DILLY DILLY FIELD EVENT ATHLETE OF THE MEET

 NE10 Long Jump Champion named athlete of the meet in the NE10 Championships.

She jumped over 19 feet!

DILLY DILLY ATHLETE OF THE WEEK!

OUR OWN ERIN LAVELLE AKA DILLY DILLY

 

DILLY DILLY!

Erin Lavelle is making waves in College now at Sacred Heart!

https://sacredheartpioneers.com/news/2024/1/20/womens-track-and-field-lavelle-shows-out-at-william-sutherland-iii-invitational.aspx 

HALL OF FAMERS

The great Jessie Schnepp and the great Jenise Everett joined the ranks of the East Longmeadow Hall of Fame this weekend,

While Jessie might have been the best Volleyball player ever, she also was a fabulous basketball star.  "PRIMETIME" qualified for the All-States in no less than five events: Long Jump, 100 Dash, Triple Jump and had set the school record in the Javelin.

She overcame a severe injury her Senior year which took her out of the jumps and limited her sprints to take up the javelin.In her second meet, she destroyed the school record

Jenise was one of the most outstanding jumpers and sprinters ever. She did play Soccer and originally Basketball, but after careful consultation (an arm twisting by Coach Budd), she switched to Indoor Track and Field and excelled in the Long Jump, 4 x 200 relay, and the 55 Dash.  Outdoors she won the long jump, 4 x 100 relay and 100. 

MOUNT EVERETT was told that she would become the best leaper in the history of the school, and she did not disappoint. She broke (and still holds) the Western Mass record in the Triple Jump by taking the title from the best athlete of the 20th century and fellow EL Hall of Famer, Devonia Long.

These are two of the best ever...Schnepp went to UNH and Everett Morgan State, where they continued their careers!

FORMER LADYSPARTANS

Two recent former East Longmeadow Western Mass Champions showed their stuff recently for Southern New Hampshire University.

 Ashley Corcoran won the conference's MVP award while winning four events, and Madison McMahon captured second in the high jump. Each having set school records!

TRUTH

 You go to the track meet to pick up your medals.

You WIN them in practice.

ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN

Corky does it again.

Our recent graduate that was All-American in Cross Country at Southern New Hampshire made Academic All-American.

Ashley formerly was an All-State hurdler with us and successfully competed in numerous events during her tenure here.

I have been informed that she might have up to two of her teammates joining her next year.

While HAWAIIAN PUNCH (L) shall be going to Tufts, JACK BLACK and SKYWALKER may be joining CORKY to form EAST LONGMEADOW NORTH UNIVERSITY...

BLAST FROM THE PAST ( CIRCA 2004)

The great Hall of Famer and holder of the Pole Vault record at East Longmeadow High School accepted the WMTFOA's (Western Mass Track and Field Officials' Association) prestigious  NATE HALE award from the then President of the Association.

Later on, the Girls award would be named for the official in the wheelchair (VINCENT FALARDEAU), upon his passing. 

BRIDEWATER STATE SPORTS UNSUNG HERO 2020

You all need to LISTEN to Coach Budd. Jessica was a Soccer player and Basketball player while at East Longmeadow.

We tried to encourage her to do Indoor....she really did not play much ( for years). 

We tried to have her run Cross Country. While she did play, she shunned the idea of running distance.

We tried to get her to run distance rather than sprints...she simply would not buy in.

Then, her Senior year (AFTER basketball season), she tells me that she would much rather run Track and Field in college. 

She goes to Bridgewater State as a walk on. She makes the team. 

They make her do Indoor...she LOVED it!

They wanted her to run Cross Country...she had a great deal of success.

JESSICA HAYWOOD

Became the schools unsung hero her Senior year along with some Team titles

Moral of story...LISTEN to Coach Budd!

If you have a passion for another sport and are REALLY good, I won't tell you to leave it.

BUT, if you are still trying to figure out your sports future...there is ALWAYS something for you in our sport!  REMEMBER THAT!

RELAY MONTH: WINNING WESTERN MASS

I might have accidently erased this, but I wanted to make certain it was left up.

In this race we have leading off MORGAN (DMV) VOIGHT - a freshman replacement for Vivian Brennan who was injured.

Followed by ABBY ( HAMMER) LAUGHLIN - another freshman, but still earned the freshman record for ELHS's 600, which she still has.
.

Then a sophomore DANIELLE (JELLY) NAULT, who really was not a sprinter, but was a consistent runner throughout her career...of course NOW she is a Marathon runner.

Anchored by  Team captain GABBY (RED ROBIN) WEITHOFER, who said before the race, 'Why don't we just WIN it?"

In order to win Western Mass., we needed to win the final event, the 4 x 400.

My favorite part of the race is the finish, where she is totally exhausted and the team rallies around her in a circle, then they realize that they just had won their THIRD STRAIGHT Western Mass title.

I think as long as I shall live, that may be the one Track and Field moment I will never forget!

RELAY MONTH:SCHOOL RECORD HOLDER BIOGRAPHY #1

RELAY TEAMS

Because April is typically RELAY MONTH in Track and Field, I figure I can entertain folks by showing them some of the relay teams that have existed while I have been here.

First up is the school record holders in Outdoor High Jump.

Field event teams usually only have three participants while running relay teams four (an exception would be a 3 x 100 meter hurdle team.

The three folks I am celebrating today probably do not even realize that they still have a school record. Two of these folks have a second record or more.

