Thrilling 4x400 finish decides D-I boys title at indoor track and field championships

A gripping conclusion to the day's final event settled the Division I boys team title, the Champlain Valley girls seized a break-through crown and Rice and Hartford maintained their Division II supremacy during Saturday's Vermont high school indoor track and field state championships at the University of Vermont.

The Essex boys, a year removed from a runner-up finish and champions in 2022, scored just enough points in the 4-by-400-meter relay to hold off defending champion St. Johnsbury 94-92. The CVU girls stormed to the program's first title with 98 points to second-place SJA's 83.

And in D-II, the Hartford boys rolled up 126 points for a 43-point victory over Thetford, while the Rice girls repeat honors with 99.5 points to Burr and Burton's 60.

[See below for full team scores and top-six finishers in each event].

Favored to start the day, the Essex boys overcame a disqualification in the 4x800 with balance and depth: The Hornets had at least two athletes score in six of the 11 individual events.

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James Steward's runner-up effort and eight points in the 3,000 gave Essex a four-point cushion ahead of the final event, the 4x400. During the anchor leg of the relay, Burlington's Desmond Snyder nipped the hard-charging Andrew Thornton-Sherman of St. Johnsbury and Kelton Poirier of Essex in a photo finish: Burlington won in 3:38.70, followed by SJA in 3:38.75 and Essex in 3:38.85.

Had Thornton-Sherman overtaken Snyder and Poirier remained in third, SJA and Essex would've tied for the team title.

Previous coverage:Athletes to watch at Vermont's high school indoor track and field state championships

Paced by Alice Kredell's four-win day — the junior swept the 1,500 and 1,000 and ran legs on the victorious 4x400 and 4x400 relay squads — CVU dominated the distance events Saturday. Counting the relays, CVU totaled 90 points on track events 600 meters and up.

Bennett Moreno's 600 win in an 18-point individual day and Ayodele Lowe's victory in high jump in a 24-point effort helped steer the Hartford boys to back-to-back championships. In all, Hartford won four events. For the Rice girls, Elizabeth Cunningham swept the 1,500 and 1,000 and finished second in the 600 to headline the Green Knights' eighth indoor crown since 2014.

Individual stars from Saturday include:

► Sabine Brueck of North Country: Captured Division I's 55 hurdles and 300 hurdles, tied for the win in the 55 with Colchester's Brinlee Gilfillan and nabbed second in long jump.

► Ella Palisano of Mount Anthony: Won Division I's high jump and long jump, the latter on her final attempt in finals.

► Jazmyn Hurley, Middlebury: Swept the Division II sprint races, the 55 and 300.

► Ulysses Junker-Boyce, Thetford: Collected Division II titles in the 55 and long jump.

Sydney Shoenbeck, Rivendell: A 34-point individual day included wins in the 55 hurdles and high jump.

►Nicholas Kidder, Spaulding: Churned out victories in the 1,500 and 3,000 for Division II.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

At the University of Vermont

Note: Throwing events were held Jan. 20 at St. Johnsbury.

DIVISION I GIRLS

Team scores: 1. Champlain Valley 98; 2. St. Johnsbury 83; 3. Essex 59; 4. South Burlington 54; 5. North Country 48; 6. Burlington 34; 7. Mount Anthony 25; 8. Colchester 23; 9. Mount Mansfield 10.

55-meter dash: T1. Brinlee Gilfillan, Col; Sabine Brueck, NC 7.39; 3. Sara Sinkewicz, E; 4. Gracie Morris, SB; 5. Kate Kogut, CVU; 6. Kelsey Adams, SB.

300: 1. Sabine Brueck, NC 42.43; 2. Brooke White, SJ; 3. Brinlee Gilfillan, Col; 4. Lola Ide, SJ; 5. Noe Jenni, CVU; 6. Kate Kogut, CVU.

600: 1. Brooke White, SJ 1:44.63; 2. Isabella Gravina-Budis, CVU; 3. Lydia Donahue, CVU; 4. Regina Palmer, SB; 5. Seda Boles, SJ; 6. Zoey Cusac, SJ.

1,000: 1. Alice Kredell, CVU 3:05.76; 2. Elsa Klein, CVU; 3. Audrey Neilson, CVU; 4. Kate Bradford, Col; 5. Grace McHenry, BHS; 6. Willa Kantrowitz, SJ.

1,500: 1. Alice Kredell, CVU 4:57.21; 2. Lydia Donahue, CVU; 3. Elsa Klein, CVU; 4. Kathryn Nourse, E; 5. Grace McHenry, BHS; 6. Noe Jenni, CVU.

