On April 30 and May 1, the girls track and field team competed in the Union County Conference Championships taking 3rd place overall in their respective division, with promising individual performances for the championship season to come.
Starting on the track, Thursday, the girls scored points in both distance and sprinting events. Sophomore Natalie Salzano took 6th place in the 1600 meter run, getting a time of 5:27.20 while junior Anna Youssef nearly missed scoring a point, having placed 7th with a time of 5:27.81. Sophomore Kate Tierney made it to the finals in the 100 meter dash where she placed 6th with a time of 13.04, securing WHS another point. Finally, on Thursday, sophomore Lidia Wright and junior Scarlett Goldman both placed in the 400 meter run, Wright took 4th with a time of 59.05 and Goldman took 6th with a time of 60 flat.
Goldman said, “Overall, my mindset for the races was just to try to have fun and just try to enjoy it, not to put too much pressure on it, but strategically my goal was like get out fast and for the 400, get out fast and maintain.” Goldman did just that, running a personal best in her open 400 meter run and getting another personal best the next day.
On the field, sophomores Bridget Garrett and Cadie Stanek went 3rd and 4th in the Pole Vault, and jumped 8-0 and 7-0 respectively. In shot put freshman Nevaeh McKenith placed 4th, and threw 28-11.50.
On Friday, the girls kept up their strong performance, starring with Wright in the 100 meter hurdles where she made it to the finals, placed 3rd and running a time of 15.25. In the 3200 meter run, sophomore Audrey Sewald took the gold, she placed 1st with a time of 12:02. Behind her was senior Vanessa Larkin, who placed 3rd and ran 12:11. Sewald said, “I was aiming to win the event since I was seeded near the top and there was only one heat. I think I executed my race plan well and pushed myself to compete with everyone in the field, which ultimately led to me winning the event.”
Goldman went on to take 5th in the 200 meter dash, with a time of 26.48 and to end off their performances on the track, the girls 4×400 meter relay took 4th place with a time of 4:19.
Wright continued her point scoring streak over on the field, taking 1st in the high jump with a height of 5-2. Senior Audrina Cohall scored, she placed 4th in the triple jump, going 31-2.50. In the discus throw, McKenith continued her impressive performance, placing 5th, having thrown 88-1 and took 4th in the javelin throw with 94-6. Throws coach Erik Anderson said in terms of standout performances, “Nevaeh medaling in all three throws as a freshman with huge PRs in discus and javelin,” was at the top of his list.
Head coach Mirjana Banic said, “We have girls in position to score and be very competitive at the next level. It’s not just one single event that we can be considered a threat. We cover the field in throws and jumps and the track in sprints and distance. We are a very well rounded team and we are a young team, which is very exciting.”
Going into the Union County Championships next week at Plainfield High School on Thursday and Friday, the competition looks very promising for the Blue Devils as they hope to continue scoring in a variety of events on the field and the track.
