On Tuesday, May 26th, as the Morgan track and field team stepped onto the track at the Shoreline Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Coginchaug High School, they instantly knew they were outnumbered. While some teams were already beginning warm-ups with 30 plus kids, The Morgan School only had 13 boys athletes and 6 girls athletes competing, some of the lowest numbers across the competition. Despite the disadvantages, the boys’ team ended up placing 8th of 12 teams while the girls’ placed 5th of 12 teams.
The girls put on an impressive performance, scoring 60 points to edge out Cromwell and North Branford with 58. Scoring points in track and field is based on top 8 placements, with 1st getting 10 points and 8th getting 1 point. This feat is incredibly impressive, especially considering the Morgan girls’ team had the second-fewest number of girls competing in the whole competition and fewer people to earn points.
Standout performances in the top 8 earning points include senior captain Addison Reed, who placed 1st in the 1600 meter with a time of 5:19.22 and 2nd in the 3200 meter with a time of 11:45.34.
Reed has had a remarkable season and career running for The Morgan School, notably making 1st team all-conference since her sophomore year by placing 1st every year.
This precedent put a lot of pressure on Reed because she wanted to continue her success and not “fall off”, but she overcame it with her positive attitude, which she has managed to maintain across her track career. “The most important thing is to have fun, and because this is my senior year, I want to have fun running,” explained Reed.
Another thing that Reed worked toward was creating a distance team that was “connected and bonded”. Coach Jaime Strunjo, a teacher at Morgan and coach of the Morgan track and field team, spoke of how Reed was the “backbone” of the distance team and helped work with them and contributed to their success.
Other impressive performances for the girls include the girls’ 4×100-meter relay, run by freshman Kaitlyn Gutierrez-Ramos, junior Demi Rehberg, senior Jacquelyn Ciarleglio, and sophomore anchor Isabella Santello. Together, the relay placed 3rd with a time of 52.94 seconds, earning all members Shoreline Honorable Mention, which is given to anyone who places third in an individual event or relay.
Many members of the relay showcased their individual talent as well. Demi Rehberg placed 4th in the discus throw and 8th in the javelin throw. Rehberg was the only girl thrower to participate and represent Morgan. Another member of the relay, Isabella Santello, placed 3rd in the 100m dash with a time of 13.13 seconds and 5th in the 200m dash.
The most impressive performance on the girls’ side was by freshman Addisyn Massey. Massey placed 1st in the 100m final with a time of 12.64 seconds and a time of 12.62 seconds in the preliminary round, qualifying her for Shoreline First-Team All-Conference. In addition to her first gold medal, Massey earned a second gold medal in the 200m dash with a time of 26.04 seconds.
However, neither of these feats was easy, “and the pressure was high, ’cause I feel like everybody expected a lot from me, too,” described Massey. Massey had an incredible season leading up to the Shoreline Conference Championship and felt the pressure from needing to perform well again. Nevertheless, with the help and encouragement of her friends and teammates, Massey lived up to the expectation and achieved two gold medals.
Encouragement was a huge factor for the Morgan track and field team, playing a crucial part in their success. Coach Strunjo spoke of how important team morale was, shouting out captains junior Colton Landino and senior Owen Lombardi as being key parts of keeping team morale high throughout the meet and cheering on athletes when they competed. “One of my favorite parts of coaching this team is that the athletes all cheer each other on and help each other,” said Coach Strunjo.
The boys put up an impressive performance as well, scoring 41 points, just 1.5 points behind Old Saybrook. With only 13 athletes competing, the 5th least amount of competitors, the boys’ team, similar to the girls’, was at a disadvantage. However, the athletes prevailed, with 7 athletes earning medals and placing in the top 6.
Standout performances include the boys’ 4×100 team, composed of freshman Andrew Carmo, sophomore Kenneth Cameron-Antonucci, sophomore Dylan Gallardo Yampis, and Colton Landino, who placed 7th overall but qualified for states with their time of 46.30. Qualifying for states is based on time, rather than place, and is a huge accomplishment.
The 4×100 meter relay’s second leg runner, Cameron-Antonucci, also qualified for states individually in the 400-meter due to his time of 54.28 and placed 10th. Their anchor and captain, Landino, placed 12th in the 100-meter and 7th in the javelin throw with 116 feet. Fellow javelin thrower junior Joseph Morrissey placed 5th in the javelin throw with 122 feet.
Morrisey had an incredible day in the field due to his placing 2nd in the high jump with a height of 5 feet 10 inches and qualifying for the Shoreline Second Team All-Conference due to his placing second. Morrisey also noted how much the new coaching staff of Coach Strunjo, and the new additions of Coach Jordan Bean, and Coach Gianna Strunjo have helped him and others. He talked about how they worked on the “core foundation of stuff” and spent “time on the basics” instead of just jumping straight into the advanced principles of jumping and throwing.
Fellow freshman high jumper Cameron Grenon placed 3rd in the high jump, jumping 5 feet 8 inches and qualifying for Shoreline Honorable Mention. Grenon ended up tying for 3rd place with a Coginchaug athlete who also jumped 5 feet 8 inches, but due to having fewer mistakes in the heights leading up to 5 feet 8 inches, he was awarded the 3rd place.
Another remarkable field athlete, sophomore Luca Strunjo, placed 4th in the triple jump with 39 feet and 5 inches, with the crowd on his side.
For the boys’ distance team, it was a very successful night. The boys’ 4×800 meter team, composed of sophomore Michael Bowker, Owen Lombardi, sophomore Andrew Costanza, and freshman Darren Haverkampf, placed 3rd with a time of 8:23.12, earning them Shoreline Honorable Mention as the third place. Runners Lombardi, Costanza, and Haverkampf also ran the 800-meter individually, with Lombardi running a 2:15 and getting 15th, Costanza running a 2:10 and getting 10th, and Haverkampf running a 2:07 and getting 7th.
Darren Haverkampf, who ran an incredible 2:04 time in his section of the 4×800-meter, and who also qualified for Adidas Nationals in the 800-meter in a past meet, was very proud of what the 4×800 team accomplished. “We really pushed each other, and we tried to get the best out of each other, in practice too”, said Darren Haverkampf.
Finally, the most impressive boy’s performance was by Bowker. He ran a 2:01 split in the 4×800 meter, giving the team the start they needed, and placed 3rd individually for the 1600-meter, running a 4:30. Again, though, the nerves played a crucial part for Bowker.
“Going into this meet, I was a little scared. I was pretty nervous, actually, I was terrified, quite frankly,” admitted Bowker after his 1600 meter. Bowker felt immense pressure on himself to perform well due to him believing he had “underperformed ” across the season.
Bowker also chalked the success of the 4×800 meter relay, along with the rest of the distance team, to their undying commitment. “I think we all really care about the sport, you know? We really wanted to do well in the sport, unlike some other people who just do it as their secondary sport,” explained Bowker.
However, the outdoor track and field season is not over. On Monday, June 1st, the boys and girls who qualified will compete in the CIAC Class S Championships at Veterans Stadium, Willowbrook Park, CT. The athletes are ready to shift gears from the Shorelines Conference Championship and have a “combination of focus and fun” going into states and beyond, according to Coach Strunjo.
As Reed said, “I’m proud of how I performed today [at the Shoreline Conference Championship], but I am ready for the next step!”
