Indoor Track and Field Takes Top Spots in State Finals
February 20, 2020
Thetford Academy’s Indoor Track and Field teams had a very, very good day at the state meet, walking away with a hard-earned Division II title (boys) and a TA-best second place overall finish (girls). According to Coach Buttrey, “new school records were set and a boatload of PR’s were made and ELEVEN TA athletes punched a ticket to New Englands.”
Some highlights included Knute Linehan’s 20’3″ long jump, the second longest in both D-1 and D-2 divisions, a leap that won him D-2 championship and a trip to New Englands. Grace Davis (14′ 7 3/4″), Samara Spelman (13′ 7 3/4″), and Kiran Black (13′ 8 1/4″) also placed in the girls’ long jump–taking 3rd, 5th, and 6th respectively.
In the high jump, senior Grace Davis’s jump of 5’3″ was the highest by any girl in either division, and strong performances on the boys side by Knute (5′ 8 3/4″) and Riley Burkins (5’7″) earned team points and each slots at New Englands.
In the 4 x 800 relay, the girls team of Layla Hanissian, Morgan Gaffney , Madi Powers and Abby Egner lowered their school-record time by thirteen seconds, finishing in 10:53.23, earning 3rd place in D-2 and the runners a spot at New Englands. Frank Loveland, Tyler Wojcik, Lucas and Tobin Durham combined to finish in 9:35.72, which earned them a 4th-place finish.
TA hurdlers Samara Spelman and Grace Davis both earned the girls team points, with Samara’s 9.62 finish breaking the school record (previously held by teammate Kiran Black). On the boys side, Carter Banks’s 9.37 time earned him 4th place overall and Jason Wolstenholme’s time of 8.68 took the D-2 championship.
Sprinter Gus Byrne set a personal record in the 55 meter dash (7.00) and won his heat, which earned him 4th place overall. Kayla Busby’s shot put of 28′ 5″ was both a personal record and extended her own TA record, earning her 5th place overall. In the 1500, Tobin Durham (4:25.61) earned the team ten points, 2nd place overall, and a spot in New Englands.
In the girls 4 x 200 relay, Kiran, Kathy Darrah, Samara and Madi ran the second-fastest TA time ever (2:04.07) sending the quartet to New Englands. The boys (Jason, Carter, Riley, and Gus) flew to a 1:45.43, earning them the D-2 championship. The girls (Layla, Morgan, Samara and Abby) also secured 2nd place in the 4 x 400 (4:58.36).
In the 600, Layla Hanissian ran an aggressive race (1:49.95), which placed her 3rd overall. Madi (1:56.58) and Abby (1:58.89) earned 4th and 5th place respectively. Tad Darrah lowered his own school record and earned the team ten points with a time of 1:27.89 and Elliott Jones’s 1:33.25 earned him a 5th place finish.
Knute Linehan (39.79) earned 2nd place overall in the 300. In the 3000, Tobin ran a perfect tactical race and though his time (10:15.48) was off his P.R., he earned ten team points; Tad Darrah’s 10:32.57 garnered six more points.
Congratulations to all of our Panther athletes, our STATE CHAMPS, record-setters, and hard workers. And a big thank you to our coaches Joel Breakstone, Charlie Buttrey, and Scott Chapman. On to New Englands!