Maria Jaroszewicz -  Her nickname was HOP-A-LONG CASSIDY. Most of the time I give siblings similar names as her older sister Magdalena was Butch Cassidy. She is the one that is applauding in the first picture.

Amanda Wolfenden - Her nickname was THRILLER. She also doubled as a hurdler. In the second picture she is jumping up and down as she had achieved her highest jump ever in the high jump 4' 10".

Lauren Raimondi - Her nickname was RAZOR. She ended up winning Western Mass. in the high jump while doubling up and finishing first in the high hurdles. She still has our school record in the 100 hurdles. If you go to the MIAA office, her picture is on the wall. She went to New Englands in the hurdles, then UMass Lowell. Recently, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame at East Longmeadow High School.

The trio won the Steele Relays in the High Jump Relay in 2007 with a combined distance of 14 feet 6 inches.

RELAY MONTH

APRIL IS RELAY MONTH THROUGHOUT THE TRACK AND FIELD WORLD.

I am going to put up pictures of relay teams or videos or just written commentary regarding relay teams I have been involved within the next 30 days. Some are record holders, some are champions, while still others I just need to say some words about. Most shall be members of the ELHS girls team. 

I was asked a few years ago, if I would talk about recent people the way I speak of those from the past.  I think I always will. Everyone has a story...here is mine.

Hopefully some shall inspire you. I will be putting up some relay team almost every day in April. This picture was taken at Forest Park during Cross Country season in the Fall of 1974.

This group is the team I ran on back in the day. Four of these in the picture are the 1975 Western Mass. 4 x 440 (mile relay) record holders. This is likely the only picture that exists of the four of us at the time. It was taken during Cross Country season. YES - I RAN Cross Country!

The guy in the hat was probably the brains of the operation, his name is Russ Ellsworth. Besides running third leg on our record setting relay team, he also held the 880 Western Mass. record.

Next was not on the team, but the following guy was Terry Drost. He was the second leg of the team and also an accomplished miler. He ended up the next season winning Western Mass in XC, just as Lauren Litscher of EL did in 2007.

The next guy was the 1975 Harambee superstar-winning the inaugural event. Believe it or not, he wasn't fat like he is today! He ran the anchor on the team, so supposedly it was all on his shoulders.

He still has his high school record in the 600 and 300...but his school is closed. Yes this is Springfield Technical High School's Coach Budd. 

The next guy was not a member of the relay, but the final guy was the lead off. His name is Ben Money. He always gave his best and helped us go undefeated in dual meets in Massachusetts. The only time we lost was at the All-State Championships.

I guess no color film existed back then and we ran in yards not meters.

SPARTAN PRIDE WEEK

FORMER LADY SPARTAN JOCELYN "BAND CAMP" KANE AND HER BOSTON CITY CHAMPIONSHIP TRACK AND FIELD TEAM

ASHLEY "CORKY" CORCORAN AN ALL ACADEMIC RUNNER THAT FINISHED 4TH IN 

NEW ENGLANDS

ELISABETH "EMERIL" COOKE NAMED CONFERENCE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

KAYLA "KFC" FRASER PERFORMING IN THE PENTATHLON AND SETTING PR'S

ALL AMERICAN

EAST LONGMEADOW'S ASHLEY CORCORAN :

ALL-STATE HURDLER, ALL AMERICAN XC RUNNER

19321

CORKY TO NATIONALS

Result: Southern New Hampshire University – 3rd/23 (130) Led by sophomore Ashley Corcoran (East Longmeadow, Mass.), the SNHU women's cross country team advanced to the NCAA National Championship for the first time by finishing third at the East Regionals Saturday in Philadelphia.

This will be the first trip to the NCAA Division II National Championship for the SNHU women.  The previous program best at the Regionals had been sixth place.

Southern New Hampshire will compete at the NCAA Division II National Championship on November 23rd at Haggin Oaks Golf Course in Sacramento, Calif

CORKY: ATHLETE OF THE WEEK!

Ashley Corcoran former Western Mass. Champion

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

For those of you that are considering doing stuff this weekend, our Fab Four of :

Laura Kennedy, 

Jessica Bruso ,

Stephanie Poole and

Maggie Jaroszewicz

(Class of 1999)

ALL have a message for you!

PRIMETIME

For those of you that attended the banquet, we spoke about one of the best ever athletes in ELHS history: PRIMETIME ( Jessica Schnepp).

To give you a background on her, she qualified for the States in the 100, long jump, triple jump, 4 x 100 relay as well as finally in the javelin (after suffering an injury in basketball).

Well here she is in all her splendor wearing the "throwback" whites!

For a refresher, she broke the school javelin record and was given hers at the banquet, now she has a daughter who already has something to work with when she gets a "few" years older!

She is a multiple time Western Mass. champion.

Jess went to UNH for Volleyball as she was the greatest player in school history and should be in the next Hall of Fame class...but she may have been the best overall athlete ever at EL.

COLLEGE LADYSPARTANS!

 ELISABETH COOKE, REGIS COLLEGE

 PAIGE SUSE,NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

 SHANNON KENNEDY, CONNECTICUT COLLEGE

 JESSICA HAYWOOD, BRIDGEWATER STATE

 KAYLA FRASER, BENTLEY COLLEGE

 KELSEY CHARTIER, WESTFIELD STATE UNIVERSITY

MORGAN VOIGHT, QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY

ASHLEY CORCORAN, SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY

KAY LAUGHLIN, SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE

OUR FIRST COLLEGIATE STEEPLECHASER: DMV

I guess this is what our school record holder in the mile does for fun at New Englands