2025-26 indoor girls track
Seniors Ella Lidonde, left, and Emma Weitknecht will be key contributors for the girls’ indoor track team. Photo by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.
2025-26 indoor track boys
The boys’ indoor track team is expected to be significantly stronger this season and seniors Harrison Durand, left, and Eli Manning will have to play large roles for that to take place. Photo by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.
Indoor Track Preview
Centaur boys excited about indoor track season
Significantly stronger. That was the overall assessment of the Woodstock Academy boys’ indoor track team by coach Josh Welch.
“We have throws and hurdles covered with Eli Manning and Owen Williamson, our pole vaulters are coming along. Abraham McGregor is going to dominate in long and triple jump and could be great in the (60-meter) dash as well. Thatcher Paterson is in the same boat. Distance will be our softer side in the (ECC) but we will do OK in States,” said Welch.
Breaking that down a bit, Manning is now a senior and indoor track has only one throwing event, the shotput.
But Manning distinguished himself last year when he finished fourth in the ECC Div. I championship meet in the event and was sixth in Class M.
“I first started throwing in my eighth grade year at middle school and that was fun because I had an older cousin who did it in college and he was very successful and kind of got me into it,” Manning said.
He has diversified a bit since as he followed in the footsteps of the now graduated Liam Wilcox to compete in the decathlon.
“One of the biggest focuses for every track event is hip strength. Through throwing, I was able to develop better use of my hips which has helped me in hurdles, high jump, long jump and pole vault. Overall, the training has made me stronger and that helps in every event,” Manning said.
The progress showed last year when he finished ninth in the CIAC decathlon championship in the late spring.
The distance side being "soft" is odd but understandable as the Centaurs saw both Christian Menounos and Colton Sallum move on to compete in the college ranks. Add to that, the dominance of the East Lyme program in distance running and it’s tough in the ECC.
The Centaurs will have distance runners in Lucas Hecker, Sam Greene and both Harrison and Jackson Durand.
“I first got into distance running because my Mom ran to raise awareness for a kidney disease that I had when I was younger and so I kind of wanted to run with her. So, my Mom got me into it and I have just grown to like it more and more as I continued to compete,” Harrison Durand said.
And he has begun to prosper.
He finished third in the ECC indoor track championship in the 3200m last season and was a key member of the Centaurs’ cross-country team.
“At a meet in Hartford, I decided to just go for it in the 3200 and just ignore any doubts in my head and finally succeeded in getting to where I wanted to be. That was a big confidence boost for me,” Harrison Durand said.
Overall, Welch loves what he is seeing early in the season.
”I think this is probably the strongest boys’ team we’ve had in terms of overall points since I’ve been here. It will be even better in outdoor where the throws will pick us up even more,” Welch said.
Welch added the Centaurs have phenomenal discus and javelin throwers but that doesn’t help much in indoor track.
The season got underway for the Centaurs on Saturday with an ECC development meet Saturday.
Williamson picked up a pair of first-place finishes. He won the 55-meter hurdles in 8.58 seconds with his teammate, Manning, in third. Williamson was also joined by McGregor, Paterson and Collin Teal in the 4x180 relay and came up with the winning time of 1 minute, 27.84 seconds. Hecker and Greene placed second and third respectively in the 1600m race.
Girls’ Preview
Centaurs eye league, State success
The girls’ indoor track team has lost only two athletes from last year. Unfortunately, one of those names was Juliet Allard.
Allard was the ECC champ in the 300-meter and was second in the 55m hurdles, two events that she placed second in at the Class M state championship. She went on to place fifth in the 300 and ninth in the hurdles at the State Open championship.
“Losing Juliet is tough, without a doubt,” said coach Josh Welch. “I don’t think we have that kind of dash or 300 (performer) so that’s kind of a tough spot but we do have some kids coming close.”
Still, when describing the team as a whole, Welch said “awesome.”
The hurdles could be even better than last year with a couple of performers who will put up points including senior Emma Weitknecht who is the reigning ECC Div. I champion in the 55m hurdles and was third best in the Class M championship.
“I felt like I performed well especially qualifying for Nationals in two individual events which was one of my big goals after having only qualified in relays previously. I hope to do the same this year,” Weitknecht said.
She will once again compete in the 55m hurdles but won’t have Allard to work with in practice, something that helped over her first three years.
“I think it helped because having someone who was so close to me the entire time helped push me to go past the next barrier and figure out how to get where I wanted to be. Having her there, really helped,” Weitknecht said.
In addition to Weitknecht performing on the track, Welch would also like to see her step up in another role.
“I will be looking to Emma to really develop confidence in her leadership this year. She is doing a fantastic job with that so far but she has school records to break and state championships to win,” Welch said.
Weitknecht was 60th in the Nike Nationals but someone was even better than that.
Avery Plouffe uncorked a 41-foot, 1 ¼ -inch throw in the shotput to finish second in the Nike Nationals in New York.
She returns for her senior season.
“She is going to impress people, she is looking really good,” Welch said.
Ella Lidonde will also be a key for the Centaurs in both jumps and sprints.
“I want to improve my jumps and my sprints especially being in the 4x180m and 4x200m, I think I can improve those and I think I can be better in placing for my jumps in the ECC (championship),” the senior said.
Finnley Syphers finished fourth in the league in pole vault and returns for her senior season and Bella Amlaw has eyes on the school record in the 600m.
The Centaurs should also get a little boost from a couple of freshmen.
Marge Azu will help especially in the high jump and Emelia Langevin comes over after a very nice freshman cross-country season to add depth to the distance runners.
“I think Emme will put up points all over the place in indoor track. She is coming in for the 1600 and 1000m races, work on the fast, explosive stuff and then stretch that back out later on, either late indoor or outdoor, for the 3200m,” Welch said.
The Centaurs finished second in the ECC Div. I indoor track championship a year ago and were fourth in Class M.
It’s possible, they could be better in 2025-26.
“I think we have enough firepower to get close to winning the ECC championship and the same thing at States where I think we can be a top-five team if not better if we can deliver everything. We just have to work on our ability to manage the demands of high pressure meets. By having kids getting experience in things like Nationals the past couple of years, I think it has really helped them develop that confidence in competition,” Welch said.
That confidence showed a bit on Saturday as the Centaurs opened their season at an ECC developmental meet.
Plouffe set the standard for the State early as she launched a shotput 37-feet, 5-inches, which is the best the state has seen so far.
Plouffe came back to finish second in the weight throw with only teammate Kate Dobosz ahead of her. Dobosz uncorked a winning heave of 41-feet.
Weitknecht started off in fine fashion as the senior won the 55-meter hurdles in 9.03 seconds which already qualifies her for Nationals competition.
Langevin was second in both the 1000 and 1600m races and Amlaw was second in the 600m.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy