The indoor track and field team saw immense success at the end of the season. After a strong postseason and a stint at New Balance Nationals in Boston, the team is looking to carry that momentum into the outdoor season.
Eight athletes were sent to Boston, where they competed amongst the country’s best talents in a competition considered the pinnacle of high school track and field.
The JR athletes at the event included the girls’ 4x200m relay team, run by seniors Amalya Westray and Indie Wallace-Persaud, junior Olivia Purce, and sophomore Ariele Westray, who won the event in the DCSAA state championship. The other four were boys competing in the distance medley relay, with junior Mark Suardi starting in the 1200m, junior Derek Riddick in the 400m, senior Harry Bertsch in the 800m, and sophomore Arjun Bhat finishing off the race in the 1600m.
The indoor tour officially concluded at the Adidas Nationals in Virginia Beach, where more than 20 members of the program participated. At both national events, though some athletes fell short, the team saw individual success with PR’s. Wallace was one of the Tigers who truly showed out at the events, setting a major PR at New Balance Nationals, which contributed to her eventual status as an All-American.
Looking back, as JR took wins and losses at events, expectations were largely met this winter. At the DCIAA championship, the girls won the championship and the boys finished as runners-up. Wallace won MVP for the meet, with head coach Tia Clemmons winning Most Valuable Coach. Additionally, there were many individual victories, such as the wins for Bertsch in the 800m and one mile, and a dub for Bhat in the two mile.
“There wasn’t too much strength in distance, so I actually ended up doing it as a tempo run, but I did it with my teammate and I pushed him to a PR, and it was a cool experience,” said Bhat. “I love the DCIAA meets, it really hypes you up seeing all the different awards.”
Shortly after the city championship, another Tiger achievement was marked, this one at the collegiate level. Wallace announced her commitment to compete at Syracuse University over two other schools: Columbia University and North Carolina A&T.
“My main reason was the atmosphere, I feel like this visit was the most comforting to me,” explained Wallace. “I just felt like it was somewhere meant for me, I loved the team, I loved the campus and the people that I talked to.”
Later in the winter, the team returned to Landover, Maryland for the DCSAA Championship. The Tigers were able to keep up with the regional top dogs; the girls finished fourth overall behind Archbishop Caroll, St. John’s, and Georgetown Visitation.
For most of these athletes, of course, the season is just halfway over. However, the spring outdoor track season is in the horizon. One objective for the spring season is for the boys to win a DCIAA championship, a goal that has been out of reach for several years.
The outdoor season continues at the Emerging Elite Invitational in Fulton, Maryland on April 25. “We are a strong team, so we’re always about business when we get back out on the track,” said Clemmons. “I have a lot of disciplined athletes, and they are very self-motivated, and that is very inspiring.” •
