Inter-squad Meet @ Hall High School

On 10/24, it started the day of fun and competitive edge to all athletes.  It was the 2nd Annual Scarlet vs. White Inter-squad meet at Hall High School. A friendly competition to see where the athletes are at as pre-season ended for the track team and championship season started for the XC team.  Teams were drafted by the team's captains Anderson Emerole, Marissa Poleto, Warren Lane, and Nicole Dow.  It was a fun atmosphere while the teams were getting to know each other more, goofing around, and just being who we are.  A great group of people that love to run.  The events that were held at the meet were the 60m dash, the 200m, 400m, the mile, long jump, shot, weight, javelin, and the sprint medley relay.  Some of the athletes were also happy to see some of the Alumni come out and run with the team.  Alumni to mention like LaTasha Jarrett, Ariana Bass, Kaycee Martinez, Wes Melnik, Jordan Pike, Ryan Trupin, and Stephanie Barbosa came out to enjoy the festivities and compete as well.  It was a great time and will definitely be a tradition that will carry on for a long time.

In the end of the day, the Scarlet Team swept the winning board and took home the win.  It was just a matter of time until we knew that we were all Hawks and this was going to be a great year to come for the Hawks.  The track team is still practicing until the first meet of the season December 4th at UVM.  The XC team is in their championship season with America East and NCAA Regionals still on the schedule.  Look for big things to happen this year.  Here are some photos from the meet. Enjoy.

WE ARE HAWKS!!

Conn College Invite @ Harkness Park

The new member of the Hawks Zoey!!

The Hawks were once again on the road for another XC meet. This time in Waterford, CT at Harkness Park for the Connecticut College Invite.  The Hawks left for the meet at 8:15am that Saturday. Charter bus and food awaiting for the Hawks arrival. The hour long ride had a calm and quiet atmosphere. With the athletes listening to their music, reading, or watching Happy Gilmore with Adam Sandler, which was provided by Freshman John Busque, the athletes were ready to run.  The ride had a lot of tired people on the bus since I heard that a lot of the athletes couldn't sleep the night before. Tossing and turning in the beds turns into a bad night for athletes especially runners that run long distances like our very own Hawks.  Bodies are tired, exhausted,  and need the rest. Could have been pre-meet jitters, hunger, or just couldn't sleep at all it was just one of those nights. Well what ever it was the Hawks got over it and slept on the bus ride there.  Reaching Harkness Park the first thing the athletes felt was the gust of wind and cold current coming off the water side of the park.  It was a beautiful park with a flower garden and as Ellen Crandall, our program administrator said, "a 100 year old tree." To see nature at its best during the fall is beauty for any photographer.  Just ask photographer and runner Josh Hummel, a senior here at the university loves to take pictures where ever he goes and even takes pictures while he does his warm-up. The guys went first at this meet and were very happy to get the 8k run over with while the girls ran after in their 6k run.  An extra kilometer than they usually run. As the gun goes off, you wonder the strategy for these runners. How are they going to run this race, what do they want their mile pace to be, and where in the pack do they want to be before making the move to catch runners? I can't tell you, why don't you ask a XC runner and see what they tell you.

The guys getting ready. Wow Are those Pink shoes!!!

The guys 8k race was off and they started towards the beach. A beautiful shot and cool breeze coming off the ocean while hitting the rocks below. The race was a fast faced race and didn't have any demise of being a great race for all competitors running. The winner of the race was Tom Bocchino from the College of New Jersey.  He finished the race in a time of 25:27 with a mile pace of 5:08.  Right behind him was Daniel Gaunya of Southern Connecticut State University in a time of 25:39.  The winner of the team scores was  University of Connecticut with 59 points.  Surprisingly they tied with Tufts University who also scored 59 points. The Hawks had a team score of 206 points which was good for 7th place out of 19 teams. The top runner for the Hawks was Andrew Chalmers who ran the 8k course in 26:32 and placed 26th out of the 225 runners that ran on Saturday.  The second Hawk to come in was Eric Flaman who placed 35th in the field with a time of 26:44. After Eric was Senior Jonas Hampton who finished with a time of 26:53 for 47th place.  Wayne Lawrence was the 4th Hawk to come in for the team.  He finished the 8k course in 27:03 and right behind him finishing was Kevin Brandon who completed the course in 27:12.  This rounded out the top 5 spots for the guys team.  The other runners Bobby Giuliani, John Busque, Josh Hummel, Brian Famigletti, and  Christopher Rodriguez all finished the 8k course with high competitive fashion as they knew they had next weekend off to recover.

