Runners, throwers, jumpers, coaches, volunteers, parents and the greater community came out on Saturday, May 25 to the Essex track and field invite.
Not only is this an exciting meet because of enormous attendance, with well over 25 teams from all over the state, but it also serves as the New England Championship qualifier. Anticipation was high going into a meet of this scale.
Getting things underway bright and early at 9 a.m. were the field events. The top six in each event, throwing and running, go on to represent Vermont at New England’s at the University of New Hampshire on June 8.
Here’s who will compete from Essex:
Lucie Armata joined the small group of ninth-graders who qualified. She cleared a 1.49m bar in the high jump.
Nathan Lyle, a senior, jumped 6.17m into the sand to place 6th in long jump. Junior Isabella Delphia also qualified in that event, jumping 5.20m. Another junior, Anna Kinney, triple jumped into the sandpit 10.31m.
Tess Adams, a junior, continued her dominance by placing 1st in both shot put and discus. She threw 11.66m and 38.33m respectively, putting her in a good spot going into a regional competition.
Teammate Alex Johnson, also a junior, put on three impressive performances, qualifying in shot put, discus, and javelin. He placed 2nd in shot, and 4th in the other two events.
Senior Mia LaCasse had a good day also as she threw 10.09m in the shot put to place 4th and punched her ticket to NE’s.
Sara Sinkewicz, a junior, not only placed 4th in javelin but also qualified in the 100m dash and was the anchor of Essex’s 4x100m relay team who finished in 3rd.
Essex’s 4x800m girls team ran 10:09.64 seconds to safely take 4th place. While in the boys race, it was one of the most exciting races of the day. Seven teams placed within four seconds of each other. An extremely tight pack led to Essex just missing that 6th spot by 0.21 seconds.
The Essex hurdlers had a strong day with juniors Sanjin Hadzic and Max Lesny making the top six in the 110m and 300m hurdles. Sophomore Asher St. Pierre joined them in the 300m and will be heading to UNH in two weeks, also.
The 4x100m relay saw Essex’s team come in 5th. As always with sprinting events it is neck and neck until the line and often requires a photo review.
By the time the mid-distance 800m run came around, the crowd was more than ready to see what was in store. A year ago at this same meet, senior Kelton Poirier took down his rival Andrew Thornton-Sherman, of St. Johnsbury Academy, with an incredible kick. However, this year, Poirier didn’t beat Thornton-Sherman but still ran an impressive sub two minutes and placed 5th.
In the distance powerhouse event, the 3000m run, senior Henry Nasse and junior James Steward finished 5th and 6th respectively over the grueling 7 ½ laps.
The fan favorite 4x400m relay was thrilling as always with the Essex boys team finishing in 2nd, only three seconds behind top seed St. Johnsbury. Even more impressive is that Essex was seeded 4th, ever more showing their grit and determination through each leg.
There is no team score for this meet because it is strictly about individuals qualifying for New England’s.
