Roundup
All-American quartet highlight final track activity
The end of the season in high school track and field belongs to multi-faceted and specialty events.
On the state level, those take place in New Britain. On the national level, as far away as Eugene, Ore. Woodstock Academy athletes shined in both locations this past week.
Woodstock Academy junior Kathryn Dobosz made the most of the moment in New Britain while Emma Weitknecht, Teagan Maloney, Bella Amlaw and Emme Langevin made a West Coast journey worth it by earning NSAF first team All-American honors at the Nike Nationals in Oregon,
Weitknecht, Maloney, Amlaw and Langevin finished seventh in the Sprint Medley Relay to earn those All-American honors and also smashed the Woodstock Academy school record with a 4-minute, 18.44 seconds performance.
The boys’ sprint medley relay team of Lucas Hecker, Owen Williamson, Collin Teal and Sam Greene placed 11th in the Emerging Elite division in Eugene while a little closer to home, Lily Morgis placed 18th in the discus at the New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia.
Dobosz left New Britain with a state championship medal in hand as she won the CIAC hammer throw competition on Monday with a throw of 143-feet, 6-inches. That was 6 ½ feet better than Melody Gordon of Hillhouse and eclipsed the previous Woodstock Academy school record by 8 feet. It was also the 57th best performance in the country this year.
“I was a little surprised,” coach and throwing guru Gerry LaMontagne said. “I felt she would place but also knew that she would have to have a personal best to have a chance at winning. There were several competitors capable of that distance as well so after her opening throw over 140-feet, it was a matter how the others would respond.”
But he also knew she was very capable of getting that personal best and when she did, both she and he knew it.
“She’s been throwing in that range in practice and I know what a good throw for her looks like. When she finished the throw, I knew it was good and was delighted that it was that good,” LaMontagne said.
Two seniors also threw well as Max Ellenberg finished seventh in the boys’ competition and Avery Plouffe was 11th in the girls.
A freshman, Eean Sanborn, was 11th for the boys with a throw of 148-feet, 10-inches, the best amongst freshmen in the competition.
“Both (Dobosz and Sanborn) are hard workers and understand how important the technical side of things are. I’ve always looked forward to (Dobosz’s) ‘next season’ and this will be no different. Eean will be in that same boat as both have learned and grown this year and I’m excited to help them reach their potential in these events,” LaMontagne said.
Senior Eli Manning broke a Woodstock Academy school record that had stood since 2010 as he finished with 5283 points in the CIAC boys’ decathlon championship.
That effort was good for seventh in the competition.
Manning finished first in the shotput, discus and javelin competitions within the event and was ninth in the pole vault.
Fellow senior Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain had a career-best 3675 points in the CIAC girls’ heptathlon championship which was good for eighth in the competition.
D’Alleva-Bochain finished first in the javelin, third in the shotput and seventh in both the high jump and 800m.
Ceremonial Signing
A group of senior athletes came together for Senior Signing Day recently to announce where they will continue their academic and athletic endeavors. Those who took part included: Kaylee Saucier- University of Hartford (basketball); Avery Danis – Husson University (soccer); Payton Leite- Franklin Pierce University (soccer); Kaylee Bundy- Endicott College (volleyball); Caleb Simoneau- Coast Guard Academy (baseball); Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain- Brown University (track and field); Avery Plouffe – Franklin Pierce University (track and field); Lily Morgis – Southern Connecticut State University (track and field); Abraham McGregor- Purdue University (track and field); Ellary Sampson – St. Joseph’s University (softball); Vivian Bibeau- Clarkson College (basketball); Emma Weitknecht- Southern Connecticut State University (track and field); Gianna Musumeci- Nichols College (tennis); Olivia DiGregorio – Emmanuel College (wrestling); David Geney- Trine University (lacrosse); Lily Moran- University of Hartford (golf); Quan Sangasy-Albertus Magnus College (lacrosse); Kiley Elliott- Keene State University (track and field); Jamie Dean Stewart- Post University (basketball); Gavin Hecker-Tiffin University (volleyball).
Senior Athletes Bochain, McGregor go Div. I
Two more announced that they will be attending and likely competing for a Div. I college athletic program.
Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain will compete for Brown University in track and field, specifically the javelin event. Abraham McGregor will be going to Purdue University in Indiana and will also be a track and field competitor in the long jump.
“I’m very excited. I feel like Brown is a perfect fit for me, both academically and athletically, I’m just really excited about the culture and the team,” D’Alleva-Bochain said. “The academics at Brown was what did it for me. If I could go athletically somewhere, I didn’t want to sacrifice my academics and I always wanted to go Ivy League. I’m proud I can do both.”
