The Woodstock Academy boys’ track team got its first taste of what competition will be like in Division I of the Eastern Connecticut Conference last week.
It won’t be easy.
The Centaurs were outnumbered and that means a lot in the sport of outdoor track and field, they lost to the Fitch Falcons, 104-46, in Groton.
“They have a really big team, 75-plus guys on the team, and very well-behaved, wonderful athletes. They doubled up kids, had them running multiple events, and our kids did the best they could,” said Woodstock Academy coach Peter Lusa.
The Centaurs did have a host of personal bests.
“Our training is working, but I just wish we had a few more backups, a few more kids,” Lusa said.
Senior Lucas Couture picked up a pair of first-place finishes for the Centaurs.
Couture cleared the bar at 10 feet in the pole vault on a windy and chilly day down by the shoreline.
His personal best is 10-feet-6 but he has his eyes much higher this season.
The school record, for example, is 14-feet-9.
“It’s there, it’s attainable, but I would have to work very hard. I would be happy if I get 12 or 13 feet this season. It really boosted my confidence starting off 10 feet in the first meet,” Couture said. “The conditions may have affected my performance, so it’s good to know that I can only go up from here.”
Couture didn’t have much competition against the Falcons.
Couture started at 8-6, quickly went up another foot, and then to 10 before fouling out at 10-6.
“He was all by himself at the end,” Lusa said. “It was getting more and more bitter and, as the top guy, you have to wait for everyone else to finish and you know the weather is coming.”
Couture also challenged himself on the track.
He ran the 50-meter hurdles indoors but had never attempted the 110-hurdles outdoors.
His first try produced some pretty nice results as he also garnered a first place in that event.
“I messed my step up on one of them and went over the wrong way, kicked (the hurdle) pretty far so that was pretty funny,” Couture said.
Couture also produced the fastest leg in the 4 x 400m relay for the Centaurs.
The distance guys also scored for the Centaurs.
Sophomore Ethan Aspiras finished first in the 3,200m and second in the 800m just behind senior Kenneth Birlin who won the 800 in 2 minutes, 6 seconds.
“It’s one of the biggest crews we have,” Lusa said of the distance group. “(Assistant coach) Joe Banas seems to like some kids in, but we’re going to pull some back out because they can probably do better in the sprints. It was a good day for them and they ran well.”
Lusa said Birlin’s time in the 800 was a bit of a surprise as no one was pushing him. He had 100 yards on Aspiras at the finish line.
Jackson Dias finished first in the 300m hurdles and was second in the high jump. Eric Phongsa was second in the 200m and Danylo Ntamwemizi was third in the shotput.
“We’re going to be shelved next week,” Lusa said of this week’s spring break at The Academy. “We’re missing half the kids for various reasons. The dorms are emptying so we’re missing those guys. It’s a good chance (for some rest) as we have some kids with sore ankles and sore shoulders. We can get them recuperated and back on training. We come back for a meet (versus Norwich Free Academy on April 24) and the Ledyard Relays before we have another lull,” Lusa said.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy

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