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Track Team Leaders
Four seniors, from left: Leah Castle, Hailey McDonald, Linsey Arends and Emily Nazer will lead a young girls’ outdoor track team for Woodstock Academy. Photo by Marc Allard.
It’s the story of the spring season for Woodstock Academy athletic teams for the most part this season. A lot of athletes coming back and plenty of optimism.
The Centaurs girls’ track and field team lost only two performers, Iris Bazinet and Mallory Tyimok, to graduation.
“We’re looking at a lot of returners, didn’t lose much from last year. All of our primary point scorers are back and getting stronger,” said coach Josh Welch.
What’s even better is that the Centaurs have only four seniors: Emily Nazer, Leah Castle, Linsey Arends and Hailey McDonald.
“We have a couple of seniors who are up there, but it’s really still looking at the sophomore and junior classes as they come up (to account for) the bulk of our point scoring. We should be a strong team this year,” Welch said.
McDonald agreed. “We have a lot of new people the past couple of years and they just keep surprising us. We have people who come in for a season and they’re just awesome,” the senior said admitting that it’s a bittersweet feeling for her to leave at the end of the season. “I’m going to miss the team and will miss working with coach Welch a lot.”
McDonald has her own goals this season. She was off by a tenth of a second from qualifying for the Class MM state championship meet in both of her sprint events a year ago.
Arends returns as one of the top distance and middle distance runners in the ECC. Castle, juniors Lauren Brule and Carah Bruce and sophomore Julia Coyle are four other talented distance event athletes.
Junior Magdalena Myslenski will lead the throwers after a fourth-place finish in the Class MM state competition last season. Fellow junior Bella Sorrentino is strong in the shotput and Welch feels he has several javelin throwers working through the ranks.
Bella Sorrentino and sophomore Reegan Reynolds are strong in the triple and long jumps while sophomore Jillian Edwards, freshman Mia Sorrentino and junior Fiona Rigney will give Woodstock points in the high jump.
Freshman Juliet Allard was impressive in the sprints during the indoor track season.
“She will be a top-3 competitor in the ECC’s and that really rounds things out for us. She was seventh in the (300-meter) in the state and (eighth) in the (55-meter hurdles). As a freshman, that’s great,” Welch said.
The biggest challenge for the coaching staff now is that the young athletes continue to follow the trajectory that they should.
If there is a place to improve, it is in the championship meets. After winning the ECC Div. II regular season championship a year ago, the Centaurs finished fourth in the championship meet.
The Centaurs are back in Div. I against the likes of larger programs like NFA, E. Lyme and Fitch. Welch said he’s looking forward to the opener against NFA (April 13) to use as a measuring stick for the season.
“East Lyme is a whole other story,” Welch said with a smile. “I saw their coach (Carl Reichard) at New England’s (for indoor track) and it was the first time he ever said ‘You have us nervous coming up there. You guys are gunning for us.’ I told him, ‘You haven’t had to be nervous ever.’ It was really cool to hear that. Even if we can just mix it up and make it a meet with them, it would be awesome.”
On the state level, Welch is hopeful for better performances.
“We had Reegan and Talia (Tremblay) in the top 12 in the 400-meter as freshmen and we’re going to be competitive in the 200. Our 4x800 (relay) team is going to be really strong and could get close to placing there. I think Linsey will focus on the 800m and should do well and Magdalena in the discus has the potential to be in the top three. There are a handful of kids who could score and medal in States this year,” Welch said.
Girls’ Track Schedule: Wed., April 13: at NFA, 3:45; Wed., April 27: vs. Fitch, 3:45; Sat., April 30: at Ledyard Relays, TBA; Wed., May 4: vs. E. Lyme, 4; Sat., May 7, at Middletown Invitational, 10; Wed., May 18: vs. Waterford, 3:30; Mon., May 23: ECC Championship at E. Lyme, TBA.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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