The Girls Striding it out

The ladies 6k run was off within 30mins of the guys race was over.  Each and every lady was on the line for their team ready to run and improve times. Running the same way the guys went at the start, the girls were off and ready to beat the competition.  In the front of the pack we see Freshman Megan Barry up with the lead runners.  This is the way she loves to run so we knew she was ready to take on some faster foes.  As the rest of the girls bunched in with the rest of the runners, teamwork was definitely a key player for the race.  To win you have to have the fastest times for the race and the highest placed finishers.  This is how it would all go down for the whole race.  The winner of the race was Alyson Dalton of Cortland State University with a time of 22:12 for the 6k course.  Right behind her was Alina Gatowski of MIT running a time of 22:26.  The winner for the team was Tufts University with a total of 53 points.  The Lady Hawks scored 223 points finishing in 9th  place out of 18 teams.  A high position for the team going into an off week of competition.  For the Lady Hawks, the top finisher was Megan Barry who was 6th overall in the meet finishing the 6k course in a time of 23:11.  The next Hawk to cross the line was Jen Flores finishing the 6k course in 24:05 while crossing the line 38th in the field.  The 3rd Hawk to cross the line was Marisa Poleto. She finished the course in 24:22 placing 48th and right behind her was Kayla Koonz. She finished the course in a time of 24:44 placing 67th out of 199 girls running.  The 5th girl to finish the course for the Hawks was Catherine Carey running a time of 25:10 placing 89th out of the field of girls.  Stephanie Curcio and  Leslie Garabedian both ran competitively finishing with great times for each of them.  Finishing in great fashion for the race that they haven't run all season, each girl was happy with the performance for the day.

The Hawks XC Team minus some people 

As the day ended, the Hawks continued onto the bus for a nice ride home.  Everyone happy that the day was finally over and can relax when back on campus.  Tired and sore, the athletes had a great time and even watched Mean Girls on the way back. Don't know who requested that movie, but I can tell you that not everyone on the bus watched it.

The Hawks have next week off as they join the Track Team for the Annual Intersquad Meet that was started last year.  The weekend after that the Hawks return for the America East Championship meet at Franklin Park in Boston, MA.  Championship Season starts NOW!!

For complete results of the meet click on the links below.
Men's Individual Results
Men's Team Results
Women's Individual Results
Women's Team Results 

CCSU Invite @ Stanley Park

The XC team is well under way with three meets now in the books for the teams.  Coming off strong showings at the past two meets, the teams went through a strong week of practice, and prepared for the meet ahead of them.  Going only off campus into New Britain, CT the teams were ready for the teams that traveled out to the meet to compete with the best of the best.  As the Hawks saw Central the week before at the Hawks Riverfront Festival, it is starting to show a little in-state XC rivalry for the teams. The girls were off first with their 5k and the guys followed behind with the 8k.  A course that goes around a little lake in the middle of the park then into a forest where they come out about 5 mins later.  Just walking in the hills was an adventure and you can easily get lost and hurt if you do not watch your step.  With the coaches there and some of the track and field athlete's there ready to cheer on their teammates, it was Go Time!!

The girls race was up first with a 10 team field on the line and everyone out there just going for that best positions to score the best points for their teams.  The first place team was Northeastern University followed by URI losing by only 1 point. The winner of the race was Caitrin Demchko of URI running  18:10 in th 5k course.  The Lady Hawks placed 6th in the 10 team field with 159 points. The top Hawk was Freshman Megan Barry coming in with a time of 19:08 finishing 18th out of an 80 person field. Following right behind her placing 27th was Senior Marisa Poleto with a time of 19:26.  The top 3 for the Hawks was rounded out by Sophomore Kayla Koonz with a time of 20:09 giving her 33rd in the field.  Catherine Carey and Rebecca Mendes rounded out the top 5 places for the Hawks. The field was very competitive and gave the girls a great push throughout the race.

The guys race went off about 30mins after the girls. With the race filled with fierce competition it was anybodies race from the start.  With this 8 team field the guys were ready and focused.  The first place team for the guys race was Central Connecticut with 29 points.  Following behind them in second was Northeastern with 30 points losing by only 1 point.  The winner of the race was Jenkins Eric from Northeastern running the course in a time of 25:22.  The Hawks finished the invite in 3rd place with 101 points.  The top Hawk was Junior Andy Chalmers finishing the course in 9th out of 75 with a time of 27:01.  Following him strong was Junior Eric Flaman with a time of 27:38 crossing the finish line 16th. Rounding out the top 3 for the Hawks was Sophomore Bobby Giuliani with a time of 28:03 finishing 21st in the field.  Wayne Lawrence and John Busque rounded out the top 5 places for the Hawks to help them score a 3rd place team finish at the meet.

Both teams had strong showings for the races. The teams had the previous week off and were resting up for this week as they travel to Boston, MA for New Englands.

For Complete Team and Individual Results click the links below.
Men's Individual Results
Men's Team Results
Women's Individual Results
Women's Team Results

First Week of Track Practice

9/20 it started, 7am, we all were happy and anxious for it to start.  Then it happened, boom alarms going off, music playing, and everyone up and early ready for the first day of practice on the baseball field.  Getting up early now is no where compared to the wee morning hours of 6:15 practice when we start our Indoor Season practice at Weaver High.  Walking towards the field you see a lot of nervous faces and a lot of faces of just wanting to be there.  This day started the last pre-season for 8 seniors on the team and they knew they had to make the last year the best.  As everyone started to slowly get there and you can tell from the first initial instance of who was a returner and a freshman. As the team waits for Coach Joe and Coach Nicole to get there to start the very first practice of the year.  As most of us anticipated it to be just drills to get everyone familiar with the routine, we were faced with learning a new routine.  A dynamic routine as most of us have known over the years, but also with different drills.  Teaching an old dog new tricks as it is said in society.

