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05/04/2019 12:00 AMWith a smaller roster, the Guilford girls’ outdoor track team features many athletes who are covering multiple events this year. Instead of viewing that as an obstacle, the Indians are looking to use what they gain from those reps to their advantage during the upcoming championship meets.
Last week, Guilford hosted a tri-meet against a pair of SCC opponents on April 30. The Indians took a 73-67 loss against Mercy and a 92-57 defeat versus Law to move to 0-9 on the season. Despite the struggles in the win-loss column, Head Coach Jon Rivera said the main goal of personal development is in full effect on his squad in 2019.
“This year has been a lot different than the others. We have only 20 girls with 18 events to cover. With that, it’s been more about developing individuals,” said Rivera. “From a dual-meet perspective, our goals have changed a lot. It’s about getting the girls prepared for bigger meets, along with balancing the injuries and getting everyone healthy.”
The Indians’ captains are senior distance runner Meredith Bloss and junior field athlete Sofia Migani. While each athlete is in a different grade, Coach Rivera said the duo shares the common denominator of an excellent work ethic that provide the ideal blueprint for their younger teammates.
“Meredith is a superstar athlete. She has a lot of experience, and the other girls look up to her and want to emulate her. She leads by example, is motivated, and cares a lot about the team, as well,” Coach Rivera said. “Sofia was also a captain this past indoor season. She brings a lot to the sport with its non-running aspects as a field competitor. She takes things seriously and works hard.”
Guilford’s is also getting a big boost from junior runner Tessa Fridell, who has overcome several injuries throughout her career, along with a pair of sophomores in javelin thrower Sabrina Koff and jumper Zoe McClure. Freshman runner Julia Antony is having a nice debut campaign in the distance events for the Indians.
“Tessa really stands out, because she is back healthy and has been a great success story,” said Rivera. “Zoe has been a surprise star of the team. She has qualified for states in the long, triple, and high jump. She’s helped us with getting points in events where we aren’t as deep. Sabrina has had a strong year with the javelin. Julia has done really well for her first year and has qualified for states in the 3,200.”
In last week’s tri-meet, Bloss finished first in the 1,600 with a time of 5:24.40, and sophomore Gianna Siciliano placed first for the 3,200 at 12:42.60. Koff took top honors in the javelin with a toss of 75 feet-2 inches, while McClure claimed first in both the triple jump (32-5) and the high jump (4-8).
Guilford has a few marquee meets remaining before it begins the postseason with the SCC East Sectional Championship on Tuesday, May 14. Coach Rivera said that competing at these major invitationals provides a great way for the Indians to sharpen their skills for the most important part of the year.
“We are in a good position to do well for the postseason. Our schedule has helped prepare us,” Rivera said. “Now, we are going into the invitational meet portion of our schedule, where we are competing with teams and athletes around the state, which are big preps and a great segue for postseason meets. We know what people can do, and we just have them focus on that.”
The other athletes on Guilford’s roster this year are seniors Cassandra Nemec and Kelsi Putnam; juniors Emma Bonz, Lexi Hitchcock, Sarah Minuit, Maura Murphy, and Clara Wiesler; and sophomores Sadie Davidson, Janna Ellman, Sarah Jennings, Maya Rumanoff, and Sophia Ruser.
From the Sidelines
This is Jon Rivera’s 11th season as head coach of the Guilford girls’ outdoor track team. Rivera is also head coach of the boys’ cross country squad during the fall season.
Jim Ford and Stephanie Phillips are Guilford’s assistant coaches this spring.
The Indians begin the postseason with the SCC East Sectional Championship at Bowen Field at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14. The SCC Championship will be held at Lyman Hall at 2 p.m. on Monday, May 20. The Class L State Championship is at Middletown High School at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28.