3,000: 1. Amelia Dion, BHS 11:14.64; 2. Lydia Donahue, CVU; 3. Kathryn Nourse, E; 4. Rylee Strohm, SJ; 5. Alyse Bibeau, E; 6. Ella McEntee, MMU.

55 hurdles: 1. Sabine Brueck, NC 8.87; 2. Regina O'Leary, SB; 3. Lila Brillhart, MMU; 4. Izzy Laramee, SB; 5. Addison Faas, Col; 6. Faith Lawton, SJ.

4x200: 1. South Burlington (Adams, Morris, O'Leary, Stein) 1:54.88; 2. St. Johnsbury; 3. Essex; 4. MAU; 5. Colchester; 6. North Country.

4x400: 1. Champlain Valley (Kredell, Jenni, Kogut, Klein) 4:23.78; 2. St. Johnsbury; 3. South Burlington; 4. Essex; 5. North Country; 6. Mount Mansfield.

4x800: 1. Champlain Valley (Kredell, Donahue, Neilson, Jenni) 10:27.88; 2. St. Johnsbury; 3. Burlington; 4. Essex; 5. Mount Mansfield; 6. North Country.

High jump: 1. Ella Palisano, MAU 5-4.25; 2. Lola Ide, SJ; T3. Kelsey Adams, SB; Samantha Chittenden, SB; 5. Peyton Qualter, SJ; 6. Lucie Armata, E.

Long jump: 1. Ella Palisano, MAU 17-0; 2. Sabine Brueck, NC; 3. Brooke White, SJ; 4. Kelsey Adams, SB; 5. Gracie Morris, SB; 6. Regina O'Leary, SB.

Girls shot put: 1. Tess Adams, Essex 37-10.25; 2. Vivian Halladay, BHS; 3. Mia LaCasse, Essex; 4. Nadia Sylla, BHS; 5. Kate Kogut, CVU; 6. Alexa Sprague, MAU.

Girls weight throw: 1. Tess Adams, Essex 37-0; 2. Addison Jensen, SJA; 3. Josi Fortin, NC; 4. Sophia Rizzo, SJ; 5. Vivian Halladay, BHS; 6. Amelia Larsen, NC.

DIVISION I BOYS

Team scores: 1. Essex 104; 2. St. Johnsbury 102; 3. Burlington 70.5; 4. Mount Mansfield 46; 5. Champlain Valley 35; 6. BFA-St. Albans 21; 7. Colchester 20; 8. South Burlington 18.5; 9. North Country 10; 10. Mount Anthony 6.

55-meter dash: 1. Demunga Alfani, Col 6.59; 2. Ahmed Diawara, BHS; 3. Avery Rogers, CVU; 4. Nathan Lyle, E; 5. Avery Gilbert, MMU; 6. David Monsengo, E.

300: 1. Ahmed Diawara, BHS 35.98; 2. Kelton Poirier, E; 3. Desmond Snyder, BHS; 4. Quintin Fortier, CVU; 5. Avery Gilbert, MMU; 6. David Mosengo, E.

600: 1. Kelton Poirier, E 1:26.56; 2. Emmett Johnson, SJ; 3. Cyrus Goetze, MMU; 4. James Hatch, SJ; 5. Carl Laverty, E; 6. AJ Sicard, CVU.

1,000: 1. Andrew Thornton-Sherman, SJ 2:35.25; 2. Porter Hurteau, BFA; 3. Avi Yagoda, BHS; 4. James Steward, E; 5. Austin Simone, SB; 6. Elliot Fontaine, BHS.

1,500: 1. Avi Yagoda, BHS 4:14.86; 2. Dan Knight, CVU; 3. Emmett Johnson, SJ; 4. Porter Hurteau, BFA: 5. Carson Eames, SJ; 6. Jacoby Soter, BFA.

3,000: 1. Carson Eames, SJ 9:14.95; 2. James Steward, E; 3. Thomas Scheetz, MAU; 4. Isaac Lenzini, SJ; 5. John Thornton-Sherman, SJ; 6. Alan Esposito, NC.

55 hurdles: 1. Avery Gilbert, MMU 7.93; 2. Andrew Thornton-Sherman, SJ; 3. Max Lesny, E; 4. Sanjin Hadzic, E; 5. Tucker Hall, SB; 6. Carter Faas, Col.

4x200: 1. Essex (Lyle, Mattos, Monsengo, Meek) 1:37.67; 2. Colchester; 3. Champlain Valley; 4. St. Johnsbury; 5. South Burlington; 6. North Country.

4x400: 1. Burlington (Diawara, Foster, Snyder, Yagoda) 3:38.70; 2. St. Johnsbury; 3. Essex; 4. South Burlington; 5. Champlain Valley; 6. Colchester.