As the days went by, the routine has started to become second nature to us and we are getting it done in the way it should be done.  Warming our muscles and bodies up for what was coming to us at practice. We expect nothing but the best during the pre-season to get us ready for the season.  As the coaches repeat to us everyday, no one is safe during this tryout period, we as a team have to realize it is not a game, and you can be easily cut if you don't put your best foot forward.  A lot of the athletes are coming together and getting to know a lot of the returners and talking to everyone to become closer as a family.  As a team we succeed together and as a team we fail together.  The days of this first week have taught us a lot not only about ourselves, but also as a team and what weak areas we need to work on to make us a balanced team.  With the XC team still in season, we are missing the other 20 on the team, but if you look at the team now, we are more of an army.  With cuts coming quicker in time, we have to make sure as a team we sweat, bleed, cry, breakdown, and etc. as a team.

As a team with very little resources given to them from the start, we are probably one of the best teams on this campus with the biggest hearts ever.  Yea we might complain that we don't have a track or that we can't use the main gym to get a good workout in, but we deal with what we have and we go out there and practice hard together. This week we were on the baseball field early morning, the back field sharing it with rugby, and the Unitarian Church down the street from the school.  We go every where and anywhere to do our workouts.  I have never seen a group of 70 kids put their hearts out where ever they practice.  It is true that as runners we tend to get lazy, but when we step on the track you would think you are looking at another person.

As the week comes to a slow and roaring end, we take what we learned and apply to our lives. We look towards the future with our heads held high and get ready to tackle the next week ahead of us, only to know that it will get worse as the weeks go by, but we are ready.  As Coach Carr would say, "If you have a pulse, you can lift."  Running is what we do and you won't see us doing anything better than that.

2nd Annual Hartford Hawks Riverfront Festival @ Riverside Park

Photo by Josh Hummel

The past weekend, the Hawks hosted the 2nd Annual Riverfront Festival right here in our back yard at Riverside Park.  The 15 mins drive for the Hawks was short and sent a sharp source of purpose for the day.  As the Hawks hosted in state rival Central Connecticut for the dual meet, the Men's team was looking to defend their title at the meet, while the Women were out there to represent and come home champions.  The drive there was a fun drive with everyone focused on the race ahead.  Upon getting to the meet you can see the sun beaming down and the high school teams that were there also to run at the festival.  It was the Hawks only home meet and they knew they had to represent.  As the runners started to get their minds ready for the race that was well in front of them, you can see on the faces of the runners how serious it was to them to start the season off right.  As the momentum carried over from the last meet, they were ready.  Running by the Connecticut River and through a scenery only XC runners would love with trees, rocks, and hills around it was the perfect scene for a meet to come.  With teammates on the Track and Field Team coming out to support each other, there is no question in my mind, these group of runners are a family.  The girls went off at 12:15 running the 5k course wile the guys went off 30mins after running the 8k course.

The girls went off as the gun sounded and bunched up into a pack going into the woods.  The leader for most of the run was Hartford Freshman, Megan Barry.  She was closely followed by two CCSU girls in the woods.  The course has started to take a toll on the girls as they came into contact with the rocky back loop of the course.  As coaches and teammates were at each mile mark to shout out times, the ladies continued to push the pace through this course.  As the race was starting to end, the first girl out of the woods was CCSU's Elizabeth Eberhardt and following her was teammate Katherine Bossardet. Both posting times of 18:54 and 19:02 respectively.  The first Hawk to finish through the course was Megan Barry finishing 3rd with a time of 19:16. Marisa Poleta finished 5th with a time of 19:30 in the course.  Followed behind her was Jen Flores, Kayla Koonz, Rebecca Mendes, Catherine Carey, Steph Curcio, and Leslie Garabedian.  The girls had a great showing at the meet.  They ladies were only 7 points behind CCSU with 32 points in the meet.

At 12:45, the guys were off. CCSU runners came into the front of the pack with Hartford bunched up together right next to them.  In a sport where ever runner counts, it is very important that each team has the first 5 athletes in at the top spots.  The front runners for the guys were two of CCSU's runners and two of Hartford's runners.  As the teams made their way in the woods and the course, they were faced with the challenges of the inclining slope that is mid way of their run.  The hill that feels like it continues and doesn't stop.  Coming fown from the hill, the runners then continued into the back loop again to complete the 8k course.  The runners were fatigued and tired, but kept pushing to have that top spot.  As the runners started to exit the woods, CCSU's own Craig Hunt came out first with a time of 25:31.01. His teammate, John Krell, came in behind him with a time of 25:56.06. The first Hawk to cross the finish line was Junior Andrew Chalmers with a time of  26:03 which was a PR for him.  The second Hawk to cross the finish line was Jonas Hampton finishing 4th with a time of 26:08, besting his previous personal 8k time. Eric Falman was the 3rd Hawk to finish with a time of 26:43 also besting his personal time. At the end of the meet, 6 Hawks finished under their personal best times for the 8k run, but the Hawks were bested by in-state foe CCSU by 16 points.

A great showing by both teams through the day.  As they wind down the week they get ready for their next meet at the CCSU Invite in New Britain, CT.

