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Heading Toward
Woodstock Academy senior Greg Weber heads toward the bar in the high jump competition at the ECC boys’ indoor track championship.

Crosses Hurdle
Adam Schimmelpfennig crosses the last hurdle on his way to a second-place finish in the 55-meter hurdles. Photos by Marc Allard.




Basketball was Greg Weber’s first love.
He had played for Woodstock Academy for the last three seasons.
But things didn’t work out this year and Weber, now a senior, decided to try indoor track.
Now, he regrets that he had not done so sooner.
“I wish I had done this since freshman year,” Weber said after he finished second in the long jump and third at the high jump at the ECC Div. I boys’ indoor track championship meet Feb. 1.
With only the remaining one or two indoor track meets left and the outdoor season left in high school, he is now hopeful to pursue a collegiate track career.
Weber did not finish as strongly as he had hoped and neither did the Centaurs boys’ indoor track team.
The Centaurs had to settle for a tie for fourth with New London at 39 points, well behind Norwich Free Academy with 208.
Junior Ethan Aspiras wouldn’t have made up the entire difference but probably could have brought 10 points or so to the table.
Aspiras could not go because he was battling the flu.
Weber cleared 20 feet, 3 ¾ inches to take second in the long jump.
That was below his season best of 21-5 ½ and had him seeded second for the event behind NFA athlete Osaretin Osagie. Osagie chose not to compete but another NFA athlete, Justin Costick, was able to take home first when he jumped 20-5 ½ .
Weber has cleared 5-10 in the high jump this season but had to settle for 5-8.
One thing he was not that used to, the pressure of competing in a championship environment.
 “He missed a first by an inch and change to a really good NFA competitor, it’s something he could have got, it’s just dialing things in. He’s so new. Getting there and just getting steps, getting into the swing of things, is a lot for him. He did a really good job of keeping all of that under control and having a solid day,” Welch said.
Osagie did deny a member of the Centaurs a first-place finish.
The NFA senior took the 55m hurdles in 7.87 seconds ahead of Woodstock Academy junior Adam Schimmelpfennig who finished in 8.4 seconds.
Eric Phongsa was the only other individual to score a point for the Centaurs.
The relay teams accounted for the remainder of them.
“It looks like we have 15-to-18 kids (boys and girls), depending on who is in what relay who have qualified for States. It will be good to get down to that focus group and really begin to fine tune some things with people, without being so spread out like we are during the regular season,” Welch said.
The Centaurs finished up their dual season against Massachusetts teams Jan. 29 with four wins to finish 12-3 on the season.
Woodstock Academy downed Massachusetts high schools Bartlett (55-31); David Prouty (67-13); Northbridge (55-25) and Grafton (64-20). Schimmelpfennig placed first in the hurdles and second in the 300 meter. Joe Zhou tied for first in the high jump competition.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

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