Harwood Girls Track & Field ties for D-II 2nd place, sets new school records
June 19, 2026 | By Waterbury Roundabout 
Harwood Girls Track & Field with their runner-up medals at the state meet on June 5. Photo by Alexa Bourbonnais
Harwood Union’s Girls Track and Field team broke through at the Vermont State Championship Meet in Burlington, finishing in a second-place tie with Rice Memorial High School.
“It could not have been more dramatic. We were on the edge of our seats waiting to hear the results read over the loudspeaker,” recounted Head Coach Jake Pitman.
The 64-point tied finish was the best state championship showing for Harwood Girls Track since it last won the state D-II title in 2015.
In addition to taking home the runner-up medals and trophy at the June 5 competition, the Harwood girls’ performance included state individual titles in shot put and discus, and runner-up honors in hurdles and relay.
Harwood Boys Track and Field had a tougher go of it, finishing in 11th place overall with 7 points.
State wins & new school records
The girls’ side of the Harwood Track and Field team has experienced a resurgence of talent with this year’s freshman members, who have contributed enormously to the team’s success, Pitman noted.
He described how sprinting coach Ali Thomas made a bold decision to form a team of all-freshmen girls to compete in the 4-by-100-meter relay throughout the season. They raced their fastest time at the state championship, and their time of 52.01 seconds set a new Harwood school record.
The relay team members were Campbell Skates, Willow Thomas, Anna Wulff and Gia Gendimenico.
“We cannot say enough about these girls. I must imagine this season’s girls’ 4-by-100-meter relay team is one of the most impressive groups of athletes in the history of Harwood track and field,” Pitkan said. “It is remarkable that they accomplished all of this in their first year of high school. We feel blessed to have such a talented and hard-working group of young girls.”
D-II wins for sophomore Isabella Pockoski
The relay team didn’t set the only new school record at the championship. Harwood sophomore Isabella Pockoski had an exceptional day at the state tournament, winning D-II event titles in discus and shot put that racked up 20 points for the team’s overall score.
Her winning discus throw was 122 feet and 1 inch. In shot put, she broke her own school record with a throw of 40 feet and 10.5 inches.
This was the first time Pockoski has thrown over 40 feet in a competition, and it qualified her to compete in the championship division at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals at the University of Pennsylvania, June 18-21.
Pockoski also competed last weekend in North Berwick, Maine, at the New England Championship in shot put and discus after qualifying by placing first in those event on May 30 at the Essex Invitational. She finished in 7th place in discus and 22nd in shot put at the Maine event.
Looking ahead a couple of years, Pitman made a prediction.
“Isabella will conclude her high school track and field career in a couple of years as a shoo-in for the Harwood Sports Hall of Fame. She is already one of the most decorated field athletes in the history of the program, as well as in the history of Harwood athletics. She is the team’s shining example of greatness through hard work,” Pitman said.
team members shine
Harwood Boys and Girls Track and Field teams at the state championship. Photo by Ali Thomas
Harwood girls logged two more runner-up finishes at the tournament: Freshman Campbell Skates placed second in the 300-meter hurdles, running a time of 50.09 seconds and the 4-by-400-meter relay team placed second, running their season-best time of 4:20.25, according to their coach.
Pitman noted that the team will miss Skates next year as she spends a year in Brazil on an exchange study program.
“We will miss Campbell dearly during next year’s track and field season,” Pitman said. “Not only will we miss her talent, but her kindness and warmth as well. She is a very special kid.”
The relay team consisted of Skates, sophomore Lily Bourbonnais, junior Julia Cisz, and freshman Liv Kielich. “We have incredible depth at the 400-meter distance among the girls. Each of them has taken their strength training very seriously since the pre-season, which has resulted in their success both as individuals and as a relay team,” Pitman explained.
In addition, Harwood senior Indigo Leese and junior Maisy Gendimenico performed above their projected seeds, providing critical points for the girls team – they both placed within the top six in their respective events. Leese placed fifth in the triple jump with a personal record mark of 30 feet and 2.75 inches, scoring two points for Harwood. Gendimenico placed sixth in the javelin event with a personal record throw of 76 feet and 7 inches, scoring one point for Harwood.
“We simply would not have come home with the runner-up medals and plaque if Indigo and Maisy had not performed as excellently as they did,” Pitman said. “They stepped up significantly during a time when we needed it the most.”
The team’s overall score of 64 tied with Rice for second place in the tournament, far behind the formidable U-32, whose boys and girls teams swept the competition for the eighth time in 13 seasons, according to the Times Argus. U-32 girls finished 83 points ahead of Harwood and Rice.
Read more here from the Times Argus about Harwood’s Isabella Pockoski and the team and the rest of the team.