BE track and field teams qualify a slew of competitors

The Bishop England High School girls’ track and field team will bid for the 14th state championship in the program’s illustrious history when the High School League hosts its Class AA state championships May 21 at Spring Valley High School.

 

The meet commences at 5 p.m. and should provide some outstanding times and distances – and perhaps a little stress and much excitement. The meet, which features 18 running and field events, could come down to the final leg of the final race of the day, the 4x400-meter relay.

 

“The girls will be in a battle all night long against Woodland, Gray Collegiate, Eau Clair and Greer Middle College,” coach Tony Colizzi said. “They will have to perform as well as they did at Lower State. If each girl does what they are capable of, the girls will be in contention all night. All five teams are very strong teams. The championship will probably come down to the last event, the 4x400-meter relay.”

 

The Bishops will have 17 girls compete at state after the impressive performance May 13 at the Class AA Lower State meet, which was contested at Woodland High School. Woodland claimed first place with 123 points while BE was second in the 17-team meet with 119.5.

Wade Hampton claimed third with 110 and Academic Magnet was fourth with 55.5.

 

The Bishops, as usual, picked up a majority of its points in the distance runs.

 

Freshman Nora Brahim won the 1,600-meter run in 5:23.20 and was second in the 3,200 run to account for 18 points.

 

Marin Byrne was second in the 800 and Caroline Edgerton collected a bronze medal.

 

Grace Buss was third in the 3,200 run and second in the 400 hurdles behind teammate Marlee Asmer, who won the hurdles in 1:11.01.

 

Emma Hamrick won the high jump by clearing 5-0. Freshman Katie Griffin was second in the pole vault.

 

The 4x800-meter relay team of Byrne, Edgerton, Asmer and Buss won a gold with a clocking of 10:38.40 to win the event by 35 seconds. The 4x400-meter relay team captured bronze.

 

BOYS TRACK & FIELD

 

Wade Hampton claimed the boys’ championship with 141 points to edge Woodland, which tallied 138 points. Academic Magnet finished in third place with 84 points and the Bishops were fourth with 62.

 

Junior Justin Hafner led the Bishops with a pair of gold medals. He won the 800- and 1,600-meter dashes with respective times of 2:02.90 and 4:32.40.

 

Jackson Muller won a silver medal in the 800 run, Jack Leahy was third in the 400-meter dash while the Bishops’ 4x800 relay team also won a bronze medal.

 

“I thought both teams competed very well,” Colizzi said.  “Everyone that we thought would qualify did, and we had a few surprises that also qualified.

 

“Mentally Lower State is harder than the state meet,” Colizzi said.  “We always tell the kids that ‘They can’t win the state meet at Lower State, but they can lose it.’ 

 

They know that if they don’t deliver their best at Lower State, they may not get a chance to run at the state meet.”