Centaurs boys finish 3rd in indoor track
It was not the nicest of times to be traveling to the ECC Div. I indoor track championship Saturday morning — the snow was falling, the wind was blowing and there were near white-out conditions at times.
But the Centaurs boys’ and girls’ programs persevered.
Woodstock Academy coach Josh Welch waited for the email and the postponement announcement on Friday night and Saturday morning.
It never came.
“We had students coming from Canterbury and Union just to get to South Campus and the bus. I thanked the parents because everybody got there in time and we went on a two-hour bus ride, a white-knuckle, two-hour ride. The bus drivers did a fantastic job of keeping us safe and getting us there but that was quite the experience,” Welch said.
The Centaurs boys’ team made the most of it as it finished with 100 points, good enough for third behind East Lyme (134) and Fitch (119).
The Centaurs only had one individual finish as an ECC Div. I champion. That honor belonged to senior Abraham McGregor as he finished first in the long jump with a leap of 21-feet, 4-inches.
He almost had a pair of first-place finishes as he was second in the 55m dash in 6.8 seconds.
The Centaurs did, however, rack up the runner-up spots.
In addition to McGregor, Thatcher Paterson was second in the long jump. Second-place finishes by individuals also included Eli Manning in the shotput and Owen Williamson in the 55m hurdles.
The 4x400m relay team (Aiden Tyler, Liam Hewson, Sam Greene, Ronan Curran); the 4x800m relay team (Lucas Hecker, Spencer Mayo, Jackson Durand, Curran) and the Sprint Medley relay team (Tyler, Owen Williamson, Greene, Collin Teal) all had second-place finishes.
Teal was third in the 300m, Greene equaled that in the 600m and the 4x180m relay team of Paterson, McGregor, Teal and Williamson also placed third.
Another big meet is on the horizon as the Centaurs boys travel to the Class M state championship Friday.
Girls’ Indoor Track
The girls knew what it was up against at the ECC Div. I championship meet. East Lyme.
“We were hoping to hold them back a little bit but what they had put out at different meets was a few of them at a time so you really didn’t know what you were getting into,” coach Josh Welch said.
The Vikings amassed 164 points to easily distance themselves from the Centaurs who finished second with 107.
The Vikings were dominant in the distance events.
Despite a first-place finish from Woodstock freshman Emme Langevin, the Vikings took the next four spots behind her, in the 1000m race.
Langevin finished second in the 1600m with East Lyme taking first, third, fourth and fifth and it also took the top two spots in the 3200m.
The Centaurs had their own dominant event – the shotput.
Seniors Avery Plouffe, Lily Morgis and Kiley Elliott finished 1-2-3 with Plouffe taking first with a throw of 38-feet, 6-inches.
Senior Emma Weitknecht had a good day as well as she won the ECC Div. I individual title in the 55m hurdles in a time of 8.67 seconds.
She followed that up by joining Bella Amlaw, Claire Bruneaux and Teagan Maloney for a first-place finish in the 4x400m race.
Maloney put together a second-place finish in the 300m and the 4x800m relay team of Olivia Tracy, Amlaw, Bruneaux and Nova Almquist also garnered a second-place. Almquist was also third in the 3200m, just ahead of teammate Melanie Dipippo.
The Centaurs girls next travel to the Class M state championship meet.
“I think both the boys’ and girls’ teams could finish in the top five, that is doable,” Welch said. “The girls have been here before. We have been in play for the top two teams, indoor and outdoor, for the past couple of years and we’re still hanging in there with good attitudes and lofty goals and I’m hoping we will see more personal bests.”
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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caption:
Senior Avery Plouffe, center, finished first in the shotput competition at the ECC Div. I girls’ indoor track championship Saturday. Lily Morgis, left, was second and Kiley Elliott placed third to complete the Centaur sweep. Photo by Gerry Lamontagne/Woodstock Academy.