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Both the Staples HS girls and boys outdoor track teams are a perfect 7-0 this season. The boys, coming off their indoor State Open championship, have lived up to expectations, winning by an average score of 124-26, while the girls have exceeded expectations, winning by a similarly impressive score of 104-41.

Both teams have also run up a staggering medal count (top six) at invitational meets. The girls first such competition was the Bloomfield Invitational on Saturday, April 14. Grabbing gold were Caroline Koenig (3200m), Tyler Scanlin (800m) and Lexi Schachne (pole vault).

Both teams then headed to New Britain on April 27-28 for the Irv Black Invitational. On Day 1, both the boys 4×800 Varsity (Walker Marsh, Patrick Nolan, Mikolaj Kulis, and Henry Wynne) and JV (Yousef Shahin, Matthew Marshall, Scott Pecoriello, and Peter Elkind) relay teams took the gold, while the girls (Tyler Scanlin, Erica Hefnawy, Courtney Mullen, and Alex Popkin) captured the silver. On Day 2, boys winners were:  Henry Wynne (1600m), Dean Hefnawy (pole vault), and the 4×400 relay team (Max Hoberman, Jon Heil, Giles Bonner, and Henry Wynne). Lexi Schachne won the girls pole vault.

Henry Wynne Sprints by Amity's Clark Shurtleff to Win the 1600m

The following weekend, both teams headed to the 40-team Middletown Invitational, a meet so large it took nine hours to complete. Once again, Staples dominated. The combination of Jon Heil/Max Hoberman/David Hoffman/Zach Mitchell took gold in the 4×200 and silver in the 4×100. Solo, Hoberman won the triple jump, Hoffman took bronze in the 100m, Heil was fourth in the 400m, and Mitchell fifth in the 200m. Hefnawy and Matt Mula took 2-3 in the pole vault while Tucker Rizzi and Aiden McConnell took 4-5 in the javelin.

For the girls, Lexi Schachne reached rarified air, clearing 12 feet on the pole vault, a new meet record and qualifying her for ESPN National Elite status. The 4×400 relay (Popkin, Mullen, Emily Troelstra, Scanlin) took bronze, while Popkin and Scanlin took 3-4 solo in the 800m. Both Elizabeth Knoll (high jump) and Troelstra (300m hurdles) finished fourth in their events.

Coach Andrew Lawrence with Lexie Schachne after clearing 12 feet in the pole vault

Next up for the boys is New Canaan and Harding on Tuesday, May 8, at New Canaan HS. The girls freshman/sophomore squad travels to an invitational meet at Darien on Wednesday, May 9, while the Varsity heads to White Plains from Thursday through Saturday May 10-12 for the Glen D. Loucks Games.  The boys travel to Simsbury HS for the Greater Hartford Open on Saturday May 12.

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Duel Meet Results:

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March 10, 2012

The Staples All-American 1600m Medley Relay. Left-Right: Jon Heil, Max Hoberman, Zach Mitchell, Henry Wynne

Despite never having run together as a unit, the Staples Boys 1600m relay team ran faster than any Connecticut team in history, placing sixth at the U.S. Nationals at the Armory in New York City, and achieving All-American status in the process. The group was comprised of the three Senior sprint captains, Jon Heil, Max Hoberman, and Zach Mitchell, as well as Junior sensation Henry Wynne.

The Staples relay time of 3:29.40 shaved 1.08 seconds off the prior state record set by Danbury in 2008, and obliterated the Staples school record set last month by 9.15 seconds. It was also the sixth fastest time recorded in the US this year according to ESPN Dyestat.

The 1600m relay, also known as the sprint medley relay (“SMR”), features four runners covering, in order, distances of 200m/200m/400m/800m. Being run indoors, this means the first two runners go once around the track, the third runs around twice, and the fourth four times.

The Staples 1600m relay team reads their All-American certificates. Left-Right: Henry Wynne, Max Hoberman, Zach Mitchell, Jon Heil

On paper, the Staples boys team knew they had the ability to run a good time, but relays are unpredictable given the nature of having to pass a baton and run most of the race in traffic. With four of the 800m runners predicted to run anchor splits under the Connecticut state record, to medal by claiming the final two slots would require everyone shaving off as much time as possible.

