(April 3, 2015) The Stephen Decatur girls’ and boys’ outdoor track and field teams took first place in the seven-school meet last Wednesday in Berlin.
“I thought we did pretty well overall in both the boys’ and girls’ competitions,” said Decatur Coach Jody Stigler. “I thought we did very well in the field and distance events as has been traditionally the case.”
The Lady Seahawks scored 219 points. James M. Bennett finished in second place with 150 points. Arcadia rounded out the top three with 37 points.
Decatur athletes who won their individual events were: sophomore Bethany Williams (triple jump, 30 feet 1.75 inches), juniors Emily Cook (110-meter hurdles, 17 seconds), Rachel Savage (800 meters, 2:46.6), Katie Hofman (pole vault, 7 feet 6 inches) and Lisa Purnell (discus, 83 feet 7 inches), and seniors Jenna Reimer (1,600 meters, 5:58; 3,200 meters, 12:33.6) and Hannah Wilson (high jump, 4 feet 10 inches).
Reimer, Savage, senior Meya Chilengi and junior Alison Alvarado crossed the finish line first in the 3,200-meter relay race (12:02.3).
Williams and freshman Malea Saunders tied for second place in the high jump (4 feet 4 inches).
Cook’s triple jump of 28 feet .5 inches was good for second place. Amari Harmon, a senior, took second in the long jump (14 feet). Wilson finished second in the pole vault (7 feet) and junior Takia Long was runner-up in the shot put (28 feet 3.5 inches).
Hofman, Alvarado, Chilengi and sophomore Claire Billings raced to second place in the 1,600-meter relay event (4:52).
Girls who earned third place were: Harmon (100-meter dash, 13.6 seconds), Cook (300 intermediate hurdles, 52.3 seconds), Williams (long jump, 13 feet 10.5 inches) and sophomores Peyton Dunham (3,200 meters, 13:31.6) and Khalin Wise (triple jump, 26 feet 5 inches).
Harmon, Hofman, Billings and Cook placed third in the 800-meter relay race (2:00.5).
Jessica Wharton, a sophomore, joined Harmon, Hofman and Billings for the 400-meter relay race. The girls earned third place (57.6 seconds).
The boys’ competition was much closer than the girls’ match. Decatur’s boys’ squad scored 183 points. Wi-Hi tallied 117 points and Bennett racked up 104 points for third place.
Seahawks who crossed the finish line first in their individual events were: seniors Parker Harrington (400 meters, 53.3 seconds; 800 meters, 2:07.4), Jakhai Woodard (long jump, 18 feet 4 inches) and Ruben Ortega (300 intermediate hurdles, 43.5 seconds) and junior Jacob Ciurca (pole vault, 9 feet 6 inches).
Senior Sean Velazquez-Alvino (100-meter hurdles, 16.3 seconds), junior Ben Short (high jump, 5 feet 6 inches), sophomore Rolland Banks (triple jump, 35 feet 4.5 inches) and freshman Jack Reimer (3,200 meters, 11:32.3) finished in second place in their events.
Woodard, Velazquez-Alvino and sophomores Avonte Purnell and John Curtis earned second place in the 400-meter relay race (46.9 seconds).
Ortega, juniors Zach Bernal and Scott Berry and freshman Matthew Alvarado came in second in the 1,600-meter relay race (3:59.9).
Berry, juniors Gary Frick and Evan Newcomb and sophomore Javier Hernandez took second in the 3,200-meter relay race (9:13.4).
Placing third in their individual events were Reimer (1,600 meters, 5:26.5), Hernandez (3,200 meters, 12:16.1), Woodard (200 meters, 23.9 seconds), Frick (800 meters, 2:22.9), Short (triple jump, 35 feet 2.5 inches) and sophomore Justin Longest (shot put, 38 feet 3 inches).
Juniors Evan Haas and Hyun Chun tied for third place in the pole vault (9 feet).
Bernal, Purnell, Curtis and Velazquez-Alvino crossed the finish line third in the 800-meter relay race (1:41).
The next track meet is scheduled for Tuesday beginning at 4 p.m. in Berlin.
