Terriers Track & Field Off and Running

Lilah Devine, Lordina Orleans-Onyina, Victoria Bower, Audrey Nelson-Mbiah, and Elizabeth Stockman are breaking records and leading the way for Rocky Hill Track & Field

Track & field doesn’t normally get the buzz that some of the other high school sports receive, but the indoor and outdoor teams at Rocky Hill are beginning to receive some overdue and well-deserved recognition.

This winter the girls finished as the runner-up in the Class M Indoor Championship and now the blossoming team is poised to have another successful conclusion to the outdoor season.

“It was the best indoor team that we’ve ever had hands down,” head coach Austin Bobrow said of the second-place finish in February, “It’s cool for them because that is something that will never get taken away. They earned it.”

Most of the athletes that excelled indoors are now competing outdoors and the team is stacked with talent and versatility.
Sophomore sensation Elizabeth Stockman has taken her distance running to a new level this year after flashing as a freshman a year ago.

Stockman won the Class M cross country finals in the fall prior to winning both the 1600 and 3200 meters during the indoor season.

“It’s crazy,” Stockman said of her sophomore campaign, “It’s really cool because I am doing this with my teammates and we’re all in it together. Watching my teammates do well really motivates me because I want to see other people improve. When I see my own times improve I just want to keep working hard and keep getting faster.”

It was a little over a year ago that Stockman discovered her devotion for long distance running, but her rise to the top has been rapid thanks to a her extraordinary dedication.

“She’s got all of the intangibles. She’s smart, she wants to succeed, she’s not afraid to put the work in, and she’s dedicated, consistent, and disciplined. You put all that together and now she has experience to add to that.  It’s just incredible,” Bobrow said of Stockman, “She set a goal last June at the end of outdoor season that she wanted to run every single day and compete at the state meet and be all-state. She got up at 5:30 in the morning on a lot of days in the summer and the results have been amazing. She trains smart, she does all the little things and that’s the difference maker, especially in distance running because you’re putting in all the miles. She’s gotten more competitive and more consistent and now she steps on the track and is ready to go.”

The admiration is mutual, as Stockman credits her improvements to the guidance she receives from the coaching staff.

“My coaches have helped me a lot. They push me and I trust the training that they tell me to do. They've helped me get more confident so that when I step on the track I know I can run fast.”

Stockman is literally following in the footsteps of junior teammate Lilah Devine, another long distance dynamo.

Devine is back after winning the 1600 meters at the Class M outdoor championships as a sophomore. She continues to train harder than ever and is relishing her expanded role as mentor to the younger girls.

“One of my really big goals is to be the best team leader that I can be and help these girls out as much as I can. They are really important to me and it’s been a challenge and a learning experience. My role has changed and I hope that it continues to change and grow bigger,” stated Devine, who is happy to have Stockman by her side, “It’s definitely been eye-opening to see someone excel as much as she has and it’s a great reminder of how well the program works if you just trust the coaches and follow what they say and put your heart into it. It’s really been inspiring to have her on the team and to watch her be so successful and it also makes me really proud as a Rocky Hill athlete to have her with us. She’s pushed me a ton to do better.”

Normally track athletes excel in either short or long distant events, but Devine is a chameleon and has added sprinting to her expanding resume, recently joining the team’s record-breaking relay teams.

“It’s a huge asset. She absolutely puts in the work and the versatility is huge,” Bobrow said of Devine’s adaptability, “It’s pretty rare. She’s all-state in cross country and she’s on our school record 4x1 outdoor relay team and school record 4x2 indoor. She really can go across the board. She can run the mile and run a relay.”

Devine’s relay partners are Victoria Bower, Lordina Orleans-Onyina, and Audrey Nelson-Mbiah. The foursome recently broke the school record in the 4x100 at the Middletown Invitational on May 5th.

Bower is one of two seniors, along with Anna Grant, and is the team’s vocal and inspirational leader.

“I feel a lot closer to the girls this year. I like being a leader and a model for them because I want them to be great and do their best,” said Bower, “We’re a very confident group, especially because we have Ms. Lilah who is a new addition to our 4x1 and she’s killing it. We’re doing really, really awesome.”