The good news was that the committee seeded the team by their theoretical best time, and thus Staples was placed in the final and fastest heat. With six teams in the heat, placement did not matter as long as they ran faster than 3:32, the fastest time of the prior heats. And run they did, right into the record books.

As always, for more information about Staples Track & Field, including more photos and videos, please go to http://staplesrunning.com/.

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March 2, 2012

2012 New England Champs

The top track and field athletes from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont all gathered Friday evening at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center in Boston. After a three and half hour bus ride, the Staples Boys Indoor Track team and a large contingent of parents sought out the group’s “usual” seats in the rear of the complex at the head of the back stretch. For this year’s squad, despite being the reigning CT State Open Champion, “usual” would be an understatement.

Relay races are never predictable. To post your best possible time requires the convergence of three elements: 1) running your fastest, 2) not allowing yourself to be boxed in or tripped, and 3) making perfect handoffs to keep your momentum going. First up was the 4×800 team of Patrick Nolan, Kyle Hoberman, Mikolaj Kulis and Walker Marsh, facing the daunting task of weaving in and out of thirteen other teams in their heat alone. They still placed a respectable twelfth overall.

Immediately following was the 4×200 team with Jon Heil leading off, followed by David Hoffman, Max Hoberman, and Zach Mitchell at anchor. Seeded fourteenth, they knew it would take breaking a 24 year old school record time to medal and achieve All-New England status, which meant finishing in the top six among the top teams of six states. And so they did, on both counts, energizing the Staples contingent.

2012 New England 4x200 Team

The electricity of the moment appeared to pass through Henry Wynne who proceeded to light up the crowd by destroying the field in the 1000m. His time of 2:28.30 not only broke his own Staples record, but was the eighth best time in the country for the event this season. Kulis then returned to the track to take eighteenth in the two mile.

2012 New England 1000m Champ Henry Wynne

Though defending champion in the 4×400, three-quarters of that team had graduated. At leadoff was Max Hoberman, followed by Marsh, Wynne and finally Jon Heil, the only returning member. Seeded fourth, once again it became imperative to break the school record to have any hope of winning the race. Hoberman, pacing himself in second, blew by the leader in the back stretch to give Staples the early lead which Marsh maintained throughout his leg. After the first of his two laps, the runner in second made an overzealous effort to jump in front of Wynne prior to the turn, causing the two to trip but fortunately not fall. Unfazed, Wynne waited until the back stretch to retake the lead in dramatic fashion, which he turned into a rout. Heil, leaving nothing to chance, quickly made the race a laugher by turning in his best split of the season. Not only did Staples repeat, but they did so in a time of 3:23.62, shattering the old school record by 1.32 seconds.

2012 New England 4x400 Team Celebrates Their Win

In all, six Staples runners achieved all-New England status (see below). Staples has now qualified all four of its relay teams for the U.S. Nationals, a subset of the nine total athletes who will be competing. The event will take place this Friday through Sunday at the Armory in New York City.

For more information, pictures, and video, please go to StaplesRunning.com.

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Area All-New England Track & Field

Boys
Danbury: Shane Chiaravalle, Patrick DeAngelo, Garin Mooney, Thomas Moore, Austin Winer
Fairfield Warde: Harry Warnick
Greenwich: Elijah Dume, Ryan Kelly, Marcus Motill, Nick Pulitano
Norwalk: Adam Robertino
Staples: Jonathan Heil, Maxwell Hoberman, David Hoffman, Walker Marsh, Zachary Mitchell, Henry Wynne
Trumbull: Keith Bond, Malcolm Connor, Tim Johnson, Joseph Matera

Girls
Darien: Grace Loh
Immaculate: Maggie Christie
Greenwich: Claire D’Etiveaud, Emily Johnson, Naomi Leeds, Abby Markowitz, Amanda Michaud

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Lexie Schachne Prepares to Win Gold

Lexie Schachne continued her dominance in the pole vault to bring home the gold at the State Open Championship last Saturday afternoon at the New Haven Athletic Center at Hillhouse High School. Schachne was the only competitor to clear 11 feet six inches. The win was worth ten points, vaulting Staples to 15th place among the more than 50 teams in attendance.

