By Senior Correspondent Marty Ogden, Editing and Graphics by Ron Knapp

Montville’s Instagram post summed up this weekend’s season opening perfectly by posting “for the first time since Noah's Ark…we have SUN… No rain. No puddles. No “character-building” weather speeches. Just blue skies, good vibes, and a whole lot of energy.” There were two significant meets this Saturday. Bloomfield hosted the Tammy Schondelmayer Invite and East Hampton once again put on the Bellringer Invitational that both saw some significant performances for early season meets. 

Tammy Schondelmayer Invitational

RESULTS

Boys Highlights

Javonni Reynolds came within a thousand of a second of becoming a freshman State Open champion in the 300m hurdles two years ago. After taking last year to run unattached, he returns for his junior year, winning both the 110m hurdles and the 400m in PRs. His winning 110m hurdle time of 14.24, is the 19th best time in CT history. He won the 400m finishing in 51.79.

There is a reason freshman meets are so popular. Young 14 and 15 year olds usually can’t compete at the same level as 17 and 18 year olds. Don’t tell that to Hartford Public’s Hanief Jones. The 9th grader came away with wins in the 100m (10.88) and 200m (22.25) setting PRs in both events. He already has been a state champion after winning Class M in the 55m this winter. 

Khile Francis is no stranger to the winner’s circle. The Bloomfield senior was State Open champion in the shot put this past indoor season and was Class S champion last spring. On Thursday night he won the hammer throw with a distance of 176-6 and then he returned to take two other gold medals in the shot (56-0.0) and discus in a PR of 162-3. 

Girls Highlights

Usually when a State Open champion lines up on the line in their first meet of the season, they can run relatively relaxed and win anyway. Naugatuck’s Lauren Kropo won the 300m Open title this winter and the 100m title last spring. In her first meet of the season she faced what could possibly be four of the finalists in this year’s State Open 400m. She dug down and broke her PR from two years ago when she finished 2nd at New Englands. Her time of 55.30 is currently the 11th fastest time in state history. 

Not far behind her were three others who went under 60 seconds. Sophomore Deanna Spears of Bloomfield was a member of the state record setting 4x200m this indoor season, dropping her individual PR down to 58.01. Class MM defending champion Deanna Moore began her senior outdoor track season taking third in 58.89 with Kropo’s teammate Cynthia Singleton finishing 4th in 59.31. 

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Bellringer Track & Field Invitational

East Hampton HS, East Hampton CT

RESULTS

Boys Highlights

Shelldon Simpson II was on a tear this winter, breaking records and going undefeated in finals up to the State Open where he went undefeated in finals, taking the Class LL and State Open crowns in the 55m and 300m events. But unfortunately after the Open the Windsor senior had a mild hamstring strain and while he still took the New England title in the 55m and finished 2nd in the 300m he wasn’t able to improve upon his previous performances despite running on a faster track. Well the injury seems to be behind him as he easily won the 200m in a time of 21.88 which is only .07 seconds off his best from his 5th place time from last year’s New Englands.  

The great thing about the beginning of each season is there is always a fresh slate which brings with it unlimited hope. Windsor junior Zakk McCarty seems to have risen above his station as a relay runner for the Warriors. He ran a significant PR of 2:00.98 to claim the win in the 800m.

Woodland's Colby Marsan threw 170 feet in the javelin last year as sophomore and could be a serious factor in the post season in 2026. He easily won with a distance of 150-0 which he hopes to improve upon and move up on his 4th place finish from the Open later in the season.  

Lyme Old Lyme’s Tyler Cann was top ten at the State Open in both the discus and shot put last The senior came away with two wins, throwing the discus 154-7 and the shot put 49-7. 

Girls Highlights

Windsor won New Englands in the 4x200m and broke their school record in the process. It makes since the Warriors would start off the season strong winning the three shortest events. Jaida Murray just barely missed earning an individual medal at New Englands in the 55m  with a 7th place finish in the finals. On Saturday she came away with her PR in the 100m, winning in 12.29, two tenths faster than her 8th place finish at last year’s State Open. 

Paige Wilson, the defending State Open 400m champion, moved down in distance and showed she has some speed in the shorter event, claiming the win in the 200m with a time of 25.06. This performance is nearly two seconds faster than her winning time last year at Bellringer. 

Junior Layla Harris has already established herself as one of the elite hurdlers in the state this winter, taking 6th at the State Open in the 55m this winter. She already dropped a half second PR to take the win in the 100HH, crossing the line in a time of 15.22.

If Windsor didn’t attend the meet, Shepaug Valley’s Christianne Persson would have had quite a day. The senior took 2nd with a PR of 15.24 in the 100m hurdles and 26.03 in the 200m and 3rd in the 100m with a time of 12.63. She will be hoping to defend her Class S title in the hurdles in the post season. 

Kara Khan of Windsor improved upon her discus PR from last year’s State Open by four feet reaching a distance of 125-4

There was a great battle in the high jump with four girls going over five feet and junior Ayden Darvil of Suffield coming out on top clearing 5-4.

It’s not too early to think about your plans for summer training that could include attending the Foss Running Camp!