Althlete Profile: Junior Katie Farren

Junior Katie Farren began running on the Darien High School track team her freshman year and has extended her training beyond the tracks of DHS. Originally a cross-country runner, Farren has recently been taking an active role in local and interstate half marathon races. Her most memorable and recent race occurred last Sunday (4-15) in Central Park. Exceeding her original goal by 10 minutes, Farren completed the race in an incredible 1 hour and 43 minutes. In preparation for the physically demanding event, Farren incorporated a combination of running exercises into her daily program. She began by running 8 miles and gradually increased her distance to 14 miles two weeks before the race. When asked about what sparked her interest in running, she replied, "I originally decided to do a sport my freshman year to get integrated into the school and to get ready for basketball season. But I really liked running so I continued." In the future, Farren plans on pursuing her interest in running both on the cross country team and in half marathon races.

Caption: Junior Katie Farren at the Central Park marathon with her mother

Johnston Siblings Dominate O’Grady’s Relays

By Matt Pik

The Boys and Girls Track teams made the journey to Danbury on Saturday (4/28) to participate in the annual O’Grady’s Relays, a met that essentially eliminates the individual event and focuses solely on team relays. Highlights from the day include a victory by the boys in the long jump relay, where seniors Harlan Smith and Patrick McDonald and sophomore Nick Lombardo combined jumps to take the title. In addition, the Co-ed 8x100 meter relay team came in a close second to Trumbull, losing by a fraction of a second.

There was one individual event, however, and that was the Steeplechase. For those who are unfamiliar, the Steeplechase is a distance event in which runners are required to leap several hurdles throughout the race, one of which includes a shallow pool of water that they must attempt to clear. Freshman Anne Johnston took the Girls Steeplechase, and about 10 minutes after, her older brother, senior Michael Johnston, won it for the Boys. It was certainly a proud day to be a Johnston.

Darien Little League Opens up Season

by Ryan Barthold

Darien Little League held its opening day ceremonies this past Sunday (4/29) at McGuane Field. Ballplayers from A-Ball (1^st graders) all the way up to captains of the varsity Baseball and Softball teams took part in the festivities, which included a parade from the high school to McGuane. Senior Blue Wave Softball Captain Jessica DeMaio (pictured above) spoke on behalf of the Softball team, and stressed the importance of Little League on her softball career. The four DHS Baseball captains also addressed the crowd, with senior Sam Gillespie noting that the snack bar was one of his most missed aspects of Little League. Several other members of the DHS community participated as well, including the many teens involved in the Challenger Baseball program. To cap off the ceremonies, 4^th grader Robbie Stewart (pictured above) threw out the first pitch in honor of his late father, Mr. Rick Stewart. It was announced at the ceremony that all Minor League teams (4^th graders) will wear a patch on their uniforms in memory of the father, husband, and avid coach who is credited with helping Darien Little League grow into the largest Little League organization in the United States.

Girls Golf Suffers Rainy Loss

By Kat McKay

Yesterday, (4/26), the Girls Golf Team suffered a loss in its match against Trumbull. The final varsity score was 193-208.

Plagued by rain showers the entire time, Wave’s varsity golfers put up good individual scores. Junior Izzy  Lee shot a 48 at Trumbull’s nine hole course, freshman Juliana Lee shot a 50, and junior Courtney Kyritz shot a 52. Kyritz said that  “although our scores weren’t great, we have been scoring well in matches so next week it will be good to have an opportunity to practice more before we go out to another match.”

With this loss, the Wave’s record is 2-5. Their next match is Tuesday (5/1) against Staples at Country Club of Darien.

Pictured: Izzy Lee in a cute green hat.

Darien Boys Volleyball Defeats St Josephs

By Kate Fitzmaurice

The Darien boys volleyball team has yet another victory against St Joseph’s last Wednesday (4/25). The team won in three straight games. It was a fast and easy win. The first game ending in a score of 9 to 25. Kills by seniors Matt Collier, Sam Bryant (pictured), and Ryan Stracuzzi helped lead the team to its success. The Second game ended in a score of 13 to 25. And the third game 18 to 25. Blocks by Tommy Nicholls and George Phillips also contributed to the win. Overall the team’s ability to work together and play well off each other was crucial for them to become champions. This has now been their sixth consecutive win. The teams next game is today (4/27) at home at 4 P.M. against Danbury. Come show your support for the team and cheer them on.

Boys Track Runs Over the Competition

By Julia Cobb

The DHS Boys Outdoor Track and Field team is off to a successful start. Following their 89-61 point victory over New Canaan (4/12), the boys were unbeatable this past Tuesday (4/24) when they defeated Bassick High School and St. Joseph High School, 130-8 and 106-40, respectively. The dual home meet proved to be no test for the Blue Wave. Senior captain Charlie Baird swept the competition in the mile run. Sophomore Nick Lombardo cleared six feet two inches in the high jump which is only two inches off the school record. The DHS Boys Outdoor Track and Field team will compete in the Irv Black Invitational at Willowbrook Park, New Britain today (4/27) at 3:30PM.