WW-P High School South senior runners closed the book on their High School Track careers with some impressive showings at the New Jersey Meet of Champions on Thursday, June 8. Brian Soltau, Stuart Adams, and Sifiso Takirambudde were joined by sophomore Joe Brown in their effort to win the 4×400 relay. They placed eighth in the competition, setting a school record of 3:20.73 along the way.
Soltau, who will attend TCNJ in the fall, earned bronze in the 200 meter race with a time of 22.03. Soltau qualified to run the 400 also, but elected to concentrate on the sprint and the relay. Takirambudde qualified in the 400 hurdles, but also declined in favor of saving energy to help his teammates.
Lauren LaDolcetta, senior pole vaulter, jumped 10′ 6″ to earn a tie for 6th. She plans to attend — and vault for — Dartmouth next year. She holds South records for the pole vault and the triple jump. An ankle injury kept her from competing in the triple jump in the MOC.
Sammy Howell, a sophomore from South, finished first in the Group IV sectionals, and placed 14th at the MOC for high jump. She cleared 5’4″ in both competitions. Katie Kellner, a freshman, also finished 14th in the 3200 meter race. Her time, a season best, was 11:09.86. If she improves on that in the next three years, she will break the current school record.
Another impressive underclassperson was North junior Holland Thomas, who finished third overall in the 100 hurdles. She was seeded seventh going into the event, but took the bronze with a time of 14.49 seconds. The other four top five finishers were seniors, so look for Thomas to improve on her finish next year.
