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Some teams had troubles with the late winter/early spring weather that has beset the region.
The Woodstock Academy boys’ track team was not exempt from that, experiencing both the good and bad of the cold and snow.
“Starting off inside the gym was good,” said coach Peter Lusa. “We were working together as one group in a set, small area and we really had to get to know everybody and kids got to know each other, who worked better in pairs, who should stay separated. It was a good start in that sense.”
Although it has troubled some events. “We need to really start working on our technical events,” Lusa said. “The snow hampered us. " Lusa said that March 29 and the first meet of the season was scheduled for April 3 at home versus Fitch.
“We’re waiting for all the snow to melt,” senior hurdler Dan Crème said
The turnout has been good with 36 boys in uniform, with several late arrivals still expected.
“It’s my favorite of the three running sports, I also do cross-country and indoor track. Outdoor is the best, I love the warm weather once we get to late May and early June, it’s perfect,” Crème said.
Plus, the outdoor track team is generally larger than the previous two. “Basketball and wrestling take up our indoor season and soccer takes up (the cross-country) season. People are looking for things to do in the spring and we get a lot of athletes come out and join the track team,” Crème said.
Mark Dumas returns as one of the top shotput athletes in the ECC with fellow senior Connor Huda who also throws the shotput and discus. Newcomer Zach Zavorkas, another senior, will help in the javelin and discus. Juniors Dan Ntamwemezi, Connor Starr and sophomores Chandler Creedon, Andrew Salmon and Thomas Waldon are all out for a first time and will add depth. Crème, personally, hopes to qualify for the Class M state championship meet this season. Other key seniors include Natanael Colon in sprints and mid-distance, Felix Gould in the mid-distance and distance events and Julian Martin in the sprints.
The distance events will include juniors Kenneth Birlin and Noah Pepper and sophomores Evan Gianfriddo, Matt Roethlein and Christian Mink but they will have some youngsters that should help. Ethan Aspiras, who had a good first cross-country season for the Centaurs, and Jackson Dias, are both freshman distance runners. Lusa is hopeful that juniors Lucas Couture and Nicholas Jakubowski can challenge the school record in the pole vault this season.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director