After two successful races at the University of Pennsylvania’s Relays, the Blue Devils travelled to the Lion Invitational at Middletown North.
The Blue Devils started the day off strong with an excellent performance in the 3200 meter race. Sophomore Jessica Zhou captured sixth place in a highly competitive field with a time of 12 minutes and 28.31 seconds.
Shortly after, the underclassmen continued to contribute in big ways, as the Westfield freshmen dominated the freshman 1600 meter race. Oriana Soloway and Evangeline Van Brunt were able to capture the fourth and fifth spots on the podium with times of 5:50.22 and 5:50.85, respectively. Additionally, Audrey Sewald (5:55.97), Caitlyn Tobani (5:59.43) and Abigail Drennan (5:59.47) were able to sneak under the six minute mark. After her race, Tobani remarked, “I am really proud of myself [for running under six minutes. [However,] I’m going to try to constantly get better and train my hardest.”
On the straightaway, senior Lilly Petrie captured a gold medal amongst 58 other competitors in a time of 15.61. By capturing ten points for Westfield, she proved herself to be a valuable asset for the Blue Devils and contributed heavily to their total point value.
After the 100 meter hurdles, it was now time for the long-awaited 800 meter run. Despite some high-level competition, senior Anna Kylish captured a bronze medal with a blazing time of 2:18.58. Closely behind her followed senior Olivia Thornton who captured a sixth place finish with a time of 2:26.64.
With one final event left on the track, Westfield worked hard to capture high places on the podium and score as many points as possible. Juniors Claire Sewald and Vanessa Larkin received third and fourth place finishes with times of 5:30.91 and 5:32.55, respectively.
Despite Westfield’s strong performance on the track, the Blue Devils also had strong performances in the field events. Despite her speedy performance in the hurdles, Petrie further scored a fifth place finish in the triple jump with a jump of 33 feet and 5.5 inches. Although she had a great performance, Petrie still “felt [she] could have done better.” She said, “I got my first phase down and into my second. I just have to work on my third phase.”
Overall, the Blue Devils had great performances across the board and proved how well-rounded they are in all aspects of the track and the field. “[The meet] went really well,” remarked head coach Joseph Berardi. “We had some nice [personal records] and multiple podium finishes.”
As the Blue Devils move into championship season, they proved that they are ready for the fierce competition that awaits in the county, sectional and group meets. To kick off the championship meets, the team will first compete on May 1 and 2 in the Union County Conference Championship meet at Governor Livingston.
