Season preview: indoor track

0
159

Naugatuck

2019-20 results: Boys: won the NVL championship; placed 22nd in Class L; girls: finished third at the NVL championship; finished seventh in Class L

Graduated: Tyvias Dippelhofer (All-NVL), Brendon Soubannarath, Joe Macary, Charles Marenghi, Connor Behuniak, Bryce Cegielski Jake Murphy, Rachel Huculak (All-NVL), Liz Krooss (All-NVL), Kylie Neretich (All-NVL), Lauren Rupsis (All-NVL), Mikayla Williams, Daniela Acevedo, Priya Patel

Seniors: Jon Volpe (All-NVL), Justin Carroll, Britney Soubannarath, Gina Conforti, Viola Cerminka

Indoor track is among the winter sports that are allowed to engage in small-group conditioning and non-contact skill work, but no meets are scheduled.

The boys team has a strong junior class led by Cameron Jacobs (All-NVL), Chance Conklin, Matt Kilmer, Matt Nofri, LeoAngel Lopez, Jordan Montini and Taylor Trowers. Sophomores Shayne Hasipi and Brendan Lyles are rising stars.

The girls team has more than a few athletes who have made their mark including juniors Allison Murphy (All-NVL, All-State) and Julia Kropo (All-NVL) and sophomore Lauren Sonski (All-NVL).

“With no meets scheduled we had a lot of athletes who chose not to return for the long haul to train and condition,” Naugy head coach Ralph Roper said. “We do have some real impact athletes who really put in the work over the summer, like Hasipi and Lyles.”

Woodland

2019-20 results: Boys: finished ninth at the NVL championship; didn’t place in Class M; girls: won NVL championship; placed sixth in Class S

Graduated: Hailey Bernier (All-NVL), Jade Brennan (All-NVL), Jasmine Michie (All-NVL), Emma Slavin (All-NVL), Jill Brotherton, Caitlin Marvin, Cole Barrows (All-NVL), George Hughes

Seniors: Jaden Young (All-NVL, All-State), Rebecca Benoit (All-NVL), Abby Colt, Jon Schwarz, Nick Santovasi

There likely won’t be a competitive season for indoor track this year due to the pandemic, so the girls will not have the opportunity to win their tenth straight NVL title and the boys’ rebuilding will have to focus on conditioning.

The girls graduated a solid core of All-NVL athletes but return a strong group led by a trio of seniors. The girls also boast depth with juniors Sara Alessio (All-NVL), Chloe Poulos (All-NVL), Kayla Drmic, Isabela Mejias, Kim Poulos, Kasey Beard and Amber Rosato.

The boys team also has talented depth behind its seniors, including juniors Eric Meade, Colin Slavin, Sean Swanson, Cole Verrelli, Chase Young, Ryan Hughes and Luca Cambra.

“They are saying we can have competitions on a small scale sometime in March but we just don’t know what they are going to look like right now,” Woodland head coach Jeff Lownds said. “Right now we are moving forward with some training and conditioning and we are going to give them the best possible experience that we can within the guidelines that are given to us.”