For complete results click on the links below
Men's Results
Women's Results

Also for pictures from the meet, check our photographer Steve McLaughlin's website at the link below
Shots from the Meet

Trinity Invite @ Wickham Park

The XC team started the season off the past week with the Trinity Invitational @ Wickham Park in Manchester, CT.  The teams were anticipating good competition for the day as the guys ran the 5k course against 6 other teams, while the women were faced with running the 4k course against 5 other teams.  The day wasn't bad and it was good weather all around. As we remember from the pouring rain that occurred last year at the same event, the weather was as the runners said, "the perfect day." You can never expect what the weather will be like during the XC season as runners run through rain, sun, and mud. As the teams garnered their nerves for most the first meet as a collegiate athlete or for some the last XC season, the were ready to show that all the hard training wasn't being put to waste, as they were ready to battle "The Big Green Monster".

Girls Getting Ready to Run. L to R: Catherine Carey,
 Jen Flores,  Rebecca Mendes, and Megan Barry

On the girls side, the winner of the meet was Stonehill for the women.  The first runner that came in was from American International College, Jeptui Cherutich came in at a time of 16:21 for the 4k course. The first Hawk to come in was Freshman Megan Barry.  She came in 12th place out of the 67 person field, while coming in at a time of 17:03 for the course.  She is expected to do big things for the Hawks this year, so look out for her during the upcoming years.  The next Hawk to come was Senior Marisa Poleto in a time of 17:37 finishing 20th.  In her first season on the XC team, she is doing very well and we hope she continues to be that factor in the team.  Right behind her in 21st place was Freshman teammate Jen Flores.  She finished the course also in 17:37 with Marisa. To round out the top 25 spots, Sophomore Kayla Koonz finished in the 4th spot for the Hawks in the team scoring.  She finished 25th overall with a time of 17:43. The fifth and final Hawk to cross the line in the team scoring was Sophomore Stephanie Curcio.  She finished the course 30th in a time of 18:15. Finishing behind her were teammates Rebecca Mendes, Catherine Carey, and Leslie Garabedian. With the scoring following the meet, the women placed 3rd out of 7.

I had a little conversation with Kayla Koonz and Megan Barry about the race and what they felt during the day and this is what they had to say:

"Leading up to the start of the race, I was extremely nervous. I was hoping our freshman weren't getting psyched out because it was their first college meet and that my training had actually done its job! Talking to the girls at the start and being on the line, I got pumped. Everything just felt right. Everyone was focused and they all knew what they had to do. During the race, I actually just focused on my form. I know that has been my biggest obstacle in past years. I have always had a problem with keeping my body relaxed while running which caused cramps and just a bad mental state. When I was finishing, I looked up at the clock and it just made me go faster. I didn't think I was running that fast and when I crossed with a 17:43 I was ecstatic. I dropped major time from last year and I just generally felt better racing. Also, it was a great feeling working together with my team mates to try and stay up in the top 30. I was near Jen and Marisa and we kept yelling at each other to push us so we kept moving up. Overall it was just a great race. Our team was supportive and we work really well together. We're a young team, so we have a great 3 years ahead of us."

                                                                             -Kayla Koonz

" It was my first college race. I had talked to Kayla the day before about nerves and what it was like to race in college and she told me it was just the same as racing in high school, except your older now. So, I followed my normal racing schedule for the night before. We went to the boys apartment and they cooked us pasta and stuffed us with carbs to ready us for the next morning.  The course wasn’t too bad, nothing we hadn’t trained for. The course started with a small bump and after not too long after that another hill followed.  It was relatively flat as we made our way through the paths, inclined again as we made our way back over to where everybody was waiting for us to cheer us on. After a nice downhill, we had about a quarter of a mile before we hit the big hill. In retrospect, it really wasn’t as bad as everyone thought. It was merely the placement of it that made everyone dread it so much. After running hard for about a mile an half, even a tiny hill looks like a mountain, but once we made it up the hill, the worst was over and it was all downhill until the end. After running through some more trails and past the birdcages, I finally rounded the corner and headed up the last hill to the finish. Overall, I was happy with my performance. I felt much more tired than I had expected to feel, but was reassured by my teammates that it was just my body getting used to the new training and that it would get better with time.  The entire team ran great and everybody was very supportive of each other.  My first college race was a great experience, and it was a good time to bond with my new teammates. I can honestly say that I am proud to be a member of the University of Hartford Cross Country family."

                                                                            -Megan Barry

Andy and Jonas running together.
"Team's work better when we stick together"

On the guys side of the race, the winner was also Stonehill. The first runner that came in for the guys was Glarius Rop of American International College in the time of 15:22.  For the guys the first Hawk to come in was Junior Andy Chalmers.  He finished 6th out of the 82 person field in the time of 16:17.  A very strong returner for the Hawks, Andy is showing good promise through his years here and is sure he will continue his success.  The next runner to come if for the Hawks was Senior Jonas Hampton. He finished 9th in the field while running 16:37 in the course. Junior Wayne Lawrence crossed the finish line 16th with a time of 16:50 and following close behind was Junior Kevin Brandon finishing 18th with a time of 16:52.  The fifth Hawk to cross the line was Sophomore Bobby Giuliani. He finished 20th in the time of 16:57, finishing out the scoring for the Hawks team.  Right behind Bobby was Junior Eric Flaman, finishing in the time of 16:58.  Behind Eric finishing for the Hawks was John Busque, Josh Hummel, Brian Famigletti, and Chris Rodriguez. When the runners places were totalled, the men placed 2nd in the meet behind Stonehill. 

