Congratulations Liam and Ashleen.
Day Sports Writer
New Britain — Before his final throw in a Connecticut high school meet, Bacon Academy senior Liam Sweeney briefly paused to think about what the moment meant.
“I said to my dad,`Last throw of high school.’ ”Sweeney said on Saturday at the CIAC State Open Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Willow Brook Park. “It’s a big deal.”
Sweeney stepped into the circle and unleashed his best discus throw of the day, earning him second in 162 feet. Earlier in the day, he won his first State Open shot put title with a mark of 57-8.
“I’m super glad with how my season has gone,” said Sweeney, who’ll attend Bucknell in the fall. “I’m super excited. Everyone worked so hard and everyone competed great today. Best of the best in Connecticut. I’m so proud to be part of this competition.
“It means a lot. I’m very happy about winning the shot and getting second in discus is great. It was tough competition. I finished it out on a high note.”
Two other area high school athletes with impressive career resumes — and future Division I runners — also finished their last State Open on a high note.
In a tight and entertaining race, East Lyme senior Sam Leone used a burst of energy to pass New Canaan’s Ryan Monohan down the home stretch and capture his first 1,600 meter outdoor title. His winning time of four minutes, 8.23 seconds just barely nipped Monohan’s 4:08.56.
“I’ve gotten second in the 1,600 in the Open twice, so it feels good to finally get it,” said Leone, who’ll compete at UMass next season. “I wanted to make it count. I had to put a good effort in.”
Leone came into the event as the No. 6 seed.
Monohan appeared poised to pull away as he started to extend his short lead near the final turn. Then Leone answered.
“There was no reason to not try to get him, so I gave it everything,” Leone said. “It worked, I guess. It felt good to PR for first place and go sub-4:10, which I’ve always dreamed of.”
In the girls’ competition, Old Lyme senior Chase Gilbert easily out-distanced the field in the 1,600. She was the New England champion last season in that event.
Following her game plan, Gilbert stayed on the heels of leader Harper Shirley of Manchester and surged in front near the start of the last lap, opening up a comfortable advantage. Gilbert, who’ll run at University of Virginia, won by almost four seconds, finishing in 4:45.88.
“I did what I was supposed to do,” said Gilbert, who plans to compete in the New Balance Nationals. “I didn’t expect to run that fast. Considering I ran that time in a tactical race, that’s a good thing.”
Gilbert completed her final race at Willow Brook Park by placing second in the 800 (2:09.25), just behind winner Mercy’s Sarah Roberts (2:09.00).
“I had so many great memories here,” Gilbert said. “It’s definitely surreal, but I’m not really focusing on that. … I’ve got lots of stuff left. It was very fun. I love competing, especially when I’m feeling good.”
Odds are that Griswold junior Tycen LaBelle will be back competing at Willow Brook again. He certainly knows his way around the track.
In an impressive 3,200 performance, LaBelle kicked into high gear when he heard the bell ring for the final lap and posted a winning time of 9:14.40. He won by about four seconds.
“You kind of have to at that point,” LaBelle said of his strong kick. “It just gets you that extra burst of adrenaline that really gets you to pick it up a little bit.”
It's LaBelle’s first State Open outdoor individual title.
“It feels amazing,” LaBelle said. “There’s really no other feeling quite like it.”
The top six finishers qualified for the New England Championships next week.
As expected, Woodstock’s throwers in the girls’ competition had a tremendous day.
Seniors Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain (first, javelin, 135-6) and Lillian Morgis (first, discus, 139-4) led the Centaurs to a fourth-place finish overall while teammate Avery Plouffe was second in the shot put (37-10).
In the discus, Plainfield junior Nevaeh Dailey took second (134-9) and Bacon Academy junior Ashleen Walsh was fifth (116-6). Walsh also was second in the javelin (129-4) and Waterford senior Sarah Davidson earned fourth (124-1) in that event.
Norwich Free Academy sophomore Oriana Pescatello placed sixth in the 800 (2:17.57) and fifth in the 1,600 (4:58.05). Montville senior Kamryn Plikus was fifth in the pole vault (11-0).
In the boys’ meet, East Lyme sophomore Nico Cardello ran a strong race in the 1,600, taking fourth in a personal best 4:15.26.
“It’s my first State Open,” Cardello said. “I just really wanted to show up because I was expecting great things from this race. My Class meet race wasn’t too good. I just really needed something here. I’ll take 4:15, obviously.”
Stonington senior Max DeLaRosa took fourth in both the 100 (11.08) and 200 (22.16) while Lyman Memorial junior Logan Davis finished second in the javelin (175-6).
In the high jump, Waterford senior Brodie Scott tied for fourth (6-6) and Plainfield senior Kaegan Hirst placed sixth (6-4).
Old Lyme put two athletes in the top six, with junior Patrick Lynch third in the long jump (22-9.5) and senior Tyler Cann sixth in the shot put (51-4).
Bloomfield took the girls’ team title with 64 points while Bethel (61) slipped past Bloomfield (59) to win the boys’ championship.
g.keefe@theday.com