D’Alleva-Bochain is looking to get into the bio-medical engineering program at Brown.
“I want to major in aerospace engineering and Purdue is a cradle of astronauts which is what brought me there. Their track program is really good for jumpers and as a long jumper myself, that attracted me. I got into Purdue academically and tried to join them athletically and, thankfully, they took me on,” McGregor said.
While D’Alleva-Bochain is staying close to home, it’s a bit of a trek to Indiana, especially for McGregor who is a native of Jamaica.
“It’s a bit of a change but I’m happy with the change. I accepted that change when I came here to Woodstock and it worked out well for me so I think it will work well at Purdue, too,” McGregor said.
Boys’ Volleyball
The boys’ volleyball team was close. Oh so close to winning Class S boys volleyball state championship on June 12. The Centaurs would not mind another shot at it.
And they are seemingly built for a return engagement.
Unlike many that advance to a state final, Woodstock was not decimated by graduation.
Only three members of the team, Gavin Hecker, Weston Mission and Vaughn Buzak donned caps and gowns following the state championship match.
It leaves Adam Bottone with just about his entire squad returning from a 24-2 season.
That includes their top three producers up front as Brayden Bottone (344 kills), Owen Budd (221 kills and 40 blocks) and Evan Chernik (189 kills) will all be back.
Hecker may have graduated but played only half the season and the Centaurs starting setter, Jake Henderson, who finished with 487 assists will return.
So will Libero Christian Hart and his 245 digs and 190 service points. Chernik also produced 161 digs and a team-best 251 service points.
“A lot of them play in the offseason and getting the extra reps by playing club (volleyball) is going to help. It would be nice if more of them hit the weights and got a little stronger but what it truly comes down to is the mental toughness component. They want to compete, they want to get after it but they have to have the go, go, go mindset and not get frustrated,” Adam Bottone said.
The Centaurs could also be getting some reinforcements as another front-line hitter, who stands about six-feet, may be joining the team.
The Centaurs will not be playing for three championships next season. Woodstock will not compete in the Connecticut Volleyball League as the ECC becomes more established.
Griswold is slated to have a program in 2027 joining the Centaurs, NFA, New London and Putnam in the ECC.
“If we compete in both leagues, we can only play three non-conference games. I really wanted to open up our schedule so we could do that. We will get eight games from the ECC and then we can schedule 12 out-of-conference which I think will be a help,” Adam Bottone said.
That could include matches against teams like Joel Barlow, which shutout the Centaurs, 3-0, in the state championship match.
With all the success the Centaurs have had, they are still a young program, having just completed their third season of competition and here they are, already beginning to look to step up to bigger and better things.
“Hopefully, we will learn (from the state championship loss). I know what the guys, especially the ones who play club, are capable of. They play at a pretty high level and because of that I expect us to perform at a high level but at the same time, when you get to the middle and western side of the State and meet some of the tougher teams, that’s what we need to strive to be like,” Adam Bottone said. “I wonder if there weren’t three divisions this year, if there was still just two, if we would have made it as far. It would have been more of a challenge for us. I think being in (Class) S is a good place for us. It’s where we belong.”
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
captions:
2026 girls hammer throw
Kathryn Dobosz, far right, and the other medal winners from the CIAC girls; state championship hammer throw competition. Photo by Gerry LaMontagne/Woodstock Academy.
2026 SMR girls track
Four members of the girls’ track team, from left: Teagan Maloney, Emma Weitknecht, Bella Amlaw and Emme Langevin, earned NSAF first team All-American honors at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Ore. with a 7th-place finish in the Sprint Medley Relay. Photo contributed by Woodstock Academy.
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Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain competes in the javelin in the CIAC heptathlon. Photo by Josh Welch/Woodstock Academy.
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Eli Manning competes in a track event at the CIAC decathlon championship. Photo by Josh Welch/Woodstock Academy.
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Senior student-athletes from Woodstock got together shortly before graduation in the Alumni Fieldhouse to announce the colleges and universities where they would continue both their academic and athletic careers. Photo by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.
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Boys’ volleyball coaches Adam Bottone, right, and Ami Sorrentino congratulate the players for their efforts in the Class S state championship match. Photo by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.
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Sam Anderson, left, and Gavin Hecker (9) go up for the block against Joel Barlow in the Class S boys’ volleyball state championship match. Photo by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.
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All-State junior Brayden Bottone goes airborne for a shot against Joel Barlow. Photo by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.
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ECC and Connecticut Volleyball League All-Star Libero Christian Hart attempts a bump while Brayden Bottone (11) gets in position for a possible return. Photo by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.
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