the potential exists for the Indians to feature a well-balanced roster with multiple point scorers in each class next year.
“We have a good core group that’ll only get better in the offseason and during winter track. We went 5-7 for dual meets, so our immediate goal next year is to get back to and over .500,” said Rivera. “There’s no real feeder program with track and field, aside from the middle schools, so you have to be aggressive with recruiting. We want to have consistent scorers in every grade, so that’s something to work on. With no seniors this year, hopefully, everyone comes back and we build off of this year.”
From the Sidelines
Meredith Bloss finished in 10th place with a time of 7:50.74 for the Guilford girls’ outdoor track team at the CIAC Steeplechase on June 13 at Willow Brook Park in New Britain. The Indians’ Kelsi Putnam followed in 18th place with a time of 8:04.98.
This was Jon Rivera’s eighth year as head coach of Guilford girls’ outdoor track and he was assisted by Jim Ford, Rich Torrellas, and Jeff Hedberg.
The Indians finished with an even 2-2 record for SCC Hammonasset Division meets.