Following a historic indoor track season, the girls track team continued their triumphs with another record-breaking and successful spring season.
The girls started outdoor track in late April at the Lion Invitational. Not only did Westfield have many high-end performances from seniors like Anna Kylish and Olivia Thronton in the 800, but they presented their team depth with three freshmen placing in the top seven in the freshmen 1600. Additionally, senior Lilly Petrie captured gold in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.61. “I did well and got first place,” said Petrie. “But I wasn’t completely happy with my times and I need to work on my endurance.” Like Petrie, many of the girls on the team have the same constant drive for improvement, which is part of what makes the Westfield team so successful.
After putting in consistent hard work over the following weeks, it was time for the team to tackle the Union County Conference Championships, where they competed in the difficult Watchung division. Despite their fierce competitors, the girls placed highly in events like the pole vault, where Bridget Garrett and Kyra Lentzner placed first and third overall. Other notable performances also came from Lidia Wright (3rd) and Lilly Petrie (4th) in the 100-meter hurdles, as well as Livia Reyes (2nd) and Ashley Cunningham (3rd) in the Shot Put. The team ended up finishing in second place overall, which showed promise for the rest of the season.
The level of competition increased once again at the Union County Championships, where Westfield met high-level challengers like Union Catholic. However, head Coach Joseph Berardi remarked, “[The meet] went pretty well. We held out a couple of girls…ahead of next week, but I thought that the girls who competed, competed well.” A large part of the Blue Devils success came from Westfield’s throwers and field athletes, who helped to rack up points for the team. On the track, sophomore Anna Youssef was awarded bronze in the 3200 and the 4 by 400 relay captured fourth place. After the race, junior and 1600 meter runner Vanessa Larkin said, “Going into the race, I was a bit nervous because I was in a heat with some of the fastest girls in New Jersey…then I found out I got 5:29 and it was the best feeling.”
After multiple high-level performances and all-around successful team efforts on the County level, it was time for the North 2 Group 4 Sectional meet. Going into the meet, the girls had one goal: a first-place finish. The execution, grit and determination were all there, as Westfield put up an incredible 101 points combined with first place finishes for the 4 by 800 meter relay, the 4 by 400 meter relay, Cunningham in the Shot Put and Sullivan in the Javelin. However, Ridge was still able to do just enough to capture gold.
Despite a disappointing second-place finish, the meet still had positive aspects, as many girls were able to qualify for the Group 4 Championship meet, a huge accomplishment for all athletes. Most notably, Priscilla Dayon put up a stellar performance in the Javelin and captured gold, becoming the first group champion in school history. Emma Sullivan received a fifth-place finish in the Javelin as well. Both girls were able to receive a qualification spot to the prestigious Meet of Champions, where they would face off against the best athletes in the state of New Jersey.
At the Meet of Champions, Dayon was awarded a fifth-place finish in the state and Sullivan captured eleventh, both amazing feats at such a high level.
Overall, the girls had an incredibly successful and highly acclaimed season, filled with many highs and lows. As cross-country season approaches for the distance athletes, they continue to aim high and set big goals for themselves.
