Sports

Jessica Brice

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Tradition of Excellence: The CHS Girls’ Track Team

In 2013, Olivia Baker from the Columbia High School (CHS) track team made headlines by placing first in the women’s 400-meter race at the New Balance Nationals held in Greensboro, N.C. That same day, she and her teammates went on to finish second in the women’s 4X400-meter relay. Since then, Baker has graduated, and her coach, Lisa Morgan, has stepped down from her position at CHS. However, the girls’ track team remains dominant this year under the leadership of head coach Chris Faraone.

The team wins first place at the Essex County Boys & Girls Track and Field Individual Championships held on Jan. 22, 2018.

“We’ve won the [Super] Essex County [Conference] Championships, groups, state championships, and we’ve all been top N.J. runners,” said Briana Reckling, ‘18. The team has become well-known for its strong sprinting relays, a reputation that still stands today. The girls’ 4X100-meter relay team ranked third at the New Jersey State Sectional Track and Field Championships (North Jersey, section two, group four), with a season’s best time of 47.97 seconds.

The team has also experienced many individual achievements and personal bests (referred to as PRs). “We’ve had some great PRs coming into outdoor [track],” said Reckling. This includes athlete Celine Egeonu, ‘18, who competed in varsity triple jump, long jump, high jump, and hurdling events during the outdoor track season. She said, “I’m proud of [getting a PR] this year. With long jump, I thought I was terrible at it, but I ended up jumping a whole two extra feet, which is a huge difference. And with my high jumping, I actually got to [5 feet 5 inches] as my PR, so I’m actually proud of that.” Reckling has received recognition for her successes in several mid-distance events (from the 200-meter sprint to the 800-meter run). She will be attending the University of South Carolina next fall on academic and athletic scholarships.

However, not all accomplishments came easily. Egeonu said her biggest challenge was consistency. “After you do really well in one meet, you always try to continue doing that same thing as before, so it’s kinda hard to stay consistent,” she said. She used hurdling as an example. “Every time, it’s either like you got 10 times slower, or you did it correctly and you got a lot faster,” she said.

The team also had to adjust to Morgan’s departure and the arrival of new coaching staff. “It’s a different type of vibe,” said Egeonu regarding the change. Hernann Angerville, ‘18, has been on the track team for four years, so she has witnessed the transition firsthand. “I think in the past year or two alone, coach Faraone started off a little rough, but he’s doing a lot as a coach and he’s become very much supportive and encouraging,” she said. “That translates into the athletes as well, where they’re willing to do more work and… they’re willing to listen and obey [so that] when it comes time to perform, they can.”

The team has always been characterized by its strong work ethic, but this is visibly reflected in its members now more than ever. “I think I’ve seen a lot of determination from our team this year to win and push ourselves. Definitely, the confidence was there,” said Reckling. According to Angerville, her teammates have developed a newfound attitude toward training, a dedication that will become the legacy of the current team. She said, “I was surprised to see how many new kids would stay way past their time just to be able to learn more and to train more so that they could be better. And I know that’s something we tried to do since coach Morgan, since freshman year, but… not all of us necessarily succeeded at that. I know this past season I’ve seen a lot of dedication from these young kids.”

Photo courtesy of Rosanna McCrear