Belleville HS track and field teams win boys’ and girls’ discus events at Essex County Relays

BELLEVILLE, NJ – The Belleville High School boys’ and girls’ track and field teams won first place in the boys’ and girls’ discus events at the Essex County Relays on Friday, May 6, at Livingston High school.

Mahmoud Youssef, a junior, threw 124 feet, 1 inches for the fourth-best throw in the meet. Senior Nick Guardabasco finished seventh with a throw of 120 feet. The two combined to win the boys’ discus event.

On the girls’ side, senior Nichole Henry had the meet’s top throw at 108 feet, 3 inches, and senior Kiara Collazo was seventh at 86 feet, 6 inches. They combined to win the girls’ discus event.

In the boys’ javelin, Guardabasco threw 46 feet, 6 ½ inches to finish sixth and Youssef threw 42 feet, 11 ¼ inches to take seventh. Overall, the two finished third in the event.

Collazo was eighth in the girls’ javelin at 86 feet, 9 inches and Henry threw 62 feet, 4 inches to combine for a ninth-place finish.

The boys’ long jump tandem of senior Anthony Velez (5 feet, 9 inches, third overall) and junior Gustavo Viana (5 feet, 3 inches, eighth overall) took third place.

Viana (18 feet, 15th overall) and Velez (17 feet, 11 inches, 17th overall) combined to finish sixth in the boys’ long jump.

The girls’ 4×100-meter relay took eighth in 52.58 with sara Manning, Bernice Banks, Camilah Nigatu and Danielle Sharpe. The same quartet took 11th in the 4×200-meter in 1:50.97.

The BHS teams will gear up for the Super Essex Championships on Saturday, May 13, at Schools Stadium in Newark.