Two school records broken
The Harwood Union (HU) varsity track and field team competed at the Division II State Championship at Burlington High School on Friday, June 5. The girls’ team tied Rice Memorial High School for second place overall with 64 points. The boys’ team finished in eleventh place overall with seven points. “It could not have been more dramatic. We were on the edge of our seats waiting to hear the results read over the loudspeaker,” explained Jake Pitman, head coach of the Harwood varsity track and field program.
The girls’ side of the HU track and field team has experienced a resurgence of talent with this year’s freshmen class, who Pitman said have contributed enormously to the team’s success. Sprinting coach Ali Thomas decided to form a team of all-freshmen girls to compete in the 4-by-100-meter relay throughout the season. They raced their fastest time of the season at the state championship on Friday, running a time of 52.01 seconds – a school record.
The team consists of Campbell Skates, Willow Thomas, Anna Wulff, and Gia Gendimenico.
“We cannot say enough about these girls. I must imagine this season’s girls’ 4-by-100-meter relay team is one of the most impressive groups of athletes in the history of Harwood track and field. It is remarkable that they accomplished all of this in their first year of high school. We feel blessed to have such a talented and hard-working group of young girls,” said Pitman.
This was not the only school record broken last week. Harwood sophomore Isabella Pockoski put it all together in this meet. She won the Division Two state title in discus with a throw of 122 feet and 1 inch. Pockoski also won the Division Two state title in shot put with her record-breaking throw.
In the shot put event, she broke her own school record with a throw of 40 feet and 10.5 inches.
This is the first time Pockoski has thrown over 40 feet in a competition, and it qualified her to compete in the championship division at New Balance Outdoor Nationals at the University of Pennsylvania, June 18-21. But first, she travels to North Berwick, Maine to compete in the New England Championship on Saturday, June 13. At this meet, she will compete in both shot put and discus after placing first in each event at the Essex Invitational (New England Qualifier) meet on Saturday, May 30.
“Isabella will conclude her high school track and field career in a couple of years as a shoo-in for the Harwood Sports Hall of Fame. She is already one of the most decorated field athletes in the history of the program, as well as in the history of Harwood athletics. She is the team’s shining example of greatness through hard work,” said Pitman.
There were also two runner-up finishes among the Harwood girls’ team on Friday. Campbell Skates placed second in the 300-meter hurdles, running a time of 50.09 seconds. “We will miss Campbell dearly during next year’s track and field season. She is spending the next school year in Brazil through an exchange program. Not only will we miss her talent, but her kindness and warmth as well. She is a very special kid,” remarked Pitman.
The girls’ 4-by-400-meter relay team placed second at the state championship as well, running a season-best time of 4:20.25. The team consisted of Lily Bourbonnais, Julia Cisz, Campbell Skates, and Liv Kielich.
“We have incredible depth at the 400-meter distance among the girls. Each of them has taken their strength training very seriously since the pre-season, which has resulted in their success both as individuals and as a relay team,” explained Pitman.
Senior Indigo Leese and junior Maisy Gendimenico performed above their projected seeds on Friday, providing critical points for the girls’ side by placing within the top six in their respective events. Leese placed fifth in the triple jump event with a personal record mark of 30 feet and 2.75 inches, scoring two points for Harwood. Gendimenico placed sixth in the javelin event with a personal record throw of 76 feet and 7 inches, scoring one point for Harwood.
“We simply would not have come home with the runner-up medals and plaque if Indigo and Maisy had not performed as excellently as they did on Friday. They stepped up significantly during a time when we needed it the most,” explained Pitman.
Both Harwood and Rice Memorial High School athletes received runner-up medals and a Vermont-shaped plaque to commemorate their tie for second place. The two teams congratulated each other and took a photo together with their hardware.
