Track Team competes at counties; athletes look to regionals

Junior+Isabella+Bravo+%28far+left%29+competes+in+the+relay+event+at+the+MCPS+Track+and+Field+County+Championships.+Photo+courtesy+of+Elizabeth+Sklaire.+

Junior Isabella Bravo (far left) competes in the relay event at the MCPS Track and Field County Championships. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Sklaire.

By Jose Wray

The track and field team competed at the county championships Wednesday, May 8. The girls placed 13th overall and the boys placed 21st. Juniors Emmersen Weinberg and Alicia Lauwers were top performers for the Vikes, finishing second and third in the girls 3200 meter with times of 11:55.31 and 11:55.64 respectively.

“At the start line I just told myself to stick with Alicia no matter what,” Weinberg said. “We have always been together this season and we push each other.”

The Vikes had a solid performance in the relay events. The girls 4×800 meter relay of senior Shanti Ashley and juniors Isabella Bravo, Elizabeth Sklaire and Leeza Landy took fourth place with a time of 9:52.7. The boys 4×800 meter relay of seniors Obi Onwuamaegbu, Aaron Bratt, Dalton Yu and Ben Rumsfeld finished sixth with a time of 8:24.5. The girls 4×400 meter relay of senior Julia Johnson, freshman Sahana Ashley, juniors Sienna Smith and Leeza Landy also earned points for the Vikes, placing seventh with a time of 4:17.75.

“We were super happy with our time because we got under 10 minutes, which had been our goal throughout the season,” Sklaire said.

In the field events, the Vikes only fielded two athletes. Junior Solomon Adeoti took eighth in the long jump with a season record jump of 20 ft and 2.5 inches.

This week the team will taper in order to be rested for the region championship.

“As a team, we really just want to get as many people as we can to states,” Weinberg said. “We all want to work hard and see how well we can do and try to get some personal records or season records.”

The region championship will be held Wednesday, May 15 and Thursday, May 16 at Clarksburg High School.