Both finishes were top places for the Hawks as they continue their success in this season.  This is a big momentum builder for the meets to come.  The next meet for the Hawks is at the 2nd Annual Riverfront Invite right here in Hartford.  

For complete results of the meet click on the links below.

Men's Results

Women's Results

                                                               

XC Pre-Season by Eric Flaman

Day 1-Cross-Country preseason kicked off when we all hit school grounds to move in. I’m personally rooming with Josh Hummel; my suitemates consist of Jonas and Corey, who are rooming together, and Andy and Kevin, who are roommates with each other. We all put in the work over the summer and where excited to kick off the season. As we get ourselves settled into the new apartment we can’t wait to run with the new freshman, which we had met as recruits only a few months ago. As we walk over to the sports center our spirits are high. We have a quick team meeting, meet the lifting coaches and before we know it we are going out on a nice easy five-mile jog. We get to know the freshman a bit more, their major’s hobbies what their times where how summer training went and we started bonding. It is in my opinion that you don’t really get to know some one until you run with them, because that’s when you truly find out who they are and what they are made of. Within thirty-five minutes we are already back on campus and pumped for the pizza party, because the only thing runners love other then running is FOOD! So we get back and wait up for the girls, and tell them that the party will be held in my apartment. With several boxes of pizza, a large salad container and the plastic silverware we trek across campus to cool down have some fun and eat some food, resting up for the 5k time trial the next day.

Day2- Today would be judgment day. It will show who really put the work in over the summer and who didn’t. Unfortunately all the girls who said they where going to come out didn’t so we where left with only a handful of eight very talented girls. Only two of them where returning from last year. But the recruitment by Kathy Manizza was outstanding. During the time trial the men had a solid pack of five leading the way, consisting of Senior captain Jonas Hampton, Jr captain Andy Chalmers, Jr Wayne Lawrence, Freshman John Busque, and Sophmore Bobby Giuliani, this pack was closely followed by Kevin Brandon and myself (Eric Flaman). Pulling up the rear but not too far behind was Chris Rodriguez, Andrew Dwyer, Zach Clark, Travis Anthony, and Corey Smith. For most of us it was our first 5k in a while some got lost because it can be a bit tricky but over all every one did very well. For the Women it was Freshman Megan Barry who headed the pack closely followed by Freshman Jenn Flores, Sophmore Kayla Koonz, Freshman Cat Carey, and Sophomore Steph Curcio, Senior but new to Cross-Country Marisa Poleto, Freshman Rebecca Mendes, and Freshman Leslie Garabedian. Over all the performances where better then expected only showing that we are expecting and going to have a strong season.

Day 3- I awake to my alarm, my arm grabs and pulls the shades and I am filled with relief as I only see blue skies ahead. My feet hit the floor and I’m ready to go. For today we head out for Hammonasset Beach, where the real pre-season and bonding starts. Every year the Cross-Country team goes out on a camping trip as a team to train. It is a good time had by all and this year we are even blessed with good weather. We load up the vans with all our running cloths, and tents and head out, all of us filled with the anticipation of a great time. We hit the road rocking out to all the new summer hits and having a blast, continuing to strengthen that bond that has brought us all together we talk about everything. When we hit the camp sight we unload, as the women sit on a near by bench the men set up the tents. As we are doing so the women are joking around with us and heckling us to hurray up. Once the men finished setting everything up we headed out for a nice easy 7 miles as a team. Keeping the pack nice and tight we enjoy the scenery Southern Connecticut has to offer us. Once the run is over with we hit the beach to catch some rays and cool off in the ocean. Our Coach and her husband decide to do I nice little ocean swim and end up going beyond the no wake zone buoys, as a result the life guard grabbed the ocean kayak to go have a talk with them. From the shoreline it was pretty funny to watch. Later that night Bobby and myself would do the same thing except we stayed within the buoys. By the way swimming against the current is tough business, even with a wetsuit I got rocked by a few waves, but it was a fun experience and good cool down. That night we headed back to the camp and as the sunset we started up our fire. Though it took us a while because most of the stuff we had was wet, we soon got a pretty good small fire going that lasted us a few hours. As we al huddled around it we made shmore’s poor Rebecca never had one before, which we all thought was absurd, so I took the liberty of roasting a perfectly golden brown marshmallow and make her, her first shmore. As we sat we shared summer stories, our goals and things that we are looking forward too in the upcoming year. As the fire dwindled so didn’t our eyes, and we decide to call it a night.

