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07/29/2018 12:00 AMThe Haddam-Killingworth outdoor track program created many memorable moments in the spring of 2018. H-K’s boys’ and girls’ teams both featured a deep rosters with talent throughout their lineups, resulting in excellent showings for the Cougars during both the regular season and the postseason this year.
Head Coach Matt Diglio saw each of his teams piece together top notch regular seasons as the boys went a perfect 10-0 and the girls finished with an impressive record of 9-1. Then at the Shoreline Conference Championship, the H-K boys’ team posted a second-place finish, while the girls also earned runner-up honors.
The Cougars went on to notch victories in both the boys’ and girls’ 4x800 relays at the Class M State Championship. The girls’ 4x8 of junior Emma Anziano, and seniors Julianne Kelly, Lexie Bouthillier, and Kelsey D’Amico claimed first place with a time of 9 minutes and 43.26 seconds, which set a school record. For the boys, the team of seniors Andrew Meredith, Jonah Spector, Conor McCabe, and Dan Schumann raced to a state title behind a time of 8 minutes and 4.49 seconds. Both 4x800 quartets earned All-State recognition by virtue of their championship finishes. The girls’ finished tied for 10th place as a team, and the boys came in 11th place at states.
Haddam-Killingworth featured a wealth of senior leadership that spurred both clubs to success this season. Along with Schumann, Spector, McCabe, and Meredith, the seniors on the boys’ team were Craig Allen, Nate Breiling, Michael Callis, Tommy Catenaro, Jake DiMauro, Kevin Dougherty, Colin Ellsworth, Jake Frith, Alex Inkel, Colin Regan, and Kurt Sodergren.
In addition to Bouthillier, Kelly, and D’Amico, the seniors for the girls’ squad were Veronica Chrzanowski, Natalie D’Ambra, Maggie Fisher, Hattie Hall, Sidney Herrington, Kelly, Andi Roman, Marissa Westerbeke, and Chasey Wilson. Felllow seniors Brooke Catalano and Jhenna Liptak also served as H-K’s team managers.
“All the returning seniors were our senior leaders. They did a terrific job leading the team both on and off the track,” Coach Diglio said. “They provided leadership to all of the younger athletes and were role models.”
H-K also saw several athletes earn All-Shoreline Conference First Team and Second Team honors as a result of finishing either in first or second place, respectively, at the Shoreline Conference Championship. On the boys’ end, Schumann finished first in the 800 with a time of 2:00.74, Meredith was second for the 1,600 (4:31.89) and 3,200 (9:57.67), and junior Colton Lavoie won the shot put with a throw of 41 feet. Additionally, the Cougars’ 4x800 relay of junior Kyle Criscuolo, junior Seth Freeman, Spector, and Callis placed second (8:33.83), plus the 4x400 of Colin Regan, Criscuolo, Schumann, and sophomore Dmytri Mallon also took second place (3:34.26).
For the girls, Chrzanowski captured first place in the long jump (16-6.75) and was the runner-up in the triple jump (34-0), the 100 (12.70), and the 200 (26.74) at the conference meet. H-K’s 4x800 relay of Anziano, D’Amico, Bouthillier, and Kelly finished second in second place (10:04.13).
Looking at Haddam-Killingworth’s team awards, Meredith and Chrzanowski were named Most Valuable Player for the boys’ and girls’ teams, respectively. Along the way this year, Meredith set a new school record in the 1,600 by clocking in at 4 minutes and 21.19 seconds.
Benny Carini and Seth Regan shared the Most Improved Player Award for the boys’ squad, while Anziano won Most Improved for the girls. The Best in Track distinctions went to Schumann and junior Sadie Strom, and the Best in Field honors were presented to Lavoie and freshman Emma Anderson. The Cougar Award was won by Breiling and Sodergren for the boys and D’Amico for the girls.
Looking ahead to next year, the Cougars will have to replace many sensational seniors who produced points for the Cougars throughout the recent season. Still, Coach Diglio feels confident the Cougars will be returning plenty of talented athletes to a variety of events on both the track and the field in 2019.
“Next year, we lose a great deal of talent and leadership on both the girls’ and boys’ squads that scored the majority of our team points and that will be a challenge to replace,” said Diglio. “The boys return a strong throwing and sprint group, while the girls have a strong hurdle and mid-distance group returning.”
From the Sidelines
The H-K boys’ outdoor track team’s 2018 included seniors Craig Allen, Nate Breiling, Tommy Catenaro, Jake DiMauro, Kevin Dougherty, Alex Inkel, Mike Callis, Colin Ellsworth, Jake Frith, Conor McCabe, Andrew Meredith, Colin Regan, Dan Schumann, Kurt Sodergren, and Jonah Spector; juniors Dalton Brown, Kyle Criscuolo, Seth Freeman, Tyler Knapp, Colton Lavoie, Chase Mack, and Wally Sample; sophomores Trey Callender, Dmytri Mallon, Dalton Modehn, Seth Regan, and Luke Sodergren; and freshmen Matt Jennings, John Kowal, and Eamon Sweeny.
The girls’ roster included seniors Lexie Bouthillier, Veronica Chrzanowski, Natalie D’Ambra, Maggie Fisher, Sidney Herrington, Kelsey D’Amico, Hattie Hall, Julianne Kelly, Andi Roman, Marissa Westerbeke, and Chasey Wilson; juniors Emma Anziano, Elena Boyington, Hailey Cassidy, Autumn Coady, and Sadie Strom; sophomores Julia Callis, Ashley Duncanson, and Reilly Jenkins; and freshmen Emma Anderson and Meara Bodak.
On June 9, Veronica Chrzanowski competed in the triple jump at the New England Championship and came in 31st place with a distance of 33 feet-4.5 inches at the University of New Hampshire. She then finished eighth overall at the CIAC Heptathlon Championship that was held at Manchester High School on June 12 and 13.