By Kameron Towle
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BURLINGTON, Vt. – On Monday and Tuesday earlier this week, local track and field athletes traveled northwest to the Vermont State Decathlon taking place at the University of Vermont.
Two Windsor boys finished in the top 10 out of 76 participants, making their names known amongst some of the best athletes the state has to offer.
Eli Milligan (fourth place) and Owen Abrahamsen (seventh place) represented the Yellow Jackets well.
“You can see it in their eyes, the enthusiasm to try and represent their community the best that they can… and they take it to heart,” said Windsor track and field coach Nick Skrocki of his athletes.
Both Milligan and Abrahamsen knew what the two days in Burlington would be like, as they finished 21st and 22nd last year.
“They were both pretty determined to greatly improve their standings from last year,” said coach Skrocki. “They both had a very good understanding of exactly how hard these types of events are and how hard they had to train going in. They showed a lot of determination this year in their training and I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better group of kids to take.”
Milligan finished first in discus, fourth in shot put, fifth in both the javelin and 100m dash, and seventh in long jump. He also tied teammate Abrahamsen for fourth in pole vault (3.35m).
“Eli was one of the few experienced throwers, so his form was much more polished,” said Windsor assistant athletic director Andy Tufts, who ran discus both days as an event worker.
For Abrahamsen, along with tying for fourth in pole vault, he finished second in 110m hurdles and eighth in high jump, to go along with other solid finishes.
“As for the stiff competition, both of the boys thrive in that atmosphere,” said coach Skrocki. “They love competing… they love going against athletes better than them because they know that is going to make them better.”
A pair of Windsor girls also made the trip, Linda Ricard and Alicia Ostrom, as Vermont is one of the only states in the country that do a female decathlon instead of a hepathlon.
“I am very proud of all my athletes that competed at the decathlon, the two boys as well as the two girls that went and represented Windsor,” Skrocki said. “Even though the two girls did not place within the top ten they worked just as hard as the boys.”
Along with the two girls from Windsor, other locals stood out on the big stage.
Local girls’ overall finishes at the decathlon: 17th Jaden Luebbert (Bellows Falls), 20th Maya Waryas (Bellows Falls), 23rd Ashlynn Boucher (Bellows Falls), 33rd Anna Ondre (Springfield), 40th Haley Gibbons (Springfield), 51st Linda Ricard (Windsor), 52nd Alicia Ostrom (Windsor).
Bellows Falls’ Luebbert finished tied for first in the pole vault (2.85m), and also finished 12th in 100m hurdles, 13th in discus, and tied for 16th in high jump with Springfield’s Haley Gibbons. Gibbons also placed 14th in javelin.
Also for Springfield, Anna Ondre had a good outing at high jump, placing 11th.
Ashlynn Boucher, for BF, placed 11th in the 1500m, 12th in the 400m and pole vault, and 14th in the 100m. Teammate Maya Waryas was also productive, placing 12th in the 1500m and 17th in the 400m.
On the boy’s side, after Milligan and Abrahamsen from Windsor, BF’s Ryan Kelly finished 23rd overall, followed by teammates Gabe Hakimoglu (24th), Tylar Stanley (35th), and Hunter Smith (48th). Springfield’s Bryson Jester finished 70th.
Kelly finished tied for 8th in the high jump with Abrahamsen, and also placed 11th in the 100m. Hakimoglu finished 7th in both the 100m and the high jump. Jester placed 11th in the shot put.
“These athletes love the fact that they have gotten to represent their school and communities at the state and regional levels,” said coach Skrocki. “With the state track meet, New England championship qualifier and the New England Championships… but the best part about it is they show it on and off the track. They are always cheering on kids from other schools, trying to help someone else with either just carrying a tent and helping them set up or helping them with their events. Track and field is more than just who wins and who loses, it’s about being the best athlete you can be no matter what color you wear and these kids are really the epitome of that concept.”
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