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Guilford Girls’ Track Peaked During the Postseason This Spring

The Guilford girls’ outdoor track squad featured an eclectic group of athletes who brought various levels of experience to the team this spring. Although it took some time for the Indians to find their niche in certain events during a difficult regular season, it was all systems go for Guilford once the postseason arrived. After posting a record of 4-7, Head Coach Jon Rivera’s team notched fourth-place finishes at the SCC East Sectional and SCC championship meets, followed by a ninth-place performance in the Class L State Championship.

Guilford’s postseason feats didn’t stop there as junior Meredith Bloss finished sixth for the 3,200-meter run at the New England Championship with a time of 11 minutes and 8.75 seconds. Senior co-captain Jacqueline Guerra, who also qualified for New Englands in the 1,600, followed that up by winning the 2,000-meter State Steeplechase crown, while setting a new school record for the event behind a mark of 7 minutes and 16.97 seconds.

Coach Rivera said that his squad had to overcome some early hurdles this year. However, in the end, he was pleased to see everything work out well as Guilford put together many peak performances during its postseason meets.

“We had a good collection of new and veteran athletes. Our dual-meet record wasn’t what I would’ve liked it to be, but we developed nicely at the end of the year,” said Rivera, who finished his 10th season as the Indians’ head coach. “We peaked at the right time, which is always important. We had injuries along the way, but we handled the regular season really well and figured ourselves out.”

Guerra and fellow senior co-captain Julia Esposito led the way for Guilford’s 10-athlete senior class that also featured Jess Bohan, Julia Hyman, Claire Keanna, Kamryn Morro, Christina Nault, Meg Reynolds, Chloe Shaw, and Elissa Strand. Coach Rivera said that his seniors were never afraid to speak up as they helped Guilford continue its overall growth as a program.

“We had 10 seniors that stuck it out with track for four years, and we had a lot of point scorers and leadership in the senior class,” Rivera said. “They acted as leaders for the freshmen and sophomores. The girls didn’t take the season for granted, and it was a matter of them all being committed to the team.”

Of course, Coach Rivera was quick to point out what Bloss and Guerra accomplished during the late stages of the postseason this spring. However, Rivera added that there were several other athletes who turned in signature performances on the biggest stages of the SCC and the state.

“Sofia Migani finishing in the top 20 at the State Heptathlon was huge, as was our 4x800 relay repeating as SCC champs,” said Rivera, who assistant coaches were Jim Ford and Stephanie Phillips. “Individually, we got a lot of people to states. Christina Nault had the best season of her career and broke 50 seconds in the 300 hurdles.”

Bloss and Guerra earned spots on the All-SCC Team, as did the Indians’ 4x800 relay of Strand, Shaw, junior Kelsi Putnam, and Esposito. Guerra made the All-State Team for Guilford. Additionally, Guerra and Bloss were selected to the New Haven Register’s All-Area Team.

In terms of team awards, Bloss and Guerra were named Guilford’s co-Most Valuable Players for the track events, while sophomore Migani won MVP in the field events after leading the Indians in points scored. Junior Cassandra Nemec and Shaw were both awarded the Sportsmanship Award for Guilford. Gianna Siciliano was named the Indians’ Top Freshman.

Despite graduating a big collection of senior athletes, Guilford will still return a good amount of talent when it tries to reach similar heights next season. In reflecting upon the 2018 campaign, Coach Rivera said that he was happy to see so many athletes have their season-defining moments when it mattered most.

“We lose depth and experience with our seniors, but we have young stars in the making. Meredith is an unbelievable athlete and is back for one more year. We have young distance runners and potential in sprinting. Recruiting will be big for next year, especially in throwing events,” said Rivera. “It was a special season, both individually and team-wise. It was fun to watch the girls seed and then do well in many events for the postseason. It was a great year with a lot of solo accomplishments, and we can hopefully build on them.”