Saturday at Central Gwinnett the track & field team
opened the outdoor season in blustery weather
but didn't let it put a damper on setting a great
tone for the rest of the season. The athletes in
the field events put on a show early and a few
runners continued with a steady pace of
award-winning performances. Many new
Mustangs debuted in competition.
On the girls side, Auriel Thompson high jumped 4
feet 10 inches to win the silver medal. Her jump is
only two inches from the current school record.
Stacey Svaniker also medaled in the event.
Nyya McCants , a sophomore, leapt her way to
silver in the triple jump only inches off the school
record and also medaled in the long jump. Ola
Oladipupo also medaled in the triple jump.
Stacey Svaniker became the first female in school
history to ever clear a height in the Pole Vault
securing an empty spot on the record board. We
expect to see that record broken several more
times this season.
The 4x400m Relay team of Ola Oladipupo, Lauren
Ferguson, Auriel Thompson and Lakeisha Harris
brought the crowd to their feet as they came from
fourth place to finish first in their heat and earn
medals for each lady.
On the boys side, junior Elijah "Grasshopper"
Brown and Da Ronte Smith put on a show at the
jump pits. Elijah jumped a personal best 20 feet
11 inches wowing the crowd only to be beaten by
his teammate Da Ronte Smith who leapt 21 feet
four inches. Both jumps were personal bests for
each. Both jumpers went on in the triple jump to
earn silver and bronze (Smith, Brown).
Aaron Moore and Alex Combest both competed
in the Pole Vault, the first vaulters in years for the
Mustangs. Aaron vaulted 10 feet, earning his first
medal of the season. He is only a little over one
foot away from the school record and with only two
weeks of practice, has proven he's a fast learner.
Elijah Brown and Josh Allensworth both had great
days in the high jump, too going 5 feet 8 inches
and 5 feet 6 inches.
The 4x800m Relay team of sophomore David
Navarrete, freshman Cameron Turner, junior Josh
Allensworth and senior Jose Perez shattered the
school record by over 13 seconds.
Jose Perez and Allensworth also both ran great
races in the 800m earning medals and running
personal best times of 2:13 and 2:15.
Overall, 16 medals and two new school records at
the meet gave the team some confidence as they
kicked off their season in less than stellar weather.
Track Team Braves the Weather at
Season Opener February 23rd
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War Eagle Speed Meet Highlights
The men scored and medaled in many events. The
jumping duo of Elijah Brown and Da Ronte Smith
successfully defended their long and triple jump
championships from last year. Da Ronte's triple of 44' 4" is
good enough to make the cutoff as an Elite Performance in
the state of Georgia!
Josh Allensworth continued a great rookie campaign
scoring in the high jump, Atiim Henderson debuted with the
varsity and scored in the 100m Dash, Devin Buckman ran
well enough after a tough start to score in the 200m,
freshman Josh James continues to run well in the 400m,
and senior Jose Perez continues to chase the school
record in the 800m running a personal best 2:07 and a
silver medal.
The 4x100m Relay team of Buckman, Smith, Brown and
Henderson debuted in their first relay and won the bronze
medal.
The rookie 4x400m Relay team of Gary Davis, Kerry Brown,
Rakeem English and Rashad Rivers scored fifth place.
The 4x800m Relay team of Abdella Ali, Josh Allensworth,
Cameron Turner and Jose Perez broke the school record
for the second time this season in 9:22! Turner ran a
personal best split of 2:16 and Perez anchored the team in
2:13!
The ladies travelled to South Forsyth and represented well.
Ashley Wigfall debuted in the long jump earning the bronze
medal. Ola Oladipupo leapt her way on the record board
breaking an eight year old triple jump record and earning
the silver medal.
The highlight of the night was the 4x400m relay that
blistered the rest of their heat and cut their season best
time by over 10 seconds. Led by Ola Oladipupo, the rest of
the team of Lauren Ferguson, Auriel Thompson and
LaKeisha Harris took the baton and never looked back.
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