The Blue Devils 4×800 relay competed in a thrilling race, stopping the clock at 7:46.46 finishing No. 9 in NJ history, to capture the gold at New Balance Nationals, in Boston.
The boys indoor track team traveled north this past weekend and competed in the 2024 New Balance Nationals Indoor Track & Field Championships at the New Balance Athletic Center in Boston.
The Blue Devils’ 4×800 relay took home the national title with a school record of 7:46.46. The legs were junior Kaleb Stoeckmann (1:59.92), senior Jimmy Gildea (1:57.08), junior Ryan Daly NJ(1:54.50), and senior Alexander Valencia (1:54.98)
The Blue Devils shared the baton and took the lead for good on Daly’s leg. “For this meet, we brought a lot of guys which is pretty impressive. As a captain, there is not much I can do to lead the team when everyone in our relay is contributing. It’s kind of, kind of a funny thing to say, and people don’t really think it’s true but if the guy at the bottom of the team is talking to the guy above him, it’s like a chain reaction, and I think it’s been really helpful and ultimately to our success this season, and hopefully it carries over to the spring”
Daly, who ran the third leg for Westfield said, “when I got the baton I was about two seconds back from the lead and was a little stressed in my head but I knew I had to keep my cool and just focus on the next guy in front of me to chase down. When I gave the baton off to Alex I was obviously excited to give it to him in the lead but was nervous at the possibility that one of the teams that were close may have a chance to catch him.”
This is just another one of the many accomplishments that the boys track team has had this season. “It means so much to be able to make history for this team and the school. We were talking for a lot of the season about breaking through the tape first and I think I can say for all of us that it was a very special moment for us and even coach Tafelski.” said junior Ryan Daly
Senior captain Jimmy Gildea said, “It’s pretty cool. I mean, I’ve been running the 4×800 for a couple of years now. And this is kind of special because most of us went into the race feeling under the weather. Not really confident we could win it, but by the time I received the stick from Caleb, I kind of had to make my move to move up in the race and I think I did pretty well. Eventually, Ryan brought it to the front then Alex brought us home. That’s very meaningful. I’m so surprised that we still won. And we’re hoping to do it again in the spring.”
