Boys' and girls' track teams win DCSAA championships

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, St. John’s indoor track team attended the DCSAA championships. The meet was ultimately a success, ending with both the boys’ and girls’ teams taking first place overall.

The meet began with field events, including shot put, long jump, high jump, and triple jump. The meet continued with the 55-meter hurdles and dash. In hurdles, Aminah Martin ’22, Kylie Ritz ’22, and Sierrah Remalia ’21 took third, fourth, and fifth place. Joshua Thompson ’22 and David Oluigbo ’21 took second and third place on the boys’ side.

Following that was the 4×800 meter run, where both girls and boys excelled. The girls’ team of Zenobia Johnson ’21, Tara Anders ’21, Naomi Nicholas ’22, and Caroline Gotzman ’23 took third place in the event. Then, the boys’ team, including Sam Angevine ’20, Donald Tyler ’21, Kit Place ’21, and Austin Rios-Colon ’22, received first place in the event.

The success continued for the rest of the afternoon, with Ronke Fashina ’21 and Lailah King ’23 taking third and fourth place in the 300 for the girls and Mordecai McDaniel ’20 taking first place for the boys. Next was the 1600-meter run, where Meredith Gotzman ’23 took second place. Gotzman said, “I did what I wanted to – I wanted to qualify for nationals, and that’s what I did.”

As the meet continued, the Cadets continued to rack up points and win races, having lots of success in the relays, field events, and open races. To top it off, Head Track and Field Coach Desmond Dunham won national coach of the year. When asked about the meet, Dunham said, “I am ecstatic. I felt like we represented the Cadet family well. We had a lot of Cadets compete outside of their comfort zone, and it was just enough to give us the victory on both sides. I really appreciate having a team that is willing to make sacrifices for one another and the school and community they represent.”