After producing an indoor track season to remember over the winter, the members of the Greenwich High School girls outdoor track and field team are primed to create memorable moments during the spring.
The Cardinals, who won the FCIAC and FCIAC West team championships and placed second at the Class LL Championships during the winter, indoor season, opened their outdoor season in winning style on Tuesday.
Placing first in 12 events, while posting a number of other strong finishes, Greenwich’s girls varsity squad started its 2023 campaign with an 88-57 win over Trumbull at Cardinal Stadium.
Junior tri-captain Esme Daplyn won two individual events and was part of a winning relay race, while sophomore Sophia Riche posted first-place finishes in two field events for the Cardinals (1-0).
“We’ve got a great group,” Daplyn said. “We have a great new freshman class coming in, it’s exciting to have new faces.”
Daplyn, senior Kaitlyn Fay and senior Haley Townsend are Greenwich’s senior captains.
“As we start the season, we have a lot of new talent that is going to be great for our team this year,” said Fay, who will compete on the track and field team at the Division I level at Cornell University next season. “We have a lot of new additions, people that are trying track for the first time that have played other sports. They have a lot of speed and a lot of talent, so it’s going to be great.”
Fay won the 100-meter dash, crossing the finish line in 12.40 seconds. Kibali ODonald placed second for Trumbull in 13.01 seconds, followed by GHS sophomore Noelle Wilkinson (13.26). Senior Carolyn Frankle was fourth (13.78) and Greenwich teammate Fallon Martin, a senior, finished sixth (14.15).
“The camaraderie is already really good, so we’re trying to make it fun and enjoyable for the new girls and making sure we cheer everybody on,” Fay said of the team’s dynamic.
In the 200-meter run, Wilkinson won the race in 27.43 seconds, while ODonald of Trumbull was the runner- up (27.53). Gemma Hardwick a Greenwich freshman placed fourth in 28.99, while freshman Sophia Large took sixth in 30.27 and teammate Tahlia White, a freshman, was seventh (30.56).
Hardwick was the 400-meter winner for GHS, clocking in at 1:03.51 and teammate Margaret McCooe, also a freshman, finished second (1:04.64). Sophomores Lindsay Schuler (1:09.95), Ellery Harte (1:13.34) and Ella Morris (1:13.93) were 4th-6th, respectively for the Cardinals.
Daplyn’s first victory came in the 1600-meter race. She posted a winning time of 5:13.73.
“I really just wanted to get the win,” Daplyn said. “I tried to pick up each lap and I got a good time for that, so I was pleased.”
Junior Lauren Resnick was third in the one-mile run (5:26.92) and teammate Lillian Shropshire, also a junior, took fifth (5:41.42) for the Cards. Daplyn took top honors in the 800-meter race, registering a time of 2:19.69. Freshman Orla Muir gave GHS a third-place finish in the race, clocking in at 2:31.92. McCooe (2:32.84) and senior Sabina Csak were fourth and fifth, respectively for Greenwich.
Daplyn is embracing her role as one of the Cards’ captains.
“It’s really exciting, I’ve been enjoying the responsibilities that a captain has,” she said. “It’s exciting to have more girls doing the events that I love. To have so many girls wanting to improve and do the mile is great.”
Resnick was the runner- up in the 3200-meter race with a time of 11:57.30. Kathryn Marchand of Trumbull won the race in 11:19.20. Shropshire took third (12:03.47) and Muir finished fifth (13:09.85).
In the 100-meter hurdles, Townsend placed second in 17.67 seconds. Trumbull’s Kayla Barbagallo was the winner (16.71). Greenwich sophomore Skylar Aysseh finished fourth in 18.32.
“I think we have a really strong team, especially coming in from our indoor season,” Townsend said. “I’m excited to see some of the new girls compete today and see what our team is capable of. We also have a much larger distance group this year, which is nice because it evens out the team – there are a lot of girls trying out new things. We’ve been training hard the last few weeks and I think it will show.”
The 300-meter hurdles saw Aysseh cross the finish line first (51.11) and Townsend finish a very close second (51.13). Sophomore Fallon Martin (52.52) and freshman Sophia Large (54.62) were fourth and fifth, respectively for Greenwich. In the 4×100-meter relay, Wilkinson, Fay, Aysseh and Townsend combined for a first- place finish (50.08). Trumbull was second (53.52).
The 4×400 relay race saw Hardwick, Daplyn, McCooe and Townsend post a winning time of 4:22.07. Trumbull placed second (4:38.53).
Riche was the long jump winner for Greenwich (15-6.5) and earned a first-place finish in the triple jump (32-8). Wilkinson finished second in the long jump (15-2) and Emma Kelly, a senior, took third (14-5). Junior Samantha Altidor finished third in the triple jump (27-3).
Kelly gave GHS a winning effort in the pole vault (6-6) and Francesca Lotufo, a sophomore, also finished at 6-6 for the Cardinals. Lotufo was the high jump winner (4’10) and Kelly placed second (4-6), followed by Aysseh (4’4). Trumbull junior Maya Martin won the discus (84’9) and javelin (108’8) competitions. Lotufo was fifth in the discus (54’9) and junior Kelsey Fong finished fourth for GHS in the javelin (61-2).
Fallon Martin, a senior, was fourth in the shot put for Greenwich (25’6), an event won by Trumbull’s Brooke Rubush (31’2). Last spring, Greenwich placed third in the team standings at the CIAC Class LL Championships.
Indeed, the Cardinals are aiming to continue the momentum they enjoyed from having such a successful winter track season.
“Having such a successful indoor season – it was a really cool experience,” Townsend noted. “It has given us a lot of confidence going into this season. We still have the same girls sticking with track. With this group, we want to do what we did during indoor and try and work to the best of our abilities.”
Said Daplyn: “We want to continue our success as a group and we’re focused for it.”
Fay, a mainstay with Greenwich’s track program throughout her high school career, is looking forward to the next chapter of her athletic career at Cornell.
“I’m really excited, it’s a really great school academically, as well as athletically,” Fay said. “I’m excited to pursue my career. I met the teammates, I met the girls, so I am looking forward to bettering my times.”
