Team Detail
Maroon Takes Home Bronze, Best Times in Eastern States Championships
A select group of Episcopal student athletes competed in the prestigious Eastern States Championships in New York City. This event has been operating for close to 100 years and has been one of the premier invitationals on the East Coast.
This meet acts as one of the final competitions for those who just completed their own state or league championships, and for those who are preparing for the New Balance High School Nationals--which will be held at the same venue in a few weeks' time. In this particular year, Episcopal qualified an exceptional amount of athletes to compete. The following student athletes, through their hard work this season, qualified to compete:
- Girls 4 x 800-meter run (Claire Boehm, Alli Boehm, Paige Hathaway, Dawn Farquharson)
- Boys 4 x 200-meter run (Elijah Gaines, Jack Lee, Barry Curtis, Sam Kamara)
- Boys 4 x 400-meter run (Elijah Gaines, Jack Lee, Barry Curtis, James Dixon)
- Girls 4 x 200-meter run (Bijee Jackson, Nina Moore, Jahsaiah Moses, Regan Simmons)
- Girls 4 x 400-meter run (Paige Hathaway, Bijee Jackson, Jahsaiah Moses, Claire Boehm
Individual qualifiers:
- Alli Boehm - 800 meters
- Paige Hathaway - 800 meters
- Jack Lee - 400 meters
- Jamall Mensah - 55 meters
- Sam Kamara - 55 meters
- Litchfield Ajavon - 55-meter hurdles
- Bijee Jackson - 55-meter hurdles
- Brianna Williams - 55-meter hurdles
- Nina Moore - 55 meters
Sam Kamara '19 and Nina Moore '20 competed well in the 55 meters, matching their top times of the season. Newly crowned state champion Bijee Jackson '18 and teammate Brianna Williams '18 represented EHS well in the 55-meter hurdles event.
Senior Litchfield Ajavon '18 was able to advance through the first round of the 55-meter hurdles as one of the 32 top times out of 80+ entrants in the event. In the semifinals, Ajavon ran an all-time personal best in the event and matched one of the oldest school records presently held.
4 x 200-METER RELAYS
The boys team had a particular goal in mind that they were very close to achieving. Having run a remarkable school record at the State Championships on Saturday, they were looking for under .5 seconds to get the coveted National Championship Standard. Matched up against some of the top talent they have ever faced, Sam Kamara '19 provided his usual strong and steady lead-off, handing off to powerhouse Jack Lee '20, with faultless hand-offs to Barry Curtis '19, and finally Elijah Gaines '20 at the anchor. The Curtis-to-Gaines Trademark Perfect Pass of the baton rocketed Gaines into this final leg where he rounded the final turn with so much momentum that this relay team made a new school record and came in one full second under the National Championship standard--making this one of the fastest eight times of the evening, sending them to the finals. In the final event, the boys made yet another school record and took home a bronze medal.
The boys team had a particular goal in mind that they were very close to achieving. Having run a remarkable school record at the State Championships on Saturday, they were looking for under .5 seconds to get the coveted National Championship Standard. Matched up against some of the top talent they have ever faced, Sam Kamara '19 provided his usual strong and steady lead-off, handing off to powerhouse Jack Lee '20, with faultless hand-offs to Barry Curtis '19, and finally Elijah Gaines '20 at the anchor. The Curtis-to-Gaines Trademark Perfect Pass of the baton rocketed Gaines into this final leg where he rounded the final turn with so much momentum that this relay team made a new school record and came in one full second under the National Championship standard--making this one of the fastest eight times of the evening, sending them to the finals. In the final event, the boys made yet another school record and took home a bronze medal.
See Gaines “Beast mode” finish here
INDIVIDUAL COMPETITORS
4 x 400-METER RELAYS
The girls team took the track as newly crowned State champions in the event. Nina Moore '19 started off, passing the baton to Jahsaiah Moses '19 and then freshman phenom Regan Simmons '21, who ran a season best time. She handed off to anchor Bijee Jackson '18 to cross the line with the fastest time in Episcopal’s history.
INDIVIDUAL COMPETITORS
Riding high after a top-notch peformance at the state championships two days prior, Dawn Farquharson '18 ran a cool and calculated first two laps in the 800-meter event, tucking into the back of the pack to match her best time of the season--the first season she has competed at this distance. Paige Hathaway '18 was on a mission for one thing: to run fast. She crossed the line as the fastest in the individual 800-meter event in the Episcopal’s history.
4 x 400-METER RELAYS
After a trip that began with climbing into a bus at 7:30AM, the final race of the day would finally start at 10:30PM that night. The boys had already been through two dramatic relay events but needed to muster the energy and strength to compete once again at the highest level in the 4 x 400 meters. Coach Harris created a new order for the Maroon to run, putting them in the best position to run as fast a time as possible. Gaines lead the team off in fine form, passing to Lee. James Dixon '19 put on an incredible display, taking the baton from Lee’s hands and marching around the track in a personal best time, all while holding a lead going into the final leg of the relay. With the meet announcer now repeating the school’s name over and over as they increased their lead, Dixon passed the baton to Curtis, who crossed the line in first place--and held one of the top times to beat going into the final heats.
In the girls 4 x 400 meter relay, Moses and Claire Boehm '20 had strong legs to lead off the Maroon. Jackson and Hathaway would come back after setting school records in their respective events to put an exclamation point on a remarkable Indoor season for Episcopal Track and Field.
In the girls 4 x 400 meter relay, Moses and Claire Boehm '20 had strong legs to lead off the Maroon. Jackson and Hathaway would come back after setting school records in their respective events to put an exclamation point on a remarkable Indoor season for Episcopal Track and Field.