Day 4- We all awoke around 8am ate some food and today was looking to be a great day. Another clear and sunny morning started us off right. After the recovery day we were all feeling pretty good, which was a good thing because we had our second time trial where we had to run for 6 minutes and see how far we could go. Our coach didn’t let us wear watches she wanted us to pace our selves purely by ourselves. On top of that she had us guess how far we would get in the 6 minutes. We all got pretty close I personally was only 50 yards off. After a nice little cool down we headed back to the camp for some R&R. This night we would be doing some trail running with an Ultra Marathoner. We all brought some flashlights and head lamps so that we could see. We got to the running site around dusk so we all could still see pretty well. We hit the trails going at a pretty good pace, the trails where mixed with logs, rocks, and even bridges. Looking back it was actually a lot of fun. I personally enjoyed every minute of it. However some one stirred up a wasp’s nest and some of the runners in the back got stung a few times. The poor dog that was with us got it the worst. Corey, Coach Mannizza and Ken also got a few stings. Over all we survived it only one rolled ankle and a few bee stings. After the night run we grabbed as much wood from the woods as we could load them up into the van and headed back to the campsite. When we got back we where ready for an epic campfire unlike the small one from the night before. We set it up share some more stories and have more laughs. We where bonding as a team and as a family.

Day 5- Another day at the camp site, and Coach has a bit of a surprise for us. After getting a good breakfast in we head out in the vans towards a bluff. When we get there it is absolutely beautiful. Great trails and neighborhoods to run through right on the coast it was stunning. The girls did a loop that went around the bluff along with a few guys while the rest of us ran out onto some trails following signs to a farm, then cutting back and doing the bluff loop again. It was a great area a lot of people out and about walking and running. A few people had picnics, and every one was friendly. Afterwards we did band exercises before heading back. We showered up and hit the beach for a while. It was our last night there and what a night it would be. We caught the sunset at the beach and Josh snapped a team photo with the fiery red sunset in the background. As the sunset further we laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. The freshman felt more loose and comfortable around us. That fiery red sunset only mirrors the admiration we have for each other and the sport of running. That night we all became more then teammates we became family. We headed back to the campsite to start up another fire. As we did so we all agreed to sleep outside under the stars with no tents. We lay down in a row head to head and watched the stars before our eyes faded. 

Day 6- We all awoke to a nice crisp morning, the cool air and sun surround us we get out of our sleeping bags and step onto the dewy grass. We all grab something to eat for breakfast, the sun starts warming up the earth and quickly, it’s going to be another hot day. We hung around for about an hour before heading out on a nice 3 mile tempo. All guys looked pretty good and stuck together for most of it. Our top two Jonas and Andy extended the tempo a little but stuck together. As we jogged back to camp we had people asking us if we had been running for the whole time, and we all laughed and said yes. They where stunned and shocked but we knew that it wasn’t even that bad compared to what lies ahead. As we packed up and showered to go home, we could only smile at our hardships to come. We packed into the vans and headed back to University of Hartford more ready then ever, and not just as a team or group of people who want to run but as a family. 

The XC Team

Highlights from Last Season:Part II

As pre-season is approaching us in a couple of weeks, we wonder what is in store for the Hawks this year.  Entering the year with two new coaches and new additions to the family,  there are high expectations for all that wear that Red & White with the Hawk on the back.  We want to continue the success the team has had on and off the track.  With the limited places of practice, we handle our business with outstanding work ethic everyday, and it pays off when we step on that track.  If you want to see a group of runners that will practice where ever and no matter the weather, WE will be out there running and practicing.  To show you what a group of D1 athletes can accomplish, lets take a look back at the Indoor Season for the Hartford Hawks.

During the Indoor Season, each Hawk saw individual success.  School records have been shattered, we have grown into a family, and we had fun as a team where ever we went.  I'm not going to write about every meet, but only the most standout meets that we collectively had a great team showing from everyone. 

First meet being @ UVM.  The first meet of the season has been the nerve jitter for the freshmen while for the returners, it as a tune-up meet before break to see where they are.  Taking that long trip to Vermont was all worth it.  We saw 7 school records fall.  A great start for the team team, but as the year continued it only improved meet after meet.  Running around the 180m track is very hard, but you have to think, how can we manage to break 7 records on a 180m track.  Through all we have done, we can accomplish a lot no matter the surface or distance.  

As the team had Winter break off, we then came back for another popular meet on the NE Coast, The Reebok Collegiate Meet, in Boston, MA at the Reggie Lewis Center. Here at the meet 3 school records fell, in the shotput by Diana Kornberg, Mike DuPaul in the 800, and Andy Chalmers in the 5,000m run.  A lot of the Hawks love coming to this meet because of the track itself.  The Reggie Lewis is a top-notch track in the country.  The first banked track on the schedule, the Hawks were faced with competition in every event and pushed us to compete at our highest level in every stride and step on that track.  Each individual runner had their success posting season bests and top places in the meet. This continued success gave us a push and momentum to the next couple of meets. 

