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Ask Woodstock Academy girls’ outdoor track John Ywarsky what the strength of the team is and he’s a little stymied.
“It’s a good question. I don’t think we know yet,” Ywarsky said. “We’ve got some individuals in each area who are very strong, but I don’t think we know who the wild cards will be. Those who step up and contribute to relays and get those second and third-place finishes which are so important to scoring points. Six weeks from now, I will probably have a good answer to that question, but, right now, it’s going to be a surprise.”
The Centaurs should be a team on the rise after a 3-5 overall mark and 0-5 record in Division II of the Eastern Connecticut Conference last year.
One of the key factors will be a good turnout.
“We have a lot of kids,” Ywarsky said with a smile. “Over 30 girls came out, very few have left, which is a good sign. We have a lot of returning talent.” But it will be a team dominated by youth. Ywarsky said he has “a ton” of freshmen, most of them from Woodstock and Brooklyn middle schools.
“The kids (the schools) are sending up here are really talented and that’s very helpful,” Ywarsky said. “This is a team that will do a lot of learning this year because of the youth on it.” The Academy has only five seniors on the roster. Kennedy Davignon returns to help the Centaurs in the sprints and the relays and is coming off a good indoor season.
“I like outdoor better because indoor is more cramped at practice. There isn’t enough room to get the workouts we want to do in. Outdoor is more competitive and the team is bigger so there are more people to root for on the track,” Davignon said.
Davignon will be joined in the shorter distances by Maddie Grube, Sophie Randolph and freshmen Eliza Dutson and Gillian Price.
Julia Theriaque, Amelia Pressel and Olivia Majek are all slated to participate in the middle distance events.
The Centaurs did lose Sylvia Lawrence and Shai-Lin Gothreau in the distance events, but it will remain a point-producer for the team.
Senior Hannah Matsas and freshman Stella DiPippo (third in the Eastern Connecticut Conference in cross-country), give the Centaurs a strong 1-2 punch. Three sophomores, Megan Gohn, Cassidy Fortier and Alexia Bourbeau return; junior Shannon D’Alessandro has come out and freshmen Iris Bazinet, Emily McClure and Mallory Tyimok will add depth. Jumpers include senior Lindsey O’Dea, Grube and Alina Michalski. Ywarsky is also hopeful the throwing events will be better than last year as Dutson, Sydney Couture, Ashleigh Angle, Carly Millette and Maggie Flynn add depth behind Chelsea Wise and Skylar Brousseau.
The Centaurs begin this week at home against an ECC Division I team, Fitch.
Ywarsky said. “I think we will be able to hold our own in Division II this year. Last year was tough, a bit of a down year and those things happen. If we can compete with Stonington, Bacon Academy and Montville, I would like to see us in the upper echelon of that division and then we will see what happens against East Lyme, Fitch and NFA.”
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director