SECOND YEAR IN A ROW: SECOND WEEK IN A ROW FOR EL LADYSPARTAN TRACK AND FIELD

East Longmeadow track's Lauren Kennedy named Athlete of the Week

Pam McCray, The Republican, June 14, 2013 8 a.m.

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East Longmeadow's Lauren Kennedy capped her high school career with a fifth place finish at the New England Championship. - (Republican file photo)

LAUREN KENNEDY, East Longmeadow girls track

Class: Senior

Events: Javelin

Accomplishments: Kennedy capped her high school career with a fifth place finish in the javelin at the New England Championship. She placed second at All-States and won both the Division I Western & Central Mass. title and the D-I PVIAC title.

INTERESTS/FAVORITES

Sports team: Celtics
Music: Country & Rap
TV Show: Teen Wolf

IMMEDIATE REACTION

Coach Michael Budd on Kennedy:
“Lauren is the best all-around senior athlete at East Longmeadow. Whether it be on the basketball court or throwing a javelin, she simply will do whatever it takes to win or help her team win.”

Kennedy on New Englands:
“Everyone goes in wanting to win and the competition was really good this year. Last year I was eighth, so it was nice to improve to fifth this year.”

What she’ll miss most:
“I’m going to miss competing with my sister (Shannon). It was really fun to be able to compete together.”

POOH BEAR!

East Longmeadow track's Liann Simonds named Athlete of the Week

Pam McCray, The Republican, May 31, 2013 10:50 a.m.

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East Longmeadow's Liann Simonds broke the school's shot put record and was crowned the Division I Western & Central Mass. champion. - (Photo by George Skovera)

LIANN SIMONDS, East Longmeadow girls track

Class: Senior



Event: Shot put

Accomplishments: She was crowned the Division I Western & Central Mass. champion in the shot put; her toss of 37 feet, 3 ¾ inches shattered the previous school record of 36 feet, 2 ¼ inches and is her career-best outdoors; she also won the PVIAC Division I crown in the shot put the week before.

INTERESTS/FAVORITES



Sports team: Bruins

TV Show: Grey’s Anatomy

Food: Chocolate

Color: Purple

Class: Science



IMMEDIATE REACTION



Coach Michael Budd on Simonds:

“She has been a pillar of strength and consistency for our team the past four years, both indoors and outdoors. I believe that she and Lauren Kennedy are ELHS Hall of Fame material and could very well be inducted on the same day 10 years from now."



Simonds on setting the school record:

“It was really rewarding because I wasn’t doing as well as I wanted this year, so to do well at two important meets and to break the record there just felt really good. I knew since this was my last season I’d have to work hard this year to get what I wanted.”

SUSHI!

Athlete of Week, Feb. 23: East Longmeadow's Paige Suse, indoor track

Pam McCray, February 22, 2013 8 a.m.

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East Longmeadow's Paige Suse. - (Staff photo by Michael S. Gordon)

PAIGE SUSE, East Longmeadow girls indoor track

Class: Sophomore

 Event: High jump

Accomplishments: The sophomore cleared a height of 5 feet 2 inches on her first attempt at the Division III state championships en route to winning the state high jump title; won the PVIAC high jump title just three days earlier with the same height; won the event five times in six regular season meets.

Of note: This is Suse’s first indoor track season.

INTERESTS/FAVORITES

Class:English

Sports team: Boston Bruins

Color: Blue

Food: Chinese

IMMEDIATE REACTION
Suse on winning the state high jump title:

"On our way there, I wasn't really thinking about the meet at all, I was just going there hoping to have fun. I knew I needed to get all of my jumps on my first attempt if I wanted to place. All of my jumps felt really good. It was really exciting."

On her first indoor track season:
"I do the pole vault in outdoor, but that don't have that in indoor so I just do the high jump. I like it because it really lets me focus more on my main event and I've just stuck to it all season."

