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06/08/2018 12:00 AMBoys’ Outdoor Track
Mike Burchell took second place in the shot put to help the Hand boys’ outdoor track team finish in a six-way tie for 20th place at the State Open Championship. The Tigers scored 10 points at the Open, which was held on June 4 at Willow Brook Park in New Britain.
Burchell finished as the runner-up in the shot put with a toss of 54 feet-1.75 inches, only placing behind Mike Browning of RHAM (55-7.25). He also finished 15th in the discus with a toss of 128 feet-8 inches. The Tigers’ 4x800 relay of Jamie Calderon, Andrew Carone, Tyler Bennard, and Nick Porte came in eighth place (8:11.63) to score some points for Hand, as did the 4x400 relay team of Calderon, Ameen Parks, Carson Hines, and Porte, which also placed eighth (3:25.70).
Calderon qualified for the 800 on behalf of the Tigers, while Isaiah McNeilly qualified for the javelin, although neither athlete competed in those events.
Girls’ Outdoor Track
The Tigers saw a few athletes compete at the recent State Open Championship.
Chloe Thompson finished 11th for the 800 in a time of 2 minutes and 21.13 seconds, while Erin Naclerio placed 11th for the pole vault by clearing 9 feet-6 inches for Hand. Gabby Harmon finished 15th for the 400 in a time of 1:00.35 at the meet.
Softball
The Tigers saw their lengthy postseason push come to an end in the Class L State Tournament semifinals last week. On June 5, 2nd-seeded Hand battled No. 3 Brookfield for a spot in the state final and was edged by a 6-5 final at West Haven High School.
The Tigers finished the regular season at 18-2, winning the SCC Quinnipiac Division title with a 7-1 divisional mark. After taking a SCC Tournament quarterfinal loss to East Haven, Hand defeated No. 18 seed Fitch (3-1) and No. 10 Guilford (4-1) to reach the semis and finish the year at 20-4 overall.
Boys’ Golf
The Tigers turned in a third-place performance at the Division II State Championship. Hand recorded a score of 317 at Fairview Farms Golf Course in Harwinton on June 5.
Matt Doyle led the way for the Tigers by shooting an even-par 72. Conner Quinn shot a 76, Matt Pellatt finished with an 83, Aiden Stuart scored an 86, and Michael McKeon finished with a round of 88 for the Tigers. Doyle notched a birdie on the first and third holes, while Quinn had back-to-back birdies on the eighth and ninth holes.
On June 9, Doyle competed in the inaugural State Open Championship and finished tied for 10th with a round of 78 for the par-71 course at Black Hall Country Club in Old Lyme on. Doyle recorded four birdies on the day.
Boys’ Tennis
After recently winning the SCC and Class L state championships, the Tigers had plenty of representation at the State Open Tournament that took place from June 3-6, including a doubles team that reached the semifinals.
In singles play, Justin Pace defeated Max Klomp of Housatonic by a 6-2, 6-2 score in the first round and then took a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 defeat against Evan Felcher from Staples. Josh Israel lost a 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 decision versus Sebastian Cassellas of Weston in the opening round.
For doubles tournament, the Class L state-champion team of Noah Gulla and Rob Israel bested Morgan Greenho and George Danes of Old Lyme by a 6-1, 6-2 score in the quarterfinals, before taking a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) loss against Eric Greenberg and Jack Tooker of Staples in the semis.
Girls’ Tennis
Hand had a pair of sister siblings compete in the singles draw of the State Open Championship.
Sam Riordan, the No. 8 seed, defeated Jasmine Nappi of Berlin, 8-1, in the first round and then earned an 8-1 victory over facing Huyen Nguyen from Avon in the second round. Riordan advanced into the third round and defeated No. 9 Jovanna Gaetano of West Haven by the score of 6-3, 6-0. Facing top-seeded Gabriella Dellacono from Stonington in the quarterfinals, Riordan dropped a 6-2, 6-3 decision.
Lindsay Riordan bested Old Saybrook’s Tanya Gianitsos, 8-2, in the opening round and then claimed an 8-6 win against Aurora Joblon of Ridgefield in the first round. She later lost an 8-4 contest against 6th-seeded Alyssa DiMaio of Staples in a second-round contest.