Stanton's Fourth Annual Track Invitational
Emily Zickuhr | Feb. 25 2024 | Sports
Stanton College Preparatory School hosted its fourth annual Track and Field Invitational on Feb. 23, 2024. The season opener featured competition from the Ribault Trojans, Riverside Stars, Paxon Eagles, and Sandalwood Saints. Fans, volunteers, coaches, and Stanton faculty all gathered around the track to watch the various events.
As the day started at around eight in the morning, the chilly February morning air greeted the wet and muddy environment from the previous day’s rainfall. As the events unfolded, however, the sun came out to shine on all the athletes of the day. This helped draw crowds as the meet progressed, with Stanton students and families filling the bleachers and cheering for their respective athletes. Stanton particularly shined in the first running event of the day, winning first place in the girls’ distance relay. In the 4x800-meter-relay event, seniors Quante Fevrier and Maria Egorova, junior Andrea Lundahl, and freshman Jordyn Reeves took home the invitational glory, each winning a first-place t-shirt.
“It made me feel excited to be a part of a team win, because it’s more fun to win as a team than on your own,” said Lundahl.
The competitive team relay events' atmosphere motivated the athletes to strive for their top performances in the group events. This drive for victory also pushed players' pursuit to win for themselves and the Stanton team. The winning did not stop there for the Stanton girls, with the team also scoring big in the hurdles and javelin events. Freshman Jordyn Reeves added to her wins and scored first place in the girls 400-meter hurdles, finishing in 1 minute and 23 seconds and beating Ribault by 13 seconds. Stanton junior Rebecca Abram scored first place in the girls’ javelin event finishing with a 17.60-meter mark, despite the muddy field conditions affecting the usual guidelines.
“Because it was so muddy and wet, we were not allowed to run to throw our apparatus, so I was nowhere near my personal record,” said junior Rebecca Abram, a third year Stanton track and field athlete. “My personal record was 26 meters, but I only threw 17 [meters] because we [had to] step and throw.”
While Abram did not beat her personal record in the javelin event, her performance still allowed her to beat her competitors. Other veteran Stanton track and field members also showed strong results in their events. John Syla, senior distance runner, grabbed first place in the 1600-meter race with junior Owen Monroy right behind him taking second place.
“I liked that my teammate [Owen Monroy] had a big PR, and I was happy for him,” said senior Syla, whose support for his teammate helped contribute to his best performance.
Connecting with one’s teammates ultimately shined in all the athletes, as cries of encouragement could be heard from the sidelines and off the track. Stanton athletes with more experience also provided feedback to their less experienced teammates by offering pointers on their movement and the form of stride. Experienced senior Stanton runner Silas Cochran showed his efforts by dominating in the last running event of the day, the 3200-meter dash. Closing out the invitational, senior Silas Cochran won Stanton’s final victory of the day. Along with the track events, the boys’ field team also scored big in javelin with junior Phani Paladagula earning first place for the Blue Devils with a 31.95-meter mark. In addition to the javelin win, the team also took first place in the boys’ long jump with sophomore Kamryn Sharp getting a jump mark of 6.32-meters.
Being able to watch the events unravel could not have been done without the strong home effort. The athletes, coaches, parents, and volunteers made the event possible for the fourth year in a row. Efforts from National Honor Society members, parent volunteers, and the PTSA showed the strengths the Blue Devils went through in preparing for the event.
“I think it was the most well organized it's been since the meet has been created,” said Syla.
In addition to organization, the runners and coaches highlighted and created memorable performances. The Blue Devils strength in the home meet shows the efforts they will take to the rest of the upcoming spring track season. Being an opener, the fourth annual Stanton track and field invitational sets the stage for the season and foreshadows promising future meets.