(May 8, 2015) The Stephen Decatur boys’ outdoor track and field team finished third while the girls’ placed fourth during the Bayside Conference championship meet last Friday in Cambridge.
“I thought we did OK in the meet,” said Decatur Coach Jody Stigler. “Our boys fared about what I expected, maybe a little better. I was a little disappointed with our girls’ results. I think we could have been in the top two, but we did not score enough points in some of our stronger events.”
North Caroline won the boys’ competition with 144 points. Wicomico took second with 103 points and Decatur scored 69 points for third.
Seahawks who placed in the top three in their individual events were: seniors Sean Velazquez-Alvino (110-meter hurdles, 16.9 seconds, third), Parker Harrington (1,600 meters, 4:43.49, second; 800 meters, 2:01.95, second), juniors Hyun Chun (pole vault, 11 feet, second) and Brett Kim (pole vault, 11 feet, third) and sophomore Justin Longest (shot put, 40 feet 11 inches, second).
Longest, Harrington (800 meters), Chun and Kim earned personal records during the meet.
Velazquez-Alvino, sophomores John Curtis and Avonte Purnell and freshman Montrel Moore finished third in the 400-meter relay race (47.92 seconds).
North Caroline took top honors in the girls’ competition with 153 points. Cambridge-South Dorchester was second with 92 points and Kent Island came in third (89). Decatur scored 85 points for fourth.
Sophomore Bethany Williams was the only Decatur athlete to capture a Bayside title. She won the triple jump with a distance of 31 feet 7 inches.
“It was really exciting for me to get first,” she said. Her previous best triple jump distance was 30 feet 10 inches.
Williams said her right knee has been bothering her, but she seemed to forget about the pain on Friday afternoon.
“It was Baysides and I wanted to see if I could get 31 feet,” Williams said.
She got 31 feet 7 inches on her second of three jumps.
Williams did not know she won the Bayside title until after she was called up to the awards podium and told she finished in first.
Lady Seahawks who placed top three in their individual events were junior Emily Cook (100-meter hurdles, 16.84 seconds, second) and senior Jenna Reimer (1,600 meters, 5:49.09, third; 3,200 meters, 12:51.85, third).
Cook, senior Amari Harmon, junior Katie Hofman and sophomore Jessica Wharton finished third in the 800-meter relay race (1:56.02).
Decatur is scheduled to compete in the 3A South Regional meet, Thursday and Saturday, May 14 and 16, at Westlake High School in Waldorf.
“To be successful, our athletes need to stay focused and work hard for the next two weeks,” Stigler said Tuesday.
Stephen Decatur sophomore Bethany Williams’ triple jump of 31 feet 7 inches earned her the Bayside Conference title in the event, which took place during the May 1 championship meet in Cambridge.