Coach Michael Budd on Suse:
“It’s a tremendous accomplishment. I think she was kind of surprised when she won it. She’s such a relaxed athlete. The high jump is a mental game and she doesn’t let it affect her. She goes out there and does her

Athlete of the Week goes to Julia Weithofer of East Longmeadow indoor track
Bill Wells, The Republican, February 18, 2012 6:30 a.m.

Julia Weithofer, East Longmeadow indoor track - JULIA WEITHOFER, East Longmeadow indoor track

Class: Junior

Accomplishments: Helped Spartans repeat as Pioneer Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference champion; easily won long jump with a leap of 17 feet, placed third in the 55-meter dash in 7.62 seconds and ran the second leg of the winning 4x200 relay team.

Of note: Also plays soccer and outdoor track; considering a career as a veterinarian.

INTERESTS/FAVORITES

Athlete: Alex Morgan of USA women’s national team

Event: Long jump

Sneaker: Nike

Pre-meet habit: Eats a asiago bagel from Panera Bread the day of meets

IMMEDIATE REACTION

Weithofer on how she thought she performed at the championship meet: “I did better than I thought I would in the 55 because all season I was running in the 7.7s and I ran a 7.62, which was a surprise for me and a reward for me. In the long jump I didn’t think I’d get 17 feet again but I did.”

Weithofer on East Longmeadow repeating as regional champions: “It was a reward for all of us. It was awesome to win it all.”

DEW!

Meredith McGowan is athlete of week
Fran Sypek, September 30, 2011 6:25 p.m.

Class: 
Sophomore. 
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
Accomplishments: 
Finished 14th in Western Massachusetts Division I meet last season. Off to an impressive start this season with two first place finishes and one second place. 

INTEREST, FAVORITES 
Food: Macaroni and cheese 
Subject: Math 
Movie: “Joe Dirt” 
COURSE: Chicopee State Park 
Of note: Runs all year round. Returned from a leg injury. 

IMMEDIATE REACTION 
McGowan on the season: 
“It’s been going really well. I’m trying to improve my strengths and work on my weaknesses.” 

Coach Michael Budd on McGowan: 
“She’s one of the hardest working people I’ve every coached and she does everything we ask of her. She’s definitely the fastest distance runner I’ve ever coached.” 


ONE MORE AWARD TO CAP INDOOR SEASON

Athlete of the week: E.L. 4 x 400 relay: wwlp.com

Just one week after Killer was named Athlete of the Week by the Springfield Republican, Boomayay sets the school record in the 55 hurdles.

The Ladyspartans have now won 40 consecutive dual meets covering nearly 5 seasons. The road ahead gets tougher. We MUST get up for the challenges that await.

"Don't worry about the horse being blind...just LOAD UP THE WAGON!

JENISE EVERETT: ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/sports/22news_athlete/athlete-of-the-week-jenise-everett

TWO IN A ROW!

Lauren (Chuckles) Litscher was selected as the Athlete of the Week for her stunning win in the Western Mass. Championships; joining Jessica (Primetime) Schnepp as a "back to back winner, and continuing the tradition from last spring where Razor (Lauren Raimondi) and Mr. Miyagi (Danyelle' Thorpe) earned that distinction! WHO'S NEXT?

PRIMETIME ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Jessica (Primetime) Schnepp finally made it to the "primetime" by being selected as the Athlete of the Week by the Springfield Republican Newspapers. Of course this is in Volleyball, but that is okay. It proves a point though. With all due respect to our basketball and soccer players that have put in years and years in ONLY those sports, it is good to venture into something else and give it a try. Jessica is a PRIME (pun intended) example. It turns out Volleyball and not basketball is her thing...but don't let that fool you: TRACK & FIELD is her true THING!

Congratulations to you from the Indoor and Outdoor teams!

http://www.masslive.com/varsity/republican/index.ssf?/varsity/athletes/110607athletes.html