The Naugatuck indoor track teams didn’t go into the NVL championship meet Monday at the Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven with the kind of depth the top teams in the league possess, but the Greyhounds left their mark.
Junior Aren Seeger broke the NVL boys record in the 300 by running away from the field to take first place in 36.47.
The Derby boys defended their title with 98 points. The Woodland boys (86 points) finished second, followed by Seymour (78 points) in third, and Naugatuck Greyhounds (70 points) in fourth.
“Those three teams have been strong all year and have the kind of depth to stay competitive,” Naugatuck head coach Ralph Roper said. “It wasn’t our best day but it was still a good day nonetheless.
“Aren broke a record that stood for the past nine years. … He came out in the 300 and just left everyone behind, and running the last leg of the 4×4 he took the baton and was 30 meters behind and caught the Woodland and Derby runners at the finish line.”
The 4×4 team of Nick Airall, Derek Sampaio, Rami Ammar and Seeger finished second (3:43.61) behind Woodland (3:42.99).
Ross Via took second in the 1600 and third in the 1000 meters. Ben Healy finished second in the high jump with Airall placing third. Luis Garces took fourth in the 3200 and Bailey Mortensen finished fourth in the long jump at 20 feet, 1.5 inches.
Zack Koslosky finished fifth in the pole vault and Tyler Blair was seventh in the shot put.
Xavier Lewis, Jacob Fazekas, Joe Dempsey, Andrew Dempsey, Elliott Via and Charles Marenghi teamed up in the relays with the 4×2 and sprint medley finishing fourth and the 4×8 team placing fifth.
“Bailey had the best long jump we’ve had in quite a few years,” Roper said. “We didn’t have enough horses to stay with the top three teams, but our younger athletes showed that we have a bright future at Naugatuck.”
The Naugy girls team finished sixth with 25 points. The Woodland girls won the title with 108 points.
The girls team only had 17 athletes going into the championship meet but made an impression nevertheless.
Makayla Teixeira took second in the 55 hurdles in 9.79. Renell Clarence qualified for the states with a fourth-place finish in the 300 meters. Erin Schofield finished fifth in the shot put, Brianna Lennon took sixth in the 1000 meters, Lauren Stankiewicz finished seventh in the 3200, and Kimani Grey placed seventh in the high jump.
The 4×2 relay team of Clarence, Teixeira and sophomores Jade Lima and Alyssa Zarrella finished fourth at 2:00.30. The foursome of Zarrella, Lima, freshman Lauren Rupsis and sophomore Julia Dudek took fourth in the 4×4. The 4×8 team of Stankiewicz, Lennon and freshmen Abigail Lombardi and Caitlin Doris took fifth.
“We have a good core of younger athletes on the girls team, and they all stepped up and did well,” Roper said. “We will lose a few seniors but for the most part we have a young team that will only get better.”
Naugatuck will gear up to compete in the Class L state meet on Feb. 11 at the Floyd Little Athletic Complex.
The girls will be represented by Teixeira in the 55 hurdles, Clarence in the 300 meters, Schofield in the shot put, and the 4×2 relay team.
The boys will be represented by Fazekas in the 55 dash and the 55 hurdles, Seeger in the 55 hurdles, 300 and 600 meters, Ross Via in the 1000 meters, Blair in the shot put, Healy in the high jump, Mortensen in the long jump, and the 4×2 and 4×4 relay teams.
