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Darien Boys, Girls Track Teams Win State Open Titles

DARIEN, Conn. – Darien High School’s boys and girls track and field teams won titles Monday at the State Open meet at Middletown High School.

Members of Darien's boys and girls track teams celebrate after both squads won State Open championships Monday in Middletown.

Members of Darien's boys and girls track teams celebrate after both squads won State Open championships Monday in Middletown.

Photo Credit: Contributed by Menina Johnston
Darien boys celebrate after winning the title.

Darien boys celebrate after winning the title.

Photo Credit: Contributed by Eileen Ostberg
Nick Lombardo won two events Monday at the State Open track and field championships to help the Blue Wave win its first title since 1982. The Darien girls team also won its first state.

Nick Lombardo won two events Monday at the State Open track and field championships to help the Blue Wave win its first title since 1982. The Darien girls team also won its first state.

Photo Credit: Darien Athletic Foundation

The boys finished with 65 points to outdistance runner-up Windsor, which had 42 points. The girls held off Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference rival Staples, 45.75-42. It was Darien’s first Open championship since 1982 for the boys, and the first ever for the girls.

Bloomfield won the boys and girls open outdoor titles just last year.

The boys team dropped down the gauntlet in the first relay. Armstrong Noonan, Brian Davey, Arthur Cassidy and Alex Ostberg won the 4 x 800 relay in 7:54.22, setting the stage for a big day by the Blue Wave. The rest of the day went almost flawlessly for Darien.

Senior Nick Lombardo had a terrific all-around meet, winning the long jump and high jump and taking fourth in the triple jump. Ostberg took third in the 1,600 and second in the 3,200, while Noonan took third in the 3,200. Spencer McKeough won the shot put with a toss of 54 feet, 4½ inches.

While the boys won in a runaway, the girls gave veteran coach Steve Norris his first Open title with the help of two impressive wins by junior sprinter Anna Sulger. She won the 200 meters and 400 meters, picking up 20 valuable points for the Blue Wave.

Madeleine Schneider won the pole vault, and Jessica Thornbury finished seventh in the same event. Catherine Lacy was third in the long jump and eighth in the 200. The 4 x 100 relay took third with Brittany Henry, Schneider, Sulger and Lacy.

Darien had little to spare to hold off Staples, which got 18 points from Hannah DeBalsi, who won the 3,200 and took second in the 1,600.

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