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The Woodstock Academy 4x100m relay team from left: Juliet Allard, Ella Lidonde, Elise Coyle and Emma Weitknecht celebrates after finishing fourth in the Emerging Elite division at the Nike Outdoor Track Nationals in Oregon last week.
They had to overcome some adversity to accomplish it but the Woodstock 4x400m relay team, from left: Juliet Allard, Julia Coyle, Elise Coyle and Reegan Reynolds pulled things together to finish fourth in the Emerging Elite division of the Nike Outdoor Track Nationals in Oregon.
Emma Weitknecht on the big screen on the board at the Nike Outdoor Track Nationals in Oregon last week. Photos by Josh Welch/Woodstock Academy.
Centaurs overcome adversity and perform well in Oregon
The final event of the Nike Outdoor Nationals Track meet out in Eugene, Ore., kind of sums up how the event went for the 13 athletes who made the journey from Woodstock Academy.
Freshman Elise Coyle had to step in for senior Talia Tremblay and joined her older sister, Julia, who had stepped in for Emma Weitknecht.
The two Coyles joined Reegan Reynolds and Juliet Allard to place fourth in the Emerging Elite Division 4x400m relay championship.
“It was an emotionally loaded moment,” said coach Josh Welch said. “Senior Talia Tremblay was at her limit and couldn’t continue to race. Freshman Elise Coyle was swapped in last minute to race alongside her sister Julia, also a senior. The kids had a suspenseful, hard-fought race to climb to 4th place from the back of the pack. It was a tough moment; Talia really wanted to be in there but recognized she needed to pass the torch. Elise ran like a pro in her place to pull it out for the team and walk off with medals.”
It was not the only moment of adversity and triumph for the Centaurs who had a lot of both in the three days of the event.
The Centaurs started off the week in good spirits as their co-ed 4x400m relay team came together to post a ninth-place finish in the U20 championship race.
Junior Christian Menounos blistered the track, running his leg in 49 seconds and his classmate, Allard, did the same, coming home in a scorching 57 seconds.
They joined seniors Charlie Caggiano and Tremblay to better their school record time in 3 minutes, 45.46 seconds, just two seconds off a podium finish.
Avery Plouffe followed with a 21st place finish in the Emerging Elite division shotput.
But she did so with a limited number of throws as she rolled her ankle in the event and had to be taken to the medical tent at the facility.
Lily Morgis finished 28th in the Emerging Elite division in the discus.
Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain was the highlight of Day 2 as she threw the javelin a personal-best 120-feet to qualify for the championship round in the Emerging Elite Division and finished eighth overall with a best throw of 120-feet, 5-inches.
“My favorites on the field were a tie between Isabel’s javelin PR to take 8th in the competition, and Avery just getting a mark on the board for hammer after a significant ankle injury,” Welch said. “Avery really took that on with the most positive attitude. With the help from the medical staff and some tips from an Olympic gold medalist in the event, she put a solid mark on the board and won over the medical staff, her peers, and the crowd fighting through to give her best in a tough circumstance.”
Plouffe, against all odds, did return on Saturday to hit a mark of 94 feet in the hammer throw competition.
The girls’ 4x100m team of Ella Lidonde, Elise Coyle, Weitknecht and Allard won its heat in the Emerging Elite division on Friday in a school record time of 50.3 seconds.
That sent them into the finals on Saturday where they finished fourth overall in a time of 50.7 seconds.
The 4x800m relay team of Tremblay, D’Alleva-Bochain, Julia Coyle and Olivia Tracy also placed fourth in their Emerging Elite race.
It was, in all, a busy and eventful trip to the West Coast.
“Having 13 kids in eight events was awesome. With the time put in to warming up, prepping for events, and getting everyone clerked, it made for some long days. We had to be at the track by 7:30 a.m. each day, done between 3 and 5 p.m. But it was exciting to watch. I saw tremendous growth in how our athletes responded to pressure. I saw them take in a real national level meet and start to learn the ropes of high-level competition,” Welch said.
The athletes included both seniors, (Tremblay, Caggiano, Julia Coyle, and Reynolds, who had recently graduated from Woodstock Academy) and those who will return in the fall.
“I’m hopeful the experience has helped to excite our kids for the future. I saw them acting like pros in the moment. Taking the pressure and pace of the meet in stride. I hope it builds a memory for our graduating seniors that they can recall fondly on in the future,” Welch said.
The biggest takeaway for Welch personally?
“The more we put our athletes in situations where the expectations are high, and help them navigate that pressure, the more resilient and responsive they become. Despite setbacks throughout, they delivered when the going was tough,” Welch said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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