Girls Relay Team Places First, More Records Broken at Eastern States Championships

Thirteen student athletes from the Maroon Track & Field team qualified for the prestigious 85th running of the Eastern States Championships at the New Balance Track & Field Center, Armory Track in New York City. After a grueling State Championships on Saturday, those who qualified traveled to New York City to compete against some of the best competition on the East Coast.
Four EHS sprinters qualified for the 55-meter dash event. This is one of the largest gatherings of the some of the top talent in the country, as #2, #4 and #6 Top times in the USA were run in the meet. Senior Sam Kamara '19, who got a late start to this year’s training, ran close to a personal best in the first round preliminary heat. Ethan Yip '21 was close behind taking in his first “big time” competition of his young track and field career. Nina Moore '20 also put in a top performance running uncontested and finishing second in her heat.

Jamall Mensah '20 continued his good run of form as one of the top 32 times to qualify for the second round of races over 55 meters. Watch his semifinal race.
Soon after this 55-meter tune-up, the boys team were up for the 4x200-meter relay event. With expectations riding high, some misfortune with the baton led to a less-than-optimal overall finish but this particular group had a stellar season and will be looking to continue their fast relay performances this Spring on the track.
Alli Boehm '20 qualified for the 800-meter race, going in as one of the top seeds. She got out strong and maintained a solid position in the top five throughout the race against some seasoned competitors over the four-lap race. Alli ended up running a new indoor personal record time and just missing her her all-time best time over 800-meter indoors or outdoors, which she ran last outdoor season in June. With this being only February, some of her fastest times are on the way!
Claire Boehm '20 ran a very calculated one-mile race where she remained within herself for 1200 meters. With two laps to go and a large pack of runners in her sights, Claire turned it on and put in two of her fastest laps of the race. She glided past six other runners to finish inside the top 10. Her time of 5:18.47 has bested her own school record.
The final race of a very long day for the Maroon was the 4x400-meter relay. The boys were up first at this year’s event and they had a strong day. Aaron Lindsey '21 (52.3) got the team off in a good position and Ethan Yip '21, who had to sub in at the last minute, ran a solid second leg (55.1). He passed off to Alex de Casteja '20 to run an all-time best (51.8). Senior standout James Dixon '19 had the final carry (54.0) to match their season-best time.
The girls squad ran the fastest 4x400-meter time in both Indoor and Outdoor EHS Track & Field history. Reliable relay specialist Regan Simmons '21 (61.6) kicked off the race, running from the front and keeping the Maroon in the top three and in contention to take first place in their heat. Alli, fresh off her personal record in the indoor 800-meter event, put in a strong 400-meter leg (60.9) and handed off to Janil Cohen '21, who put down her strongest day in the Maroon singlet. (61.8) Cohen pushed the Maroon into the lead with a 10-meter cushion for closer Jahsaiah Moses '19 to push herself around the track in a personal best split (60.0) and cross the line in first place. This win smashed the previous record set by Episcopal's girls relay team at the 2018 State Championships. Watch Moses in the final meters of the record-breaking race.
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