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Hoffman Surges
Woodstock senior Ian Hoffman surges toward the line in the 800m against Waterford. Hoffman came in a personal best time and is now just 2.1 seconds shy of the school record.
Up and Over
Magdalena Myslenski heads over the bar in the pole vault against Waterford. The junior finished first in the event as well the discus and javelin.
Hoffman shooting for record in 800-meter
A smile crept over the face of Woodstock Academy senior Ian Hoffman when asked if he wanted to eclipse school record in the boys’ outdoor track 800-meter.
“I want to beat it so bad,” Hoffman said. “That’s what I think about during every workout and every race.”
He came close again in the final home meet of the season in which the Centaurs fell to Waterford last week, 86-64.
Hoffman was able to finish the two trips around the track in 2 minutes, 2.46 seconds, a personal best for him.
He is now just 2.1 seconds away from his goal and there are bigger meets on the horizon, like the ECC championship on Monday at E. Lyme (which finished too late for this edition), that may help him in the pursuit of that goal.
“At the ECCs, I will have a lot more competition. It will be good to have people there to push me. There are some guys who run around 1:58 and I’m going to try and stick with them,” Hoffman said.
The man who holds the record currently wasn’t very far away from him on the track.
Woodstock girls’ track coach Josh Welch set the mark in 1998 and it still stands.
“I’m excited for that,” Welch said of the possibility of his record being broken. “Obviously, a little bittersweet because it’s memories, that was a long time ago. But how cool is that, to get to coach a kid who comes up 25 years later and tries to break the record. If we can get him there, I would be ecstatic and he has a really good shot.”
Not only did Hoffman win the 800m against the Lancers, he also cleared 10-feet, 6-inches in the pole vault to take a first place in that event.
He wanted more. “I got to 10-6 and figured since I already had a guaranteed first place that I would try and go for a personal best at 11-6 since I cleared 11-feet (the previous Saturday at the Greater Hartford Invite). I didn’t get it but I was pretty close,” Hoffman said.
It’s that time of year when the focus of a track team shifts.
Other winners against Waterford May 18 included Charles Caggiano in the 400m; Vincente Bastura in the 1600, and Christian Menounos in the 3200.
Lusa got a little surprise when Carter Saracina begged off the 200m to run in the 4x400m because his teammates asked him to.
“Here’s a kid who doesn’t like to run the 200 because it’s too far and they convinced him to run the 400. That’s what peers can do,” Lusa said with a laugh.
In the field events, the Centaurs swept the shotput and discus with Keenan LaMontagne and Jared Eaton finishing 1-2 in both.
Chase Young was third in the discus while Silas Strandson, who won the javelin, took third in the shotput, Liam Wilcox was best in the high jump at the meet.
Girls’ Track: Finish season with win
Girls’ track coach Josh Welch was hopeful that his team would win, but it wasn’t the first priority.
“We just wanted to be careful. Look for the opportunities to get some kids some new qualifying times, put some people in new positions to try some things especially those who will be competing in the (Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference) heptathlon (championship). So, we’re try those things out as we get ready for postseason,” Welch said.
The Centaurs finished with a 3-1 record as they won their regular season finale against Waterford, 87-59, last week.
The team finished second in the regular season in Div. I of the ECC.
It would like to compete for the league championship on Monday (which finished too late for this edition) which is hosted by E. Lyme.
The only loss the Centaurs suffered this season was to the Vikings.
Welch is hopeful that his team can bring home some individual titles from the ECC championship. The Class MM state championship follows on June 1.
“I’m hoping to see us do well at States but I don’t think we’re contending for the No. 1 spot. I would like to see us in the top five and I think we could be. It is very much about who can we get to New England’s, who has a shot to squeezing toward Nationals and we have a few who are on the cusp. We have to be a little more focused on particular events. Dial in what the plan is for those kids and focus there,” Welch said.
The Centaurs did have a trio of athletes bring home three first-place finishes against Waterford.
Magdalena Myslenski won the pole vault, javelin and discus. Bella Sorrentino was best in the 100m hurdles and the shotput and was a member of the winning 4x800m team. Linsey Arends was also a part of the winning 4x800 and also finished first in the 800 and 1600m races. Reegan Reynolds, who won the long jump and triple jump, tried the 200m and finished second. She was also third in the 400m. Julia Coyle won the 3200m and Mia Sorrentino took first in the high jump. Senior Leah Castle had a personal best in the 800m. Castle normally runs the 4x800m but wanted a chance to qualify to run in the 800m as well in future meets. For the senior, the season went by faster than her 800m. “So fast, especially with the past two years being so wonky. This year has just flown by,” Castle said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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