Another bright spot for Staples was the 4×800 relay team of Courtney Mullen, Siobahn O’Loughlin, Georgia Kursten, and Alexandra Popkin which clocked in at a season’s best time to finish seventh. The 4×400 team of Emily Troelstra, Popkin, O’Loughlin, and Mullen took 13th while the 4×200 combination of Troelstra, Amanda Giannitti, Logan Murphy, and Olivia Wiener finished 18th. Elizabeth Knoll high jumped her way to ninth to complete the team effort.

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February 18, 2012

2012 State Open Champs

Despite being a dominant force in the state over the last 20 years, and despite winning nine Connecticut class championships during that time, the Staples Boys Track team finally reclaimed the title of State Open Champion last Saturday afternoon at the New Haven Athletic Center at Hillhouse High School. To do so, Staples out-ran and out-jumped competitors from 52 other state high schools. The victory completed a sweep of the FICAC Western Division, the (entire) FCIAC, Class LL, and State Open meets.

Winning a state championship in track is as much a chess match as it is an athletic competition. Only the top six finishers score points, based on a sliding scale of 10-8-6-4-2-1. Therefore, whereas a trio of scorers for one team might sweep the top spots at the league level for 24 combined points, shoehorn in four random faster competitors at the state level and that total gets cut to a mere three points at best.

The bottom line is that to win a state championship, you need two things: 1) that rare team that combines a dominant runner who can hold his own against anyone in the state, and incredible depth in a myriad of other events to combine into dominant relays, and 2) a coach who crunches the numbers, analyzes rest time between events, and tries to outguess his colleagues on what player combinations and event placements will maximize his team’s point total. With 14 State Class championships in the last 25 years, and five State Opens, there is no better track tactician than Staples Coach Laddie Lawrence.

The 2012 Staples Wreckers by all accounts are a Dream Team. The core relay sprinters: Jon Heil (captain), Max Hoberman (captain), David Hoffman (first-year Junior), and Zach Mitchell (captain), have put up among the fastest times in Staples history. The core distance relay group: Kyle Hoberman (captain), Mikolaj Kulis, Walker Marsh, Patrick Nolan, and Henry Wynne were also record setters. The core jumpers: Ethan Bradeen, Doug Caffery, Dean Hefnawy, Alexander Lochoff, Aiden McConnell, and Matt Mula dominated their events.

Left-Right: Captains Zach Mitchell, Kyle Hoberman, Jon Heil, Max Hoberman, and Coach Laddie Lawrence

In the Open, Heil, Hoffman, M. Hoberman and Mitchell put the first four points up on the board by finishing fourth in the 4×200 relay. The 4×800 team of Kulis, Hoberman, Nolan, and Marsh cut seven seconds off their best time to snag another fourth place and four points. Henry Wynne then dominated the 1000 in a school record 2:29.56 for a huge ten spot. Hefnawy picked the right time to clear a personal  best of 14 feet in the pole vault for another eight.

Ten points from the winning sprint medley team of Mitchell, Hoffman, Hefnawy (filling in for Marsh to keep him fresh for the 4×400), and Wynne vaulted Staples to a two point lead over Hillhouse with just three events remaining. Kulis then set a personal best in the 3200 to take sixth and add an insurance point, followed by Hoberman, Marsh, Wynne, and Heil bringing home the gold in the 4×400 to seal the deal and build the winning margin to 13.

Rounding out the Staples FCIAC and State meet qualifiers were: Giles Bonner, Sam Cohen, Matt Cozzi, Colin Davis, Peter Elkind, Alexander Ellman, David Haswell, Oliver Hickson, Peter Hoetz, Bobby Jacowleff, Jake Lewis, Will McDonald, Eli Mitchell, Brad Payne, Ryan Petersen, Tucker Rizzi, and Yousef Shahin, and Jackson Yang.

Staples qualified nine competitors for the events contested at the upcoming New England Championships:  Heil, K Hoberman, M Hoberman, Hoffman, Kulis, Marsh, Mitchell, Nolan, and Wynne.