“She’s really been a leader since her time as a freshman. She’s taken that role seriously and really pushed the younger girls and you can see the results of that in Lordina and Audrey, who both came in naturally athletic but raw,” Bobrow said of Bower’s tutelage, “It’s great for the girls, especially for the younger girls, to have her here not only as a vocal leader but also as an example setter. They watch her practice and she’s working hard. No one slacks when we have a hard workout day, it’s all business. It’s hard to replace someone like that and she’s going to be missed so much.”

Orleans-Onyina is a confident junior, who loves the competitiveness and comradery that comes with the relays.

“A lot of it is trusting each other. If we don’t, that’s where all of our doubt comes in and if we don’t have the faith in each other and we don’t push ourselves that’s where we could fail,” said Orleans-Onyina, “Chemistry is so important because a lot of it is mental. You have to focus on your teammates and know when the handoff is coming and known when you have to take off because if you don’t that’s what kills it all.”

Sophomore Nelson-Mbiah is the youngest of the four and admits that she still gets jittery before the gun sounds.

“Last year was a very terrifying experience. I literally start shaking the minute I get to the starting line, but I feel like the nerves definitely help because of the adrenaline and when you get the baton it’s like ‘wow’,” said Nelson-Mbiah, who said her relay partners have helped settle down her nerves this season, “We like to crack a lot of jokes. We got close this year and bonded a lot so it has helped us as a team. We like push ourselves and see what our limits are and want to try to be the best.”

All the athletes are following the lead of a well-rounded and knowledgeable coaching staff at Rocky Hill. Bobrow handles the head coaching duties for the girls and Brian Graca is officially the head coach of the boys, but both are very influential with both squads.

“We’re grateful that coach Graca is a wonderful distance coach. He’s coached a lot of very good runners before and has been doing this a long time. He’s a brilliant track mind and has been a mentor to me,” stated Bobrow, who is in his fifth year with the program, “We have a tremendous coaching staff and we train together, the boys and girls. It’s a very close relationship.”

Bobrow and Graca are joined by assistants Sarah Hansen, Mike Cipollone, Craig Kelly, Peter Foxen, and Dave Dubos.

“I’ve known {coach} Graca since I was little and I always ran when I was younger, but when I came into the program he told me that if you follow the program then you will improve. As a freshman I was hitting times that I didn’t actually know I could run and as a junior I am still improving those times. It’s about following the program and having the dedication and having trust in our coaches,” said Orleans-Onyina.

On the boys’ side, jumpers David Abadom and Riley Donovan will be spotlighted in the conference and state tourneys. Sprinter Caleb Cronin and returning all-conference runners Ethan Arcata and Seth Walerysiak will also be in the mix.

For both the girls and boys, the results on the track and in the field are the reward but all of it is possible because of the tireless work in the weight room.

“It’s incredibly important,” Bobrow said of the emphasis on weight training, “We’ve really made lifting a focal point of ours in the past few years. Elizabeth and our sprinters are great examples of working hard in the weight room. Everyone is going to do the running, but if you put that extra work in the weight room and you do it right the difference is unbelievable and you can see it on the track. Lilah won the outdoor mile last year at Class M and I’d say her lifting last year was perfect.”

Up next for the teams are the CCC finals and Class M championships later this month.

The conference and class finals are the ultimate payoff for all the preparation and hard work the athletes have put in all year.

“Later in the season when we approach the championship portion we’re still working hard but scaling back a little bit,” said Bobrow, “We want them running fresh so they can put out their best effort at the end of the season.”

For the athletes, the championships signify another chance to compete with those you they have shared their blood, sweat, and tears with.

“Even on the really hard workouts or on really cold days we’re all there to support each other and we’re in it together,” added Stockman, “When it comes to the meets there always members of the team cheering us on even through the hardest moment.”

The next chance to see the teams compete is the CCC Division Meet at Willowbrook Park in New Britain on May 22. The conference championships begin at 3:45 p.m.

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