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03/24/2016 12:00 AMNorth Haven indoor track coach Marc Celmer says that shot putters improve an average of six feet through a four-year career. Senior Shane O’Connor did that in one season, while taking first place at four postseason meets this winter.
Shane’s top shot put toss was 43 feet-9.5 inches and, through a mixture of perspiration and poise, he wound up progressing to 49-10.5. Along the way, Shane claimed victory at the SCC West Sectional Championship, the Class L state meet, the SCC Championship, and the State Open. He’s North Haven’s second male track athlete to win at the Open and the first in the shot put.
“Shane had the best postseason of any shot putter I’ve ever coached in terms of championships,” said Coach Celmer. “Besides just being an awesome person in general, Shane is highly coachable, driven, and talented. He’s almost a perfect competitor. You can’t rattle him. He’s just unflappable. Period.”
Shane recorded his first postseason victory at outdoor sectionals last spring and says the experience prepped him for the atmosphere of marquee meets. Shane promptly saw that pay off during his first postseason competition this year when he took top honors at the West Sectional by throwing 48-11.25, which eclipsed his personal record (PR) by four feet.
That achievement would be the career highlight for many shot putters, but Shane stayed on an even keel, so he didn’t psych himself out with bigger competitions on the horizon. Shane’s next meet was the Class L State Championship, at which he grabbed first place with a 48-0.5. Next up was SCCs and Shane again made his way to the winner’s circle behind a distance of 47-4.5.
These victories paved the way for Shane to show what he could do on Connecticut’s biggest stage at the State Open. Shane launched a PR of 49-10.5 that defeated top-seed Christian Hall-Gardner of Bloomfield by more than nine inches to continue his perfect postseason and cement himself as the state’s best shot putter for the 2015-’16 season.
“Whenever you have a great throw, it feels effortless, it stays in the air longer, and you know it’s a good throw. Then when the marking was close to 50 feet, I knew it was a good throw and I remember waiting, listening, and hearing 49-10.5 and that’s a big accomplishment,” says Shane, who later placed 11th at New Englands with a 47-7.25. “At the beginning of the season, I didn’t think it was possible, but I was extremely excited to win at the Open. I’m just happy that I went out with a bang and left everything out there. I don’t want people to think that I could have been good. I want to make sure everyone knows I work hard and, when it came to meets, I didn’t choke and I performed close to my best, if not my best, and won.”
However, even though Shane is the one whose name will forever be etched in the history books, he’s quick to credit the people who helped him travel the road toward his unbelievable season.
“Looking back, it’s a great accomplishment and I’m happy I did it, but I never could have done it without my family and parents, my coach, and all the coaches from football and other sports who pushed me to do better than I thought I’d be able to do,” says Shane, who was named North Haven’s Most Improved Player. “That ultimately made me into what I am now and, without that, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish that.”
Shane helped Indians’ football post a boatload of accomplishments that included an undefeated regular season and its first trip to a state final last fall. Shane played center on an offensive line that overpowered opponents, while opening holes for the Indians’ backs to score tons of touchdowns, and he also made 57 tackles at linebacker.
“We showed the state that we can compete with the best teams you put in front of us,” says Shane. “We don’t care who they are. We’ll go up against them, play our best football, and whatever happens, happens. I’m just proud of everything we accomplished.”
Shane, who’s the president of his senior class and a member of the Math, Science, Latin, and Italian honor societies, was also named the football team’s Scholar Athlete by both the Indians and the National Football Foundation. Shane is planning to study electrical engineering in college and may play either of his sports depending on where he goes.
“Shane is a classic example of why our team is successful—a team-first guy who worked very hard and is very intelligent,” says football coach Anthony Sagnella. “Shane sets high standards for everything he does and so it’s no surprise that he’s good in athletics because he’s good at everything he does.”