Eagles open up season with March Trackness

Last Thursday, March 27, the Eagles opened their season at ODAC for the Track Madness meet. The team took full advantage of the favorable weather conditions, putting up respectable marks to start the season. 

On the boys’ side, there were a number of outstanding performances, especially in sprints. Logan Walker was the team’s top performer in the short sprints, winning the 100 meter dash with a time of 10.83. Additionally, Walker was the event runner-up in the 200 meter dash (22.81).  In long sprints, the Eagle men earned 16 points – Jordyn Rias dominated the 400 meter dash, boasting a strong time of 51.66 while Andrew Bloomer took the bronze with a time of 54.55.

In the hurdles, freshman Jackson Parker impressed in his high school debut. He won the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 15.57. 

Aside from their performances on the track, the Eagle men jumped to the top of the podium across all three jumping events. In the high jump, senior Cole Smither was in a league of his own, winning the event with a jump of 6-08, a full ten inches above the second place finisher. In the horizontal jumps, it was Hamza Lamrani who came to impress. Lamrani was the first place finisher in the boys’ triple jump with a leap of 40-10. Additionally, Lamrani finished second in the long jump (21-6.50). Also finishing in the top three for jumps was senior Jerrett Brown, who took the bronze in the triple jump with a mark of 38-5.50. 

The lone top-three finisher for the gentlemen in throws was senior Wyatt Flood. In his inaugural performance in the boys javelin, he flooded the competition with a toss of 157-1, winning by a margin of 10 feet over the second place finisher. 

On the ladies’ side, the Eagles came away with an array of top three finishes, both on the track and in the field. 

Notably, the hurdles crew proved dominant, both in the 100 and 300 hurdles. Avani Hocker Singh was the standout performer, earning two first place finishes and bragging rights. She won the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 15.10 and the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 45.43. Her teammates, however, followed right behind her. In the 100 meter hurdles, Layla Parker came in just behind Hocker Singh in the 100 meter hurdles in a nail-biting finish. She took the silver with a time of 15.20. Additionally, In the 300 hurdles, Saniyah Mosley was the event runner-up with a time of 49.81. 

In short sprints, Kate Figgins was the stand-out sprinter of the day. She was the event champion in the 200 meter dash, winning with a time of 27.35. She was also the event runner-up in the 100 meter dash (12.76).

The Lady Eagles also proved their dominance in the long sprints with a pair of first place finishes. In the 400 meter dash, senior Rhema Stemmons took the gold with a time of 1:00.82. In the 800 meters, freshman Karsyn Hitchcock led the pack with an impressive time of 2:25.28. 

Across the field, the Lady Eagles also put on a noteworthy performance. Most notably, Elena Ginie won the girls pole vault with a vault of 11-7, earning not only a first place finish, but also a new school record. 

In the horizontal jumps, the Eagles can boast a pair of medalists. Layla Parker took the bronze in the long jump with a mark of 16-7.25. Additionally, in the triple jump, Reese Pope claimed the runner-up spot with a leap of 34-9. 

The Lady Eagles also earned top performances across all three throwing events. In the shot put, Kennedy Graham finished in 3rd place with a throw of 34-11. In the discus ring, Meghana Chevuru spun her way into  second place with a toss of 97-3. To round out the night, Kennedy Tobaben started the season strong, winning the javelin throw with a mark of 129-9. 

Last, both Eagles 4X400 meter relay squads capped off the night with first place finishes in both the boys’ and girls’ competitions. The girls 4X400 won with a time of 4:11.54. In the last race of the night, the boys then took the top mark in the race with a time of 3:29.53.

Great start, Eagles!

This week, the Eagles will face rainy conditions as they head into the second week of competition. The JV squad will compete at ODAC on Thursday, while the varsity crew will travel to Emporia on Saturday for the ESU High School Relays!