On April 10, the girls track team started its season off strong at Big Walnut High School’s Red Edwards Relays. This was the first meet of the year, and our Vikes’ first meet as a Division 2 team. The other participants were Big Walnut, Bishop Watterson, Centennial, Central Crossing, Grove City, Rutherford B. Hayes, Walnut Ridge, Westerville Central and Whitehall.
Our Vikings finished fifth, showing that they are not to be taken lightly. The team has a solid mix of experience and newcomers, and both groups showed out in a big at the meet.
The day started with Olivia Pierre-Louis finishing fifth overall in high jump at 4’ 8.” Samantha Frickel’23 and Ella Lowrie’24 tied for tenth in the 4’ 2.” Next, Lindsay Sutherland’22 finished tenth in discus at 77-09, Victoria Raiken ‘23 got eleventh at 77-04, and Tara Hoffman’22 placed twenty-fourth at 51-05. Sutherland finished fifteenth in shot put with 25-08.75. Raiken got twenty-first and Hoffman got twenty-second, with 23-02.75 and 23-02.00, respectively.
The first track event was the 100 meter shuttle hurdles: Lowrie, and ninth-graders Eleanor Schroeder, Zoya Arnold, and Samantha Whitson placed fourth with a time of 1.13.97. The impressive performance from the all ninth-grade team set the tone for the rest of the runners: Academy was ready to go!
Next was the sprint medley, with Irena Alahakoon’24, Kennedy Jackson’22, Pierre-Louis and Hannah Clay’21 took fifth, with a time of 2.03.81.
The distance medley followed: Regan Cornelius’21, Annabelle Huyghe’22, Rene Fleege’24 and Adelaide Kaufman’23 took home first place against Divisions 1 and 2 powerhouses with a time of 10.27.44.
Our girls carried that momentum into the 4×400 meter relay. Frickel, Clay, and Caitlynn Hinds’24 earned third place with 4.29.45. In the 4×100 meter relay, Olivia Archibald’21, Schroeder, Stella Lee’24 and Whitson got eighth place with 57.02. The final race for Academy was the 4×200 meter relay, with Alahakoon, Jackson, Pierre-Louis and Whitson also placing eighth place with 1.58.14.
This was a fantastic meet for the girls, especially for being the first as a Division 2 team.
The girls have an April 13 home meet against Gilead Christian, Kipp, and Tree of Life followed by an April 16 away-meet at Whitehall.
