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07/29/2017 12:00 AMAs the 2017 season wore on, the athletes on the Guilford boys’ outdoor track team gained a deeper appreciation of their craft, while also developing the courage of a champion on their way to garnering plenty of postseason success.
First-year Head Coach George Cooksey and the Indians recorded four victories during the regular season, although that period of time was more about building a solid foundation for the conference and state championship meets. Guilford’s preparation paid off as the Indians put together a prosperous postseason run that saw the team finish fifth at the SCC East Sectional Championship, eighth in the SCC Championship, and tied for seventh at the Class MM State Championship, while advancing athletes to the State Open in four events.
Coach Cooksey said that his athletes’ experience at a marquee meet early in the season spurred their passion to thrive this spring.
“In the beginning of the year, I just wanted them to gain a bigger view and appreciation for the sport. We went to the Penn Relays earlier this year to have them see what the sport is like at a national level. I wanted it to inspire them and give them the sense that they can compete with these other guys,” said Cooksey. “It sparked them to take the sport more seriously, and it translated into their work ethic. They told me how grateful they were to see changes in themselves. It changed the way they performed.”
Senior Jordan Lembo-Frey put together an exceptional postseason for Guilford this year. At sectionals, Lembo-Frey won the 200-meter dash and set a school record in the event with a time of 22.04 seconds, in addition to breaking the Indians’ record in the 100 by running 10.98 in a second-place showing. At the SCC Championship, he ran a 22.35 to once again claim the top spot in the 200. Lembo-Frey followed that up by prevailing in the 200 at the Class MM meet in 22.52 before placing eighth in that same event for the State Open, where he also ran on Guilford’s 4x400 relay. Lembo-Frey, who was an All-SCC and All-State First Team honoree in the 200, was named the Indians’ Most Valuable Player for the track events this spring.
“Jordan winning those titles in the 200 were each exceptional moments. He was the first Guilford sprinter in a while to win both the SCC and state title,” said Coach Cooksey, whose team MVP for the field events was Connor Rose. “He was a living highlight reel. There were also times where he wanted to run the relays with his teammates rather than solo events. His win in sectionals really catapulted him to the SCC and state wins.”
The Indians featured two senior sprinters and relay specialists as their senior captains in Finn Davidson and Sam Sessions. Both athletes strived to perform the best they could, while also doing everything they could to enhance the abilities of their teammates.
“In the beginning of this past indoor season, Finn had mono, and so part of his struggle early on in the spring was regaining his confidence. He rose to the occasion over the course of the year. He inspired people with the way he approached events,” said Coach Cooksey. “Sam was a great kid and worked relentlessly. He worked hard and performed well. He decided not to run solo events, because he wanted to help the team do well in the 4x4 at the State Open. They both showed up every day with a sense of focus and purpose. We will miss them both. They were exceptional leaders and were all business in practice. In the championship events, they were team-first guys and worked with the younger athletes.”
Another athlete who turned some heads for Guilford during the postseason was junior Corey Sondak, who initially broke the school record in the 100 at sectionals before Lembo-Frey rebroke it. The fact that two athletes made their mark in Guilford history that day speaks volumes about the talent among the Indians, who saw many competitors progress immensely throughout the campaign.
“Corey Sondak rose to the occasion, as well, in the 100 during dual-meets. He actually originally broke the school record for the 100 during trials for sectionals before Jordan broke it by one one-hundredth of a second, which shows the competitiveness that drove our athletes,” said Cooksey. “[Seniors] Jacob Sabol-Low and Thomas Larkin-Wells also qualified for states in the long and triple jumps [respectively], which was inspiring. Will Smith in some ways also symbolized what the sport is all about. He wasn’t confident early on, but he learned to accept things and enjoy them. It was amazing to watch his progression. The boys also had great camaraderie in practice.”
Aside from small setback at the State Open, Cooksey was pleased with what he saw from this team in his first season at the helm. With a versatile cast of athletes returning for 2018, Cooksey feels eager to see if the Indians can reach the next threshold of success.
“Will Smith will be back, and he will be a legit varsity competitor. Joe Walters earned a 2:05 in the 800, and he should become stronger. Connor Rose and Jacob Walker started to score more in the shot put and discus, and Corey Sondak could win states in the 100 next year. We have solid underclassmen, including a few freshmen that we expect to step up,” Cooksey said. “They performed exceptionally well. We just had a false start in the 4x4 at the State Open, but I was very happy with what happened across the board, and they were all grateful for their opportunities.”
From the Sidelines
Guilford’s 4x400 relay of Sam Sessions, Will Smith, Corey Gambardella, and Jordan Lembo-Frey finished second at the Class M State Championship to earn All-State Second Team honors this spring.
Jordan Lembo-Frey (200), Finn Davidson (1,600), the 4x800 relay of Davidson, Will Smith, Joe Walters, and Corey Gambardella; and the 4x400 grouping of Lembo-Frey, Sam Sessions, Smith, and Gambardella all qualified for the State Open Championship.
In a home tri-meet against Foran and North Haven on May 2, the Indians’ 4x100 relay of Lembo-Frey, Sessions, Thomas Larkin-Wells, and Corey Sondak set a new school record of 44.2 seconds while winning the event. The former record of 44.9 seconds had been set in 1977.