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05/26/2017 12:00 AMWhen it comes to postseason track meets, it’s not necessarily about taking first place in every event. Instead, the teams that put together well-rounded performances in several events are ones who typically hoist the trophy. That’s exactly what the Hand boys’ outdoor track squad did on its way to capturing the Southern Connecticut Conference crown last week.
Hand was one of 20 teams that competed in the SCC Championship at Lyman Hall High School on May 23. The Tigers recorded a total of 86.5 points to edge out runner-up Shelton, which scored 81 points, en route to their second conference title in program history and their first since 2011.
While depth played a key role in its victory, Hand still posted several first-place finishes at the SCC meet. Senior Max Veth captured the 400-meter dash title with a time of 49.05 seconds, beating out runner-up Kevin Antoine of Hamden (49.79). Senior Troy Lefler grabbed the top spot in 110 high hurdles, clocking in at 15.33 seconds to defeat second-place finisher Zach Deptula from Shelton (15.40). Senior Mike Burchell also garnered a title by winning the discus with a toss of 148 feet-7 inches, which topped Matt Wyzykowski of Xavier (142-6). Additionally, senior Devon McShane claimed the javelin championship at 175-2, while Fairfield Prep’s Joseph Schanne was second with a 160-1.
The Tigers saw many other exceptional showing across the board on their way to winning the SCC title, including a slew of point-scoring performances for those who finished in the top eight. For solo running events, senior Max Veth was third for the 200 with a time of 22.51 seconds, just 0.02 seconds away from second-place finisher Alex Pratcher III of Law. Junior Kijana Richmond came in 17th place (23.62) for that event. Senior Matt Parker was third in the 300 intermediate hurdles by running a 40.35, while Greyson McGeary came in seventh with a time of 42.05. Senior John Lisi finished ninth (2:05.64) in the 800, and junior teammates Jaime Calderon (17th, 2:09.18) and Tyler Bennard (18th, 2:09.90) were next in line for the Tigers. Junior Liam Akers finished 15th (52.98) for the 400 for Hand.
In relays, the Tigers’ 4x400 grouping of junior Ethan McMahon, Akers, Parker, and Veth ran a 3:25.02 and was the runner-up to Hamden (3:23.73). For the 4x800, Calderon, Lisi, Bennard, and junior Nick Porte finished fifth in a time of 8:14.
For field events, Burchell was runner-up in the shot put with a toss of 50 feet, only placing behind Shelton’s Ed Radzion (51-4). Senior Mike Healy leaped to fourth place for the high jump with a distance of 5 feet-8 inches, while McShane tied for fifth and junior Quincy Heinrich tied for seventh, with both athletes clearing 5-8 in the event. Healy was also seventh in the triple jump at 39-11.25. Lefler cracked the top 10 for the long jump by placing 10th (19-10). For the javelin, freshman Isaiah McNeilly finished eighth (134-7) and right behind him was senior teammate Francis Guarascio in ninth (132-6).
After Hand and Shelton, rounding out the remaining team standings at the SCC meet were Hamden (71.5 points), Amity (64), Law (50.5), Xavier (44), Fairfield Prep (35), Guilford (34), Notre Dame-West Haven (31.5), Career (28), Cheshire (26), Sheehan (23), North Haven (22), Hillhouse (20), Cross (17), West Haven (16), Foran (14), East Haven (14), Branford (12), and Lyman Hall (11).
Hand next competes in the Class L State Championship, which will be held on Tuesday, May 30 at 3 p.m. at Manchester High School.