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Relay
Woodstock sophomore Talia Tremblay, above, helped the Centaurs to a first-place finish. Photo by Magdalena Myslenski/Woodstock Academy. At right, senior Keenan LaMontagne gets ready for the shotput. Teammate Christian Menounos watches. Photo by Josh Welch/Woodstock Academy.
Track teams
open very
short season
The indoor track regular season for both the Woodstock Academy boys’ and girls’ track teams will essentially be over before the holiday season comes to an end.
The Centaurs have enjoyed their association with Southern Worcester County schools that allowed them to participate in team competitions on a regular basis through the winter months.
But the pandemic changed things and the Massachusetts option is not available, at least, for this season.
Woodstock participated in the first of three ECC developmental meets Dec. 18. The teams will have two more, Dec. 23 and Dec. 30.
“That’s the regular season,” said coach Josh Welch. “There is the possibility of another date in January (Jan. 8 at UConn), then there is a long gap to the first week in February with the ECC championship.”
But in those ECC meets, there are restrictions. For example, in some of those meets, there is a 1-mile competition and in others, it’s the 2-mile, same with relays.
“The only chances we will have to qualify (after the developmental meets for state competition) are in meets outside our conference and who knows what will happen in the ECC (championship),” said Welch.
Meanwhile The Centaurs are scheduled to compete on Jan. 14 and 22 and Feb. 1 in several meets at the new indoor track facility at Bethel High School.
“These are invitationals that we typically don’t see so to be invited to compete in a new $10 million indoor track facility with a 200-meter track, dedicated sprint lanes and all this other stuff, including a fast surface, is great. We will see competition that we will see in Class L,” Welch said.
One of those invitationals is for only pentathletes and distance competitors.
“That’s great for some of our kids like (junior) Bella (Sorrentino) who was eighth in the state last year and her sister, (freshman) Mia, looks like she is headed in that direction too so that’s exciting for those kids. For some our distance runners, Bethel was great competition for us in States and so was E.O. Smith and some other teams that we will see out there and not in the ECC’s,” Welch said. The Class L state championship comes up on Feb. 12 in New Haven.
The Centaurs have approximately 60 student-athletes out for the two programs.
“I would always love to see more. When we go up against Norwich Free Academy and East Lyme with our 25 girls, that will be about half what those teams may produce. It’s tough to tell where we will line up there and makes it tough to figure out relays but the numbers have been steady between mid-50’s and mid-60’s,” Welch said.
On the boys’ side, Welch is excited about two promising throwers: Senior Keenan LaMontagne is hoping to use the work indoors to close in on some school outdoor records especially in the discus.
“It’s just shotput indoors but it’s a great opportunity to get him in and training. His father is coaching throwers for us which is awesome and he will get a lot of lifting in and will get to throw the shot which will make him a more well-rounded thrower. He could be up there in the shotput competition in Class L this year,” Welch said.
Lamontagne finished third Dec. 18 in the shotput with a throw of 43-feet, 6-inches and qualified for the states. Jared Eaton is a first-time indoor track athlete as a senior and is already throwing over 40 feet in the shotput. Eaton also qualified for state competition as he finished fourth in the shot and took first in the high jump.
Senior Ian Hoffman is a promising mid-distance runner and showed off his pole vault talents by finishing first Dec. 18.
With distance runners Seamus Lippy and Vincente Bastura likely to get some points for the Centaurs in the championship meets. Bastura was second in the mile in the first developmental meet. Junior Liam Wilcox will also be helpful in the high and long jump for the Centaurs this season.
On the girls’ side, the Sorrentinos are talented athletes who compete in multiple events.
Bella Sorrentino participated in gymnastics last winter. Bella Sorrentino was torn because she felt like high school would be her last hurrah in gymnastics as it will likely be track that she pursues in college.
“Obviously, I told her, I would say to come and do my sport but you have to go where your heart is and she decided to come and do this. It’s awesome. Her heptathlon last year was a big encouragement for her to see what she could do. She’s a Swiss Army knife, I can put that kid in anything and she will score points,” Welch said.
Sorrentino and her sister, Mia, who is working on the shotput, high jump and pole vault, are not the only newcomers Welch is excited about. Freshman Julia Allard is already running sub-13 seconds in the 100-meter.
Allard holds the Woodstock Middle School record in the event, but will still have to come down a bit to repeat that feat at The Academy which is 12.3 seconds. Allard is also learning how to hurdle this winter.
Allard was first in the dash Dec. 18, qualifying for the States, and was second in the 55-meter hurdles.
Senior Linsey Arends, the ECC cross-country individual champ, returns to run the mile indoor in which she is already the school record-holder with a 5 minute, 21 second effort. She’s working to get the outdoor record come spring, but will have to drop 18 seconds off her time.
“The way that she showed increased strength and speed in cross-country, especially ECC championships, she is a lot quicker and tougher than when she ran 5:21,” Welch said.
In her first meet Dec. 18, she placed second in the mile, qualifying for state competition with a 5:41 finish
Lauren Brule and Julia Coyle will both help in the mid and longer distances this winter and Jill Edwards will score points in the jumps, hurdles and relays.
Talia Tremblay, a sophomore like Edwards, is looking strong in both the 300 and 600-meter sprints. Tremblay was impressive Dec. 18, finishing first in the 600-meter. Ava Coutu placed second in the 300-meter.
“I would love to see what we can do in the ECC championship meet. I think we can put some pressure on some of the bigger teams, who knows who will have what at this point and who will be healthy, but I think we have enough talent to take some top spots in a handful of events and be in the running,” Welch said. “We’re also pushing the team aspect. Maybe an athlete like Linsey doubles up to help us with points. We’re trying to build that team culture because we will need it in outdoors.”
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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