4x800: 1. St. Johnsbury (Eames, Pearson, Hatch, Johnson) 8:55.69; 2. BFA; 3. Mount Mansfield; 4. North Country; 5. Champlain Valley.

High jump: 1. Owen Moriarty, MMU 5-10.75; 2. Sean Fialko-Casey, BHS; 3. Andrew Thornton-Sherman, SJ; 4. Max Lesny, E; T5. John Jackson, SB; Baxter Mangrum, BHS.

Long jump: 1. Raf Campanile, MMU 21-2.75; 2. Nathan Lyle, E; 3. Avery Rogers, CVU; 4. Max Lesny, E; 5. Sanjin Hadzic, E; 6. Brady Barrett, SB.

Boys shot put: 1. Winslow Sightler, BHS 58-8; 2. Alexander Johnson, Essex; 3. Aidan Lybarger, SB; 4. Diego Perez, SJA: 5. Zander Johansson, NC; 6. Jack Roberts, SJA.

Boys weight throw: 1. Alexander Johnson, Essex 53-3; 2. Diego Perez, SJA; 3. Jack Roberts, SJA; 4. Joe Reed, Essex; 5. Zander Johansson, NC; 6. Gideon Pearson, SJA.

DIVISION II GIRLS

Team scores: 1. Rice 99.5; 2. Burr and Burton 60; T3. Fair Haven 36; Peoples 36; 5. Lake Region 32; 6. Milton 28; 7. Thetford 26; 8. Middlebury 20; 9. Green Mountain 19; 10. Bellows Falls 16; 11. Mill River 14; 12. Mount Abraham 10; 13. Hazen 8; 14. Missisquoi 7.5; T15. Vergennes 6; Lyndon 6; 17. Oxbow 3; T18. Springfield 2; Randolph 2.

55-meter dash: 1. Jazmyn Hurley, Midd 7.53; 2. Robin Tashjian, BBA; 3. Olivia Thomas, Milt; 4. Isabel Moustakas, U-32; 5. Hadley Gleim, BF; 6. Isabella Hanover, LR.

300: 1. Jazmyn Hurley, Midd 42.27; 2. Isabel Moustakas, U-32; 3. Sydney Schoenbeck, Rivendell; 4. Robin Tashjian, BBA; 5. Amelia Maier, BBA; 6. Autumn Fales, GM.

600: 1. Ginger Long, U-32 1:39.18; 2. Elizabeth Cunningham, Rice; 3. Emily Harris, BBA; 4. Amelia Maier, BBA; 5. Madison Beaudoin, U-32; 6. Leah Majorell, MSJ.

1,000: 1. Elizabeth Cunningham, Rice 3:22.27; 2. Selah Majorell, MSJ; 3. Evey Slavik, Rice; 4. Ava Shull, FH; 5. Zoe Ayres, Mont; 6. Ziva Baker, Rice.

1,500: 1. Elizabeth Cunningham, Rice 5:06.76; 2. Emily Harris, BBA; 3. Ava Hayden, Thet; 4. McKenna Knapp, North; 5. Evey Slavik, Rice; 6. Isobel Koger, U-32.

3,000: 1. Ava Hayden, Thet 11:30.96; 2. Cassandra Royer, Haz; 3. Emily Harris, BBA; 4. McKenna Knapp, North; 5. Isobel Koger, U-32; 6. Amy Felice, U-32.

55 hurdles: 1. Sydney Schoenbeck, Rivendell 9.09; 2. Isabel Moustakas, U-32; 3. Robin Tashjian, BBA; 4. Zoe Martinez, Rice; 5. Isabella Tomasi, Milt; 6. Sage Norsworthy, PA.

4x200: 1. Peoples (Baranyay, Beck, Nigro, Pike) 1:57.69; 2. Rice; 3. Bellows Falls; 4. Northfield; 5. Lake Region; 6. Vergennes.

4x400: 1. U-32 (Beaudoin, Moustakas, Long, Schall) 4:24.61; 2. Rice; 3. Northfield; 4. Green Mountain; 5. Fair Haven; 6. Mill River.

4x800: 1. U-32 (Beaudoin, Long, Koger, Koger) 10:39.50; 2. Rice; 3. Mill River; 4. Milton; 5. Thetford; 6. Springfield.

High jump: 1. Sydney Shoenbeck, Rivendell 5-1; 2. Sophie Beck, PA; 3. Hazel Stoddard, MTA; T4. Zoe Martinez, Rice; Sophia Cherubini, GM; T6. Alexandra Bourdeau, MVU; Taylor Tritt, Rice.

Long jump: 1. Olivia Thomas, Milt 16-5; 2. Sydney Schoenbeck, Rivendell; 3. Isabella Hanover, LR; 4. Macey Mawhinney, Lyn; 5. Ayame Merkel, FH; 6. Hadley Gleim, BF.

