South Lakes Indoor Track Takes Top Spots at Southeastern Invitational

Paced by its winning 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams, the South Lakes High School indoor track teams finished second in the girls division and fourth in the boys’ at the Southeastern Invitational Jan. 3-4 in Hampton, Va. There were 32 teams in each division.

Senior Grace Gillen, juniors Claire Nieusma, Delaney Wickman and sophomore Golden Kumi-Darfour ran a State Qualifying time of 4:04.32 in the girls 4x400 in winning the event. Senior Abby Reinhold and sophomore Monica Lannen teamed with Gillen and Kumi-Darfour to win the 4x800 meter relay in 9:43.58, which qualified them for regionals.

The boys 4x800 team of seniors Michael Kerr, Michael Uhrig, Daniel Johnsen and junior Andrew McCool won their event in a Regional Qualifying time of 8:14.79.
Both the boys and girls 4x800 teams won their events in meet record times.

SLHS boys also ran a District Qualifying time in the 4x200 when seniors Marcus Harrell, Khayri Denny, Ben O’Connor and Johnsen ran a 1:34.30 and finished third.

More than 20 members of the SLHS indoor track team have met District, Regional and State qualifying standards. Adding to that list from the Southeastern Invitational are:

Regional qualifiers:

• 55 meter hurdles: freshman Devyn Jones, 8.93 (5th)
• 300 meters: Johnsen, 36.20 (3rd); Delaney Wickman 41.96 (6th)
• Long jump: senior Danielle Hale, 16-9.75 (2nd)
• Triple jump: Hale, 36-0 (3rd)

• 55 meter hurdles: junior Maya Rodriguez, 9.82 (14th)
• 55 meters: Harrell, 6.98 (21st)
• 300 meters: Harrell, 38.31 (15th)
• 500 meters: Sam Arpee 1:11.88 (9th); junior Ozioma Chinaka, 1:23.7 (6th)
• 1000 meters: Reinhold, 3:16.18 (4th); junior Devin Nieusma, 3:17.08 (6th)