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04/20/2020 12:00 AMIt was a memorable year for the Hand indoor track program during the 2019-’20 campaign. The boys’ team made history with a few first-place finishes at major meets, while the girls’ squad also delivered some stellar performances throughout the postseason.
The Tigers’ boys’ team took first place at the SCC Coaches Invitational, the SCC East Sectional Championship, and the SCC Championship this year. Hand also came in third place at the Class L State Championships, qualifying 27 athletes between the 15 events at the meet. Hand’s victories at sectionals and SCCs marked the first time the Tigers claimed the crown as those meets in the history of the boys’ indoor squad.
“I believe the Hand boys’ indoor track team had its best season ever,” Head Coach Tim Geary said. “There were 67 kids that came out for the team this year, and we were led by senior captains Dan Kim, Corey Duncanson, and Ameen Parks.”
The Tigers started off their electric run at the SCC East Sectional Championship on Jan. 29. Hand scored 104 points to beat out runner-up Shelton (84 points) for the title, while taking first place in five events.
Junior Bryce Myers finished first in the pole vault after winning a jump-off against Brett Dumais of Foran. Myers and Dumais each cleared 12 feet-6 inches, but Myers earned first place by reaching that height in fewer attempts. Junior Connor Parthasarthy finished first in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:47.22. Junior Dante Zucconi won the 1,600 by crossing the finish line in a time of 4:42.97.
The Tigers also saw two relays finish first at the sectional meet. The 4x400 relay of senior Besufekad Opstrup, Duncanson, Parthasarthy, and junior Carson Hines recorded a time of 3:34. The 1,600 sprint medley relay featuring junior Daven Pelaez, junior Braeden Kosiewicz, Hines, and Parthasarthy finished first at 3:48.57.
One week later, Hand carried that success into the SCC Championship, where the Tigers scored 83 points to take the title. Myers followed up his win in the pole vault at sectionals with another victorious jump of 12-6. Zucconi posted a pair of runner-up results by placing second in both the 1,600 (4:45.47) and the 3,200 (10:00.03). Parthasarthy took second place in the 1,000 with a time of 2:41.38. Junior Josh Stewart finished second in the 55-meter dash at 6.53 seconds.
The Tigers’ 4x400 relay of Opstrup, Duncanson, Parthasarthy, and Hines finished in second place by recording a time of 3:35.08. The 1,600 sprint medley relay of Pelaez, Kosiewicz, Hines, and Parthasarthy also took second with a time of 3:45.32.
On Feb. 15, Hand recorded a pair of first-place finishes while taking third place as a team at the Class L State Championship. Zucconi claimed first place in the 1,600 meter-run by timing in at 4:28.71 for the Tigers. The 4x200 relay of Stewart, Parks, Kosiewicz, and Carson Hines finished first with a time of 1:33.40, edging out Simsbury’s squad (1:34.35) by less than a second and etching a school record in the process. Myers finished second in the pole vault at states by clearing a height of 12 feet.
Other notable postseason performances were delivered by Duncanson, who finished sixth in the 55 hurdles at the Class L meet; senior Dan Zsebik, who placed fifth in the shot put at SCCs and was 10th in Class L; and the 4x800 relay team of freshman Nick Montana, sophomore Paul Odyniec, senior Isaac Lerner, and junior Tyler Haims, who finished fifth at SCCs and 12th in Class L.
The Tigers’ 4x400 relay of Parks, Parthasarthy, Hines, and Opstrup put forth a dominant performance throughout the season. In addition to finishing first at sectionals and second in SCCs, the team took first place at the Yale Invitational, came in second place at the New England Championship, and qualified to compete at the New Balance Nationals. The quartet, which set a school record with a time of 3:25.65, was unable to compete at nationals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coach Geary said he was glad that he was able to enjoy such a fantastic season alongside his athletes. Geary, who has been coach of the boys’ indoor track team since 1985, presented awards to some of those athletes at the team’s annual postseason dinner on March 4.
“The Most Valuable Runners Award went to Dante Zucconi and Joshua Stewart, and the Coaches Award went to Carson Hines and Ameen Parks,” said Geary, who also coaches the Tigers’ boys’ outdoor track and cross country teams. “Next year’s captains will be Connor Parthasarthy, Carson Hines, and Max Genther.”
On the girls’ side, the Tigers had a successful season that saw Head Coach Steve Swift’s team finished third at the SCC East Sectional Championship, fourth in the SCC Championship, and ninth at the Class L State Championship.
Junior Anna Steffen was one of the Tigers’ top performers this year, claiming first place in both the 1,600 and the 3,200 at sectionals with times of 5:27.81 and 11:34.25, respectively. Steffen went on to take first place in the 3,200 at SCCs with a time of 11:50.39 and was second for the 1,600 at 5:22.44. Steffen also finished second in the 3,200 at the Class L State Championship by timing in at 11:22.94. In her final meet of the season, Steffen represented the Tigers at the State Open Championship and placed 13th in the 3,200 with a mark of 11:36.08.
The Tigers were also bolstered by a victory from senior Chloe Thompson in the 1,000 at the sectional meet. Thompson finished with a time of 3:18.09 to take the title and then went on to place second in the SCC Championship at 3:14.27. Freshman Adelynn Arroyo ran a time of 3:14.94 to take third place in the 1,000 at SCCs. The Tigers’ 4x800 relay featuring junior Morgan Combs, freshman Madeline Coulis, Arroyo, and Thompson finished in second place with a time of 10:13.61.
At states, Thompson and Adelyn Arroyo finished fourth (3:12.10) and fifth (3:12.51), respectively, in the 1,000. Hand’s 4x800 relay of Combs, Coulis, Arroyo, and Thompson finished with a time 10:18.49, which was good for fourth place. The 4x400 relay of freshmen Meryl Sullivan, Maya Howard, Julia Coric, and Arroyo came in fifth place at 4:20.04.