A meet that the team loves going to is the Ryder/Lafayette for one reason: The Armory in NYC.  Home to one of the best and fastest tracks in the country, this meet brings some home field advantage to some of the Hawks on the team. For runners Warren Lane and Anderson Emerole, it was like home coming for the two Hawk standouts.  Running at the Armory all through high school, they knew the ins and outs of this track.  At the meet 7 records fell, where Warren Lane a Senior now from Brooklyn, NY broke his own school record in the 500m sprint, Anderson Emerole a Junior now from Queens, NY broke the school record in the 400m sprint, Nicolle Adams breaking the Long Jump record, Brittany Lawson in the Weight Throw which she broke at almost every meet, Caitlyn Hauswirth in the Pole Vault, and a school record that has been standing since 2005; the 4x800m relay which included Wayne Lawrence, Christopher Rodriquez, Robert Giuliani, and Mike DuPaul.  This meet was the last meet before the America East Championship @ BU.  Were the Hawks ready, you bet they were!!!

As the time closed on us and the countdowns were  put into our heads by the coaches about America East approaching, the time has come and the countdown stopped because we were on our way Boston.  Competing for the rights of who was the best of the best in the America East Conference we all saw success in our eyes.  Day 1 saw success for many Hawks, as records fell and individuals garnered times to race again in the finals for their respective events.  We all felt that sense of momentum going into this meet.  We knew we had success after success and we couldn't let it stop here. Everyone ran with their hearts and left everything on the track.  We cheered on our teammates and pushed everyone to go out there and just run like the wind. As Day 1 came to a close, the Hawks saw Brittany Lawson place 4th in the Weight Throw and Nicolle Adams placing 6th in the Pentathlon and also breaking the school record in the multi with a score of 3,071.  On the track, Andy Chalmers found success on the track with his school record in the 5000m run, Priscilla Appiagyei made it back to the finals in the 400m sprint, Anderson Emerole continued his success as he went on to make it into the finals of the 400m sprint while breaking his school record, and the last Hawk to make the finals was Warren Lane in the 500m sprint. 

Day 2 on the track at the America East Championship, the Hawks continued their success from yesterday and knew it was all or nothing.  As we got to the track we continued our traditional team warm up.  When you see 50 runners, throwers, and jumpers together in a tight circle you know they are a family.  Getting everyone excited and pumped for another day,  we make it known that the Hawks are here and we mean business. On the track Mike DuPaul, Anderson Emerole, and Priscilla Appiagyei put the Hawks on the board with their individual events.  The relays for the Hawks also had a good showing for the Hawks, as the Men's and Women's teams put points on the board for the Hawks. The Women's 4x400m relay ran a season best 3:55 finishing 5th. The Men's 4x400m relay ran a School Record time of 3:19 while placing 6th in the event.  The Men's 4x800m relay also had a School Record showing in the event with a time of 7:52 while placing 5th in the event.  In the end of the meet both squads placed 9th in the competition, but left with their heads high as  most of the Hawks were going to be competing next week at the New England Championships.

Competing at the New England Championship @ BU, the Hawks took from what they ran the week before at the conference championship and fed off of it into this weekends races. Through the 2 Day meet, 3 Hawks went home with All-New England Honors and 4 School Records fell.  Ariana Bass came home with an 8th place finish for the Hawks in the 500m run in a time of 1:17. Melanie Wilson broke the school record in the 800 in a time of 2:22.18 at the meet. The Women's 4x400m relay also took home New-England honors with a time of 3:56 placing 7th in the event.  Anderson Emerole placed 13 in the 400m with a time of 49.25.  He missed the cut-off by 4 places and if you know how track is, the 4 places can be apart by .05 and it hurts that bad. Warren Lane broke his own school record in the 500m in the pre-lims of the 500 with a time of 1:04.95, then came back in the finals to break it again with a time of 1:04.51 to take home 7th place in the event.  Mike DuPaul, the standout all year, came into the event running 1:53 which is the school record in the prelims in the 800, then came back into the finals and ran 1:54. The 4x800m relay also broke their school record at the meet.  

As the year ended, we knew we would be faced with bigger and better accomplishments to come.  Outdoor season to come, the season of all Track seasons.  Where everyone comes out and runs, where it all matters, and where all the exciting meets are held.  We celebrate the ending of the Indoor Season, but we welcome the Outdoor Season with a warm embrace because we knew as a team, it was OUR TIME!!

Highlights from Last Season:Part I

As many might know that we are the most populated team on campus and with that brings great promise of success to the team as a whole.  As we look back at what has highlighted the team last year, we take the little steps forward to becoming better, not only as a team, but as individuals.  The XC team is already back at UHa, so why don't we start with their season last year.

The XC team had a very strong showing at all meets they competed in, with Senior Jonas Hampton and Junior Andy Chamlers leading the way.  Others that followed were Corey Smith, Wes Melnik who just graduated from UHa, Matt Le, Wayne Lawrence, Josh Hummel, and the rest of the Hawks. Through each meet, they have gotten down and gritted out the hardships of each repeat mile workout in Elizabeth Park and hill in their path. They each have their own success stories off and on the trails and woods they repeatedly run through each meet.  The most promising performance from the team as a whole would be at the Hawks first Annual Riverfront XC Invite.  Only a couple of mins away from the school grounds, the Hawks battled out against URI and Farmington State College. Chalmers and Hampton were leading the pack the whole way through the course with another competitor from URI, Michael Pezzullo, who finished behind the top two Hawks.  Gave them a run for their money going through the 8k race.  Through woods, running by the river, up a hill, and full of jagged rocks, the Hawks came out on top and won the very first Riverfront Invite.  After this meet, the Hawks continued their success as each runner improved their times over the XC season up to America East Conferences, New England's, had 7, that's right I said 7, Hawks represent the school at the NCAA Regionals.  They each continued their success and felt very good going into the next stage of the year, Indoor and Outdoor. The guys include only 3 new comers to the squad while the rest are returners ready to run.  Hope they are ready for what lies ahead of them.

