Bloomfeild junior Mercedes Cruz-Fletcher smiles while posing at the Group 4 state championship.
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield High School track and field athletes gave solid efforts at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Group 4 state championships at Franklin High School in Somerset on Friday and Saturday, June 7-8.
The boys had three competitors at the meet. In the pole vault, senior Charles Lisa took seventh place at 12 feet, 6 inches, and junior Nicholas Obiedzinski took 13th place at 11-6. Sophomore Maxwell Hatton took 23rd place in the javelin at 123-6.
On the girls side, the 4×100-meter relay team took eighth place in a time of 49.38 seconds. The runners are freshman Alana Dennis, junior Mercedes Cruz-Fletcher, and seniors Angel Cruz-Fletcher and Samyah Wilson.
Mercedes Cruz-Fletcher took eighth place out of 21 runners in the 100-meter hurdles preliminaries in 15.19 and then took sixth place out of eight runners in the finals in 15.13.
Dennis took 17th place in the 100-meter dash preliminaries in 12.69.
Senior Candace Chapman took 14th place in the shot put at 36-5.
Sophomore Thalia Bell took 17th place in the discus at 98-7. Senior Victoria Feliciano took 17th place in the javelin at 99-5. Angel Cruz-Fletcher took 18th place in the triple jump at 33-8.
The meet consisted of the top-six finishers in each event from the four sectional meets. The girls 4×100 relay and Mercedes Cruz-Fletcher qualified for the NJSIAA’s state Meet of Champions on Wednesday, June 12, at Pennsauken High School in Camden County.
The top-two finishers in each event and the next 18 finishers combined from all the six group meets qualified for the Meet of Champions.
BHS track athletes will compete at nationals, donations sought
The Bloomfield High School track and field program is hoping to receive some funding or a grant to offset the cost for its top student-athletes who qualified for the 2024 New Balance Outdoor Nationals, which will be held at the University of Pennsylvania, between June 13-16.
Thus far, Bloomfield has two automatic qualifiers and there may be more after the state championships this weekend, June 7-8. Dennis, who qualified and placed ninth in the nation in the 55-meter dash at the 2024 New Balance Indoor Nationals, has qualified automatically for three events. She will compete in the 100-meter dash, 100-meter high hurdles and the 200-meter dash on June 15, with the possibility of advancing to finals on June 16.
In addition, freshman Arbion Frangu qualified for the discus, which will take place on June 13.
Checks can be mailed out to Bloomfield Board of Education, care of BHS Athletics, 160 Broad St., Bloomfield, NJ 07003. In the note field, write “Track & Field.” For more information, contact BHS head track and field coach Terry Iavarone at 201-281-5364 or tiavarone@bloomfield.k12.nj.us.
Photo Courtesy of Bloomfield High School Track and Field
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