Friday, February 17, 2012

Girls Track and Field State Title Taken Back



By Kat McKay

As of yesterday, (2/16), the girls Indoor Track and Field team is no longer CIAC Class L 2011 State Champions. When the meet ended on Monday (2/13), it seemed as if the team had beaten runner-up Windsor by a point and a half.

Due to a scoring error on an official’s part, however, the initial scores of 72.5 and 71 were changed so that instead of coming in first, the Wave lost by half a point. Officials have a 48 hour window to edit scores, and, according to members of the team, chose to change the results at the last minute. The news hit the team, and Coach Steve Norris, hard.

“We were so close,” said junior distance runner Caroline Weihs. Weihs, who was injured and could not participate in the meet, commended the team, saying that “it was impressive that we even got that close.”

The scoring change occurred in the pole vault, where two Darien pole vaulters had tied for third. Prior to the end of the meet, the team was told that all they needed to win was for a pole vaulter to come in third.

Laden with injuries and sickness, the team still did an excellent job. The second place finish is still exceptional, particularly considering how competitive Class L is. The last time Darien won states was 2009.

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