Girls shot put: 1. Onyx Baird, PA 31-3.5; 2. Elizabeth Curry, Rice; 3. Alex Weller, U-32; 4. Alexandra Bourdeau, MVU; 5. Brooklyn Hinton, LR; 6. Sylvie Brownlow, LR.

Girls weight throw: 1. Amelia Munger, FH 29-7; 2. Brooklyn Hinton, LR: 3. Rowan Kuehn, FH; 4. Sylvie Brownlow, LR; 5. Torrance Behrendt, MR: 6. Morgan Oakman, FH.

DIVISION II BOYS

Team scores: 1. Hartford 126; 2. Thetford 83; 3. Vergennes 44; 4. Fair Haven 39; 5. Spaulding 22; 6. Lake Region 17; T7. Bellows Falls 15; Springfield 15; 9. Missisquoi 11; 10. Peoples 9; T11. Rice 8 Stowe 8; Mount Abraham 8; 14. Hazen 7; 15. Green Mountain 5; 16. Milton 4; 17. Oxbow; T18. Windsor 2; White River Valley 2; Mill River 2.

55-meter dash: 1. Ulysses Junker-Boyce, Thet 6.72; 2. Kenique Josephs, Stowe; 3. Ayodele Lowe, Hart; 4. Drew Frostick, U-32; 5. Gabe Guillette, Hart; 6. Justin Draper, Wind.

300: 1. Gabe Guillette, Hart 37.66; 2. Jack Fournier-Stephens, Hart; 3. Drew Frostick, U-32; 4. Landon Morris, MVU; 5. Devin Schlegel-Barber, Milt; 6. Adler Lahar, LR.

600: 1. Bennett Moreno, Hart 1:28.08; 2. Calder Rakowski, Verg; 3. Noah Rivera, Mont; 4. Brady Sloop, Thet; 5. Aaron McKay, Rice; 6. Cody Young, U-32.

1,000: 1. Grey Fearon, Verg 2:49.74; 2. Bennett Moreno, Hart; 3. Asa Young, FH; 4. Calvin Gramling, Verg; 5. Tomo Watanabe, WRV; 6. Daniel Mann, Thet.

1,500: 1. Nicholas Kidder, Spa 4:19.24; 2. Ben Mattern, Thet; 3. Brady Sloop, Thet; 4. Cody Young, U-32; 5. Wyatt Malloy, U-32; 6. Owen Knapp, FH.

3,000: 1. Nicholas Kidder, Spa 9:25.47; 2. Jay Borland, Mont; 3. Ben Mattern, Thet; 4. Ben Warfield, U-32; 5. Taggart Schader, U-32; 6. Manny Fliegelman, Haz.

55 hurdles: 1. Brandon Keller, BF 8.46; 2. Adam Sanborn, Spring; 3. Marshall Simpson, Spring; 4. Landon Morris, MVU; 5. Miguel Levy, MR; 6. Ethan Gratton-Derbyshire, LR.

4x200: 1. Hartford (Hewitt, Bessette, Lowe, Guillette) 1:39.53; 2. Thetford; 3. Lake Region; 4. Rice; 5. Vergennes; 6. Oxbow.

4x400: 1. Hartford (Fournier-Stephens, Bessette, Moreno, Guillette) 3:46.95; 2. Vergennes; 3. Thetford; 4. U-32; 5. Fair Haven; 6. Lake Region.

4x800: 1. Vergennes (Fearon, Gagnon, Gramling, Rakowski) 8:59.92; 2. Hartford; 3. Thetford; 4. Fair Haven; 5. U-32.

High jump: 1. Ayodele Lowe, Hart 5-10.75; 2. Myles Marcoux, PA; 3. Justin Young, LR; 4. Jordan Davis, Hart; 5. Evan Rich, Thet; 6. Luciano Patterson, MVU.

Long jump: 1. Ulysses Junker-Boyce, Thet 20-10.5; 2. Joseph Darling, MA; 3. Ayodele Lowe, Hart; 4. Evan Rich, Thet; 5. Jordan Davis, Hart; 6. Adam Sanborn, Spring.

Boys shot put: 1. Edward Sayers, U-32 43-5.25; 2. Jordan Davis, Hart; 3. Chase Lefevre, Thet; 4. Patrick Stone, FH; 5. Ezra Price-Wood, GM; 6. Riley Tuttle, BF.

Boys weight throw: 1. Jordan Davis, Hart 49-6.5; 2. Patrick Stone, FH; 3. Caden Lynch, FH; 4. Brandon Driver, Hart; 5. Ben Perry, BF; 6. Riley Tuttle, BF.

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Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.