Harwood Middle School Girls Track & Field claims state title, set four new records
June 9, 2025 | By Waterbury Roundabout Note: Click all photos to enlarge and read captions.
Harwood Union Middle School Girls Track & Field made its mark at the state championship meet recently, bringing home a state title and setting four new Harwood Middle School records.
Willow Thomas (right) and Gia Gendimenico (left), neck-and-neck during the girls 100-meter preliminary race. Photo by Amanda Casari
The state middle school meet was held May 30 at the University of Vermont. Student athletes must qualify to compete by time, height, distance, or a top-20 ranking in Vermont.
The Harwood Middle School girls went into the competition with two wins and one second-place finish for the season. They dominated the scoring, racking up 60 points to clinch the state championship. Colchester followed in second place with 54 points, and Essex in third with 52.5 points.
Campbell Skates on her way to a second-place finish in the girls 100m hurdles. Coach Ali Thomas cheering her on in the background. Photo by Amanda Casari
The girls 4x100-meter and 4x400 meter relays were the highlights of the meet, with both relay teams posting first-place wins. Leading off the 4x100 meter relay team was Campbell Skates followed by Willow Thomas, Olivia Brooks and Gia Gendimenico. The 4x400-meter relay team was Liv Kielich, Rebecca Frank, Victoria Grace, and Skates.
Other highlights included the 100-meter dash, where Gendimenico placed third overall, followed by Thomas in fifth place. Skates placed second overall in the 100-meter hurdles. In the 200-meter dash, Gendimenico placed third while Kielich placed eighth. Kielich also placed fourth in the 400-meter race, with Frank finishing 17th after coming back from an injury earlier in the season. In the 800 meter race, Frank, Grace, and Fionna Wanner all posted personal best times, with Grace also posting a personal best time in the 1500-meter race.
During the girls races, four Harwood Middle School track records were broken:
Skates’ 100-meter hurdle time of 18.67 was an incredible 2.4 seconds faster than the previous record.
Kielich ran the 400-meter race in a blistering 63.8 seconds, 1.9 seconds faster than the 19-year-old record.
The girls 4x100-meter relay team ran the race in 54.89 seconds, 1.2 seconds faster than the previous record set in 2016.
Finally, the girls 4x400-meter relay of 4:29, bested another record from 2016 by 10 seconds.
“Four school records were broken in a single meet. Four! The girls 4x400 meter race was truly one of the most exciting I have ever watched,” said team Co-Coach Matt Casari.
HUMS Track & Field at the state meet on May 30, left to right: Liv Kielich, Campbell Skates, Grayson Eley, Sava Leitner, Beckett McElroy, Trey Isham, Wyatt Whutten, Ryan Campbell, Sam Rost, Willow Thomas, Rebecca Frank, Olivia Brooks, Fiona Wanner, Victoria Grace, and Gia Gendimenico. Not pictured: Mason Pockoski. Photo by Matt Casari
From the boys team, Grayson Eley and Wyatt Whutten competed in the sprint events along with Mason Pockoski and Sava Leitner in the 4x100-meter relay. Leitner, a seventh-grader who qualified in both the 400m and 800m races, finished in 10th place with a personal best time of 60.82 seconds in the 400m. The boys 4x400 meter team, which consisted of Trey Isham, Beckett McElroy, Sam Rost and Ryan Campell, closed out the meet with a season-best time of 4:39, according to team coaches.
“The drive and commitment of this entire middle school crew have been phenomenal all season, and all of their hard work truly paid off,” Casari said.
“The entire team should all be proud of how much they have improved over the season and how well they have done.”
Co-Coach Ali Thomas credited team members – even those who didn’t attend the state meet – with the group’s overall success this season. “They show up and work hard every practice and motivate each other through the challenges,” Thomas said. “Track and field is a tough sport, and the mental and physical focus that these student athletes have and the encouragement they show each other all season, from the first snowy practice to the very last grueling workout and race, is so inspiring. They are absolutely wonderful to coach.”
Casari pointed out that multiple seventh-graders on the middle school team will be returning, “who I’m certain will be able to step up and lead their team next year.”
Meanwhile, the eighth-graders move on to a new chapter. “The high school team will be gaining a wonderful group of soon-to-be freshmen who challenge and support each other and are a real pleasure to coach,” Casari said.
Thomas agreed. “I am beyond excited for years to come with this team. Their track and field adventures are just beginning and they should be so proud of what they've accomplished this season,” she said.