Windsor's Smith, Springfield's Pianka headline All-Eagle Indoor Track & Field

Local athletes produced some impressive showings on the indoor track & field circuit this past winter. Performances included state championship efforts by Bellow Falls sophomore Reno Tuttle and Springfield freshman Cadence Wheeler.


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2017-04-13 / Sports Windsor's Smith, Springfield's Pianka headline All-Eagle Indoor Track & Field «» View full-size Springfield’s Elijah Pianka was the only local athlete to qualify for the New England Championships this season. — TIM TAYLOR/EAGLE FILE http://www.eagletimes.com/sites/www.eagletimes.com/files/imagecache/full/ESmith.jpghttp://www.eagletimes.com/sites/www.eagletimes.com/files/imagecache/full/Pianka.jpghttp://www.eagletimes.com/sites/www.eagletimes.com/files/imagecache/full/Wheeler_0.jpghttp://www.eagletimes.com/sites/www.eagletimes.com/files/imagecache/full/Tuttle_0.jpg Local athletes produced some impressive showings on the indoor track & field circuit this past winter. Performances included state championship efforts by Bellow Falls sophomore Reno Tuttle and Springfield freshman Cadence Wheeler. While each of those efforts by an underclassman is truly noteworthy, only one area athlete would qualify for the prestigious New England Championships. That effort would help the Cosmos' Elijah Pianka edge out Tuttle and Wheeler for the Eagle Times Male Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year. The senior became the only area qualifier for New Englands when he cleared 5-9 in the high jump. That matched the top height of the meet and was good for second place overall. Pianka would go on to finish out the season fourth at the Division 2 state championships. He opened the season with a win on Dec. 23 and, prior to New Englands, never finished lower than fifth place. He claimed second-place honors in the high jump in three consecutive meets in January, and during that time reached his personal best of 5-10. On the girls side, the challenge for the Eagle Times Female Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year came down to a pair of high jumpers, Bellows Falls' Leanna Mager and Windsor's Emily Smith. Both cleared 4-6 at the state championships, which would place them among a group of seven athletes vying for runner-up honors. When the misses were factored into the tie-breaker equation, Smith would come out in a three-way tie for fourth and Mager would end up seventh. Smith earned the Eagles' top honor based on overall performances. She would clear 4-6 in all four meets she competed in and hit a season-best 4-7 on Jan. 21. She also competed in the triple jump three times, landing two top-10 finishes. Following are the remaining All-Eagle athletes. Boys Gabe Hakimoglu, Bellows Falls The freshman saved his best for last in a highly-competitive high jump competition at the state meet. When all was said and done he and was in the middle of a three-man group vying for second place and brought home the bronze medal with a PR of 5-6. He also competed in the 55-meter dash and ran the 4x200 relay. Hunter Smith, Bellows Falls A freshman, he placed ninth in the 55-meter hurdles at the state meet, notching a PR (10.53 seconds) in the process. Cody Tallent, Bellows Falls The Terriers' top indoor and outdoor distance runner the past few years, the senior ended his indoor career with a fifth-place finish in the 3200 at states. Reno Tuttle, Bellows Falls A sophomore, he upended the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds to win the shot put state title, posting a PR of 45-8 ¾ in the finals. He was the lone underclassmen to compete in the shot at states. Tuttle also placed eighth in a field of 28 at the New England qualifier. Ian Wallace, Bellows Falls The sophomore placed 10th in the 1600-meter run at the state championships. Chris Gurney, Springfield The junior placed fourth in the triple jump at states with a distance of 35-10 ¾. He also posted a PR in the 300 with a time of 41.7 seconds, placing 15th. Maxim Leninsky, Springfield A freshman, he set a PR at the state meet with a time of 42.7 seconds in the 300. He placed 24th. Leninsky also ran the 55-meter dash during the regular season. Allan Poller, Springfield The junior placed eighth in the high jump at the state championships. Poller posted a PR of 7.18 seconds in the 55-meter dash preliminaries at states, placing ninth overall, and also set a personal best in the 300 (41.88). He also competed in the long jump during the regular season. Cadence Wheeler, Springfield The freshman held true to his No. 1 seed to win the state title in the triple jump, leaping 38-6 ¾ for the win. He was also fifth in the long jump at 17-9 ¼ and was a state qualifier in the high jump and pole vault. He scored victories in the high jump, long jump and triple jump in his first high school meet in December. Hunter Judd, Windsor The senior placed 13th in the long jump (15-3 ¼) and 17th in the 55-meter dash (7.44) at the state championships. He also ran the 4x200 relay in the regular season. Justin Smith, Windsor The sophomore was one of two underclassmen to finish in the top 10 in the 1000-meter run at states. He placed 10th with a PR of 3:07.88. Smith also competed in the 1000, high jump and 4x200 relay during the season. Girls Leanna Mager, Bellows Falls The sophomore placed seventh at states in the high jump, but her height of 4-6 matched that of the second-place jumper. The number of misses factored in to the final standings. Emily Barr, Green Mountain A sophomore, she placed eighth in the 4x400 relay at states with a time of 5:33.13 and was 19th in the 300 with a PR of 50.35. She also ran the 55-meter dash in the regular season. Clara Martorano, Green Mountain The junior placed eighth in the 4x400 relay at states, posting a time of 5:33.13. She also competed in the 55 dash, 300 and shot put during the regular season. Deidre Moore, Green Mountain The sophomore laced eighth in the 4x400 relay with a time of 5:33.13 and was 18th in the 300 with a PR of 50.04. She also ran the 55 and 600 during the regular season. Sara Ripley, Green Mountain A senior, she placed eighth in the 4x400 relay with a time of 5:33.13. She ran the 300 and threw the shot put during the regular season. Kim Phan, Springfield A freshman, she placed 16th in the 55-meter dash at the state meet with a personal best time of 10.98 seconds.