The Lady Hawks XC season was also just as spectacular as the men's.  Each runner found success on the courses. Each runner had their own helping hand to where they are today.  During the year, you would see 3 different Hawks come in leading the way. Ariana Bass, Kayla Koonz, and Kaycee Martinez each shared the times of coming in first for the Hawks. At the very first Annual Hawks Riverfront Invite, the Lady Hawks placed 2nd at the meet with  URI took home the title for the women.  The top Hawk was Ariana Bass leading the way finishing 5th in the time of 20:07. Coming in after her was Stefanie Lombardi and then Kayla Koonz rounding out the top 3 for the Lady Hawks. The season where being in a tight group all the way through the 8k course and pacing off each other is more like a"support" season.  Where you can find yourself receiving support from on coming runners from different schools or being in a group of 20 runners and each person shares the lead.  During the school year, the Lady Hawks have been given great competition in out and the courses.  The lady Hawks now include 5 new freshman to the squad as they prepare for another season ahead of them .

I wish them all best of luck in the upcoming season.  Stay tuned for Part II and III for the Indoor and Outdoor Seasons highlights.

Back to School

Man oh Man, we are coming down to the wire of this Summer 2010..School starts when August 31st, which is a Tuesday for us XC team goes back the 24th which is like 30 mins from now..I know they are happy to be back.. Leading the way of this crazy XC team is Senior Jonas Hampton and Junior Andy Chalmers. Andy Chalmers best 8k time of 26:20 and Jonas right behind him with 26:21 will be showing the new comers to the Hartford Hawks XC team how discipline, dedication, motivation, and hard work helps you get through this perennial season.  I call it the "get down and get dirty season". The Hawks last year can explain to you themselves how messy and muddy it got last year at New England's in Boston. I hope the freshman can handle this muddy situation.  The guys this year are looking for a strong season from each runner. This is the last XC season for Jonas Hampton, Josh Hummel, and Corey Smith.  Hope they all see what is in-front of them, something I call success..

On the girls XC team, we look at returning athletes such as the leader of the group Kayla Koonz.  Leading the way through the XC season and then switching gears to the Track. She admittedly said she has never ran on the "oval" before last year, but she helped pave the way for a new wave of runners for the long distance crew.  Alongside her this year will be newcomers and seniors might I add, Marisa Poleto and Mahrukh Khawaja.  They will be helping the team out with points as they gear up for the new season.  As they lost Ariana Bass, Kaycee Martinez, Melanie Wilson, and Stefanie Lombardi to graduation, we expect that everyone will step up and put their hearts out there in the trails.

The season for the XC team starts soon as they all come back to train hard and enjoy the season..

For the Indoor and Outdoor teams, on the women's side we see returners that have helped put points on the board every time and has broken her own record in every meet, Brittney Lawson. A true freshman last year, has been working hard throughout the year to put her name on the record board every day. Also in the throws, Carolyn Grime, and Catie Nyitray. Pole vaulter, Caitlyn Hauswirth, who has broken the school record in the vault multiple times during the year. In the jumps we are looking for all the standouts to come back, Miranda Wallace, Nicolle Adams, and Kristalena Lamore and in the hurdles as well with Natalie Bonham and Stephany Hanson.  On the track, you have another freshman last year, Priscilla Appiagyei, who has dominated the 400 for the Hawks, garnering All-New England Honors in the 400.  The 4x400 relay are coming back off a great season as well ready to tear up the track, but is now faced with the dilemma of who is going to be the new two legs??

On the guys side, you have a number of standouts ready to come back and show the conference and other schools who the Hawks are.  In the throws we have Anthony Greenman coming back to toss the discus and shot during the season to improve his record that he has from last year. In the jumps we welcome back, Ackeme Brown to the jumping scene as well as CJ Douglas. Both were standouts for the Hawks on the runway. On the track each runner has seen success after success.  The relays for the teams have always been the highlights of the teams each and every meet. With the 4x800 coming off a huge season as well as the 4x400, you think the members of each relay wasn't coming back.  Wrong, each and every member of both relay teams are coming back strong.  Individually you see some performances from Junior Anderson Emerole and Senior Warren Lane.  Each have runner has seen success in their own events during the season bettering times and breaking records.  The one that will completely keep us in shock is Mike Dupaul. Coming from UConn, Mike has broken records in the 800 and 1000 during the only year he was with the Hawks.  A site to be missed.

The team will be coming back August 25th and 29th as we gear up and get ready for another upcoming pre-season with the coaches.  September 20th is that Day we start.

First meet is September 11,the 2010 at the Trinity Invite @ Wickham Park, with something we like to call "The Green Monster"

To see the full schedule go to hartfordhawks.com and go to Cross Country under sports.