By Michael Letendre
Over the last few weeks of school, Bristol Central saw a number student-athletes sign National Letters of Intent to play sports at the collegiate level.
Several fall, winter and spring scholastic athletes will continue their careers all around New England and beyond.
Here’s the complete list of athletes and a little background of each signing from Bristol Central:
Xavier Browne, track & field, Central Connecticut State University – He was a CCC South All-Conference selection at Bristol Central this year. He’s proficient in the 100 meters, 4×100 meter relay, the 200 meters, and will even make a leap or two in the triple jump. He won the 100 meters for the Rams in a couple meets this season while finishing 15th overall at the 2021 Class L Outdoor Championships with a time of 11.8 seconds.
Nate DeAngelo, Cross country and track & field, UMASS Lowell – What hasn’t he accomplished scholastically in terms of distance running at Central? He’s broken a school record or two along the way this year. He placed second in the 1600 meters at the Class L Championships (4:15.91) while coming in fifth place in the 3200 (9:12.98). He’s finished the 800 meters in under two minutes (1:58.95) this year. In cross country, he ran a personal best 15:01.66 in the 5k at the Garden State Track Club High School Fall Showcase Open event – including a 66 second final lap. As a senior in track and field, DeAngelo was a team captain, earned CCC South All-Conference, Class L All-State, and All-Academic honors.
Sadye Kowalczyk, Lacrosse, Western New England – She was a big goal scorer for the 8-5 program from Bristol Central. Kowalczyk notched seven goals over a convincing 16-9 victory against Middletown on April 16. And then in a 13-4 triumph over Enfield on May 3, Kowalczyk notched three goals to lead Central to the win. Overall, the midfielder scored 47 goals which was a new program record. She was one of the squad’s captains, earned an All-Conference nod, and was All-Academic at BCHS.
Lily Hansen, Soccer, California University of Pennsylvania – Hansen was a standout defender over four seasons for the girls soccer program at Bristol Central. She’s a two-time captain of the program and runs after anything that moves on the field. Over the years, Hansen has earned All-Conference honors in the CCC South, All-Academic and Class L All-State all while carrying an outstanding 3.6 GPA along the way. She’s defense first, second, and third on the field.
Colton Litwinczyk, swimming, Bryant – His name is all over the Bristol Coop swimming records page and is another excellent swimmer from the program to attend Bryant. The team had an excellent 2021 campaign with Gabriel Bartolome, Mikel Palaj and Drew Fries and Litwinczyk establishing a new program record in the 200-medley relay with a finish of 1:40.89. Litwinczyk still holds the school record in the 500 Freestyle with his finish of 4:48.22 back on March 6, 2020.
Sean Wininger, baseball, Central Connecticut State University – He’s an excellent performer under pressure, helping the baseball squad to 10 wins this season while a main cog on Central’s perfect 15-0 boys basketball squad. He’s been in the pitching rotation since his sophomore season, posting a 4-4 ledger that year in nearly 30 innings of work. This past baseball season, Wininger was a team captain, All-Conference, and All-Academic for the Rams. He helped Central win a 7-6 decision over Enfield this year while allowing just two earned runs in the Rams’ 8-4 victory at Middletown. Wininger picked up the team’s only postseason win on the hill, a 5-1 triumph over Farmington on June 1.
Elijah Rodriguez, football, Curry College – He’s a jack of trades athlete, whether on the gridiron or scoring big points against Northwest Catholic in boys basketball during postseason play. He’s got speed, agility and quickness and should be able to help Curry’s secondary. He wasn’t an CCC South All-Conference standout but his ability to play collegiately is another impressive under-the-radar accomplishment by the athlete. He played at wide receiver and was a defensive back for Central over the years. Curry is a NCAA Division III program from Milton, Massachusetts.
Jakob Salinas, football, Fairleigh Dickinson – When there was a football season in the state, Salinas was the heart and soul of the Bristol Central defense. And each season he took the field for the Rams, he was an invaluable CCC South All-Conference performer. In 2019, at the Thanksgiving Day game, Salinas earned the “Defensive Player of the Game” for his efforts in Central’s 34-32 win over Bristol Eastern. He was a middle linebacker and guard for the Central program and at 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, Salinas was the one pushing opposing players on the field. He was also All-Academic in boys track & field this past season. And don’t forget his wrestling contribution over the years – snaring the Class L championship at 195 pounds, defeating Marcelius Ruiz of Xavier high school in an epic 2-1 win in 2020.
Jacob Aldi, Wrestling, Western New England – Aldi was a feisty grappler at 120 pounds and will move up the food chain in weight class when he competes at Western. At the 2020 Class L championships. Aldi finished the event in sixth place. And a year before that, Aldi was the Class L runner-up at 113 pounds. As Aldi improved, the program seemed to follow his lead over his scholastic days. He’s one of the many grapplers in town that have passed through the Bristol Gladiators Wrestling program.