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Summary of Staples Indoor Track Championships:
Open: 1988-91, 2012
Class LL: 2012
Class L: 1965, 1989-91, 2004-08
Class M: 1992, 2000-03
FCIAC: 1979, 1982-1983, 1985, 1987-1992, 1993, 2001, 2005-2006
FCIAC East: 1972, 1978-1979, 1981-1990, 1992-1993
FCIAC West: 1991, 2010
FCIAC Central: 1995, 2000-2003, 2005-2009

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Staples Girls Track Place Sixth at Class LL State Championships
February 9, 2012

Caroline Koenig runs the 3200m
Source: staplesrunning.com

Despite the injury bug, the Staples Girls Track team put in another fine performance, placing sixth of 22 teams in Class LL at the New Haven Athletic Center. The crew of Emily Troelstra, Amanda Giannitti, Tyler Scanlin, and Olivia Wiener got the team going off the opening gun, racing to bronze in the 4×200. The 4×800 squad of Courtney Mullen, Siobahn Oloughlin, Georgia Kursten, and Alexandra Popkin immediately tacked on points for fifth.

High jumper Elizabeth Knoll returned to the line-up, and not losing a step cleared five feet even to finish fourth. In the last track event of the night, Scanlin, Mullen, Troelstra, and Popkin sprinted to fourth in the 4×400. More than an hour later, in front of a greatly reduced but diehard crowd, superstar pole vaulter Lexie Schachne out-jumped the three other girls remaining to earn the gold and repeat as state champion.

The Wreckers next compete at the 18th CIAC Open Championships on Saturday, February 18th starting at noon, at the New Haven Athletic Center in New Haven, CT. For additional information about Staples Track and Field, please visit http://www.staplesrunning.com.

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Staples Boys Track Win Class LL State Championships
February 9, 2012

Staples Boys Track: 2012 Class LL State Champions

The Staples Boys Track team has a long, proud history of state championships, but Thursday’s meet at the New Haven Athletic Center marked a milestone: their first ever state championship as a Class LL school. Once again, the boys did so in style, scoring 80.5 points– 25.5 better than second place Greenwich at 55. Defending champion Danbury took third with 50 points. It was also a 27.5 increase for Staples over last year’s runner-up performance.

Staples got on the board immediately in the 4×200 as John Heil, David Hoffman, Max Hoberman, and Zach Mitchell raced to silver. The 4×800 team of Mikolaj Kulis, Kyle Hoberman, Patrick Nolan, and Walker Marsh followed up in equally fine fashion, grabbing another silver.

Staples’ first gold came in the 1000 as Junior Henry Wynne clocked in at 2:30.42– a Class LL meet record. The Staples school record then fell in the sprint medley, as Mitchell, Hoffman, Marsh, and Wynne also sprinted to gold. Hoffman then racked up a few more points placing fourth in the 55, and Kulis contributed with a fifth place finish in the 3200.

The field events once again contributed handily for the Wreckers. Max Hoberman long jumped to the bronze, while high-jumpers Ethan Bradeen, Aiden McConnell, and Colin Davis took fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively. In yet another strong finish, pole vaulters Dean Hefnawy and Matt Mula took gold and silver respectively, while the team of M Hoberman, Marsh, Heil, and Wynne raced to gold in the 4×400.

Overall, seven Staples boys earned all-state honors: Dean Hefnawy, John Heil, Max Hoberman, David Hoffman, Walker Marsh, Zach Mitchell, and Henry Wynne.

The Wreckers next compete at the 18th CIAC Open Championships on Saturday, February 18th starting at noon, at the New Haven Athletic Center in New Haven, CT. For additional information about Staples Track and Field, please visit http://www.staplesrunning.com.

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Staples Girls Track Surge to Fourth at FCIACs
February 2, 2012

Georgia Kursten competes in the 1000 meter race

The Staples Girls team finished up strong to take fourth place overall at the FCIAC Championships at the New Haven Athletic Center in New Haven, CT with 43 points. A surging Greenwich leapt from fourth last year to first, with 92 points.

Scoring first for Staples was the 4×200 team of Emily Troelstra, Logan Murphy, Tyler Scanlin, and Olivia Wiener. Cruising to gold in the 4×800 were Courtney Mullen, Georgia Kursten, Caroline Smith, and Alexandra Popkin. Kursten then took sixth in the 1000, Scanlin finished third in the 600 in near school record time, and Caroline Koenig added bronze in the 3200. Wiener, Murphy, Siobahn O’Loughlin, and Kursten combined to run the sprint medley, tacking on points for sixth. The combination of Scanlin, Mullen, Troelstra, and Popkin then raced to silver in the 4×400, while Lexie Schachne closed out the meet by winning the pole vault.

Earning all-FCIAC honor for the girls were Mullen, O’Loughlin, Popkin, Scanlin, Schachne, Smith, and Troelstra.