The NVL came together at the Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven on Monday for the indoor track and field championships.
There were plenty of great performances, but there was also a beautiful moment.
Sacred Heart’s Jenna French claimed victory in the 1000 meters. When French got to the finish line, she saw head coach Tom Festa waiting for her. French jumped into Festa’s arms and shared a well-deserved hug. Here’s video from CT Sports Now.
French was one of several winners from the area, but none enjoyed a better day than Wolcott’s Kathryn Rodrigues. All the sophomore did was win the 1600 and 3200 races.
In another notable girls effort, Kennedy’s Christina Capozzi took third in the 55 dash.
Sacred Heart’s E.J. Williams and Naugatuck’s Aren Seeger dueled in a pair of events. Williams won the 55 hurdles, and both runners broke the race record (Williams 7.52 seconds, Seeger 7.74). Williams finished second to Seeger in the 300 dash. Williams’ teammate Mechai Hayes was third in the 300 dash.
Sacred Heart’s Jonathan Warren won the 1600.
In the boys 1000, Crosby’s Elijah Lewis and Kennedy’s Kyle Hotchkiss took second and third behind Derby’s Kenneth Little Jr.
In what was a strong NVL indoor championship debut, Wolcott freshman Nick Bendsten claimed fourth place finishes in the 1600 and 3200. Teammate Jonathan Maldonado was second in the 600 and fourth in the 300. Robert Snide took third in the high jump for the Eagles.
Holy Cross’ Marckens Auguste placed third behind Williams and Seeger in the 55 hurdles. The Sacred Heart 4×400 relay of Adam Pepin, Williams, Hayes and Luis Navarro took third place. In the 1600 sprint medley, Crosby took third with the team of Mekhi Arline, Raecuan Disgby, Tolany Velez-Pastrana and Lewis.
Crosby’s Bernardo Mbaya claimed third in the shot put.
The top team finish came from the Sacred Heart boys, who were fifth.