EAST ORANGE, NJ – (updated Tuesday May 1, 4:02 p.m.) – The East Orange Campus High School boys’ track and field team delivered a spectacular performance on one of the biggest stages in the sport.
In front of a big crowd at the Penn Relays held at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, the Jaguars finished in seventh place in the High School Championship of America 4×400-meter relay final on the third and final day of the meet, Saturday, April 28.
The team clocked 3:14.54, the best finish by an American team and the No. 6 time in the nation this season. The top six finishers hailed from the country of Jamaica. Immyouri Etienne split 49.2; Kishaun Richardson split 47.8; Ibrahim Fobay split 49.62 and Akeem Lindo split 47.85.
It marked the second straight year that EOCHS was the top American team in the 4×400 at the Penn Relays.
In the 400-meter hurdles final on Saturday, Lindo finished fourth in 53.04 and Fobay took 14th in 55.31. Rovanne Williams of Jamaica won in 51.22.
On the first day of the meet, April 26, the EOCHS girls’ 4×100-meter relay team finished third out of eight teams in its heat and 23rd out of 121 teams. Doreen Asante, Kevaray Gillette, Iris Elliot and Bianca Kouelou combined to run 51.18. The girls’ 4×400-meter relay finished eighth out of 16 teams in its heat in 4:17.67 Asante split 1:06.28; Asia Odom split 1:06.76; Alice Johnson ran 1:03.16 and Gillette ran 1:01.48.
On Friday, April 27, the boys’ 4×100 relay finished sixth out of eight teams and 15th out of 96 teams in 44.39. Kasim Daniels, Dominic Dazzell, Fayeson Carney and Al-Shadee Salaam comprised the unit.
The EOCHS boys’ team, under head coach Lance Wigfall, will seek its third straight Essex County Relays team title this Friday, May 4, at Livingston HS.
At the Penn Relays, Keenan Bartley ran in the trials in the 4×400 for the Jaguars, but didn’t run in the Championship of America race.
The following is a Q&A with Bartley
Q: Being one of the newest guys on the relay how did it feel when Coach Wigfall asked to you suit up for the relay?
KB: I felt like he knew what I was capable of And wanted me to prove myself to many other people. I was nervous at first, but went off a quote coach told me, ‘do what you fear and fear disappears.
Q: Once you got on the line, what was your thoughts going third leg on the relay, in front of 100,000-plus people?
KB: My first thought was to run as fast as I can, and if I was to get caught, just go with him and keep it close if I couldn’t pass the other team.
Q: At entering the Championship of America race, what went through your mind as Coach Wigfall discussed the lineup? Were you upset or did you believe in what the coaches say for the team?
KB: I knew my team could do it. I had a lot of faith in them. When one person wins, we all win. If one person loses, we all lose together.
The following is a Q&A with Akeem Lindo:
Q: With this being your last year running for East Orange Campus, how do you plan on helping the coaching staff ensure the younger athletes understand the tradition of the teams success?
AL: With this being my last year running for East Orange Campus, I’m going to help the coaching staff ensure the younger athletes to understand the tradition of the teams’ success by showing them that they can do anything they put their mind to. I’ll make sure that they put their all in practice, day in and day out, without playing around, and that they don’t need me, nor the other seniors, to continue the tradition that’s being built here at East Orange Campus High School. But the most important way that I can help them is to convince them to trust the process. No matter what’s happening now, what they want is going to come, so believing in the coaches plays a big part in ensuring that the younger athletes keep the tradition of the team success.
Q: This may be a touching subject for you, but for the last four years you been under the leadership of Head Coach Lance Wigfall (former New Jersey State Champion), what has it been like over the course of four years and what will you miss the most from what he taught you?
AL: The journey that I’ve been through with Coach Lance Wigfall is unforgettable. Coach Lance is not only a coach to me, he’s more like a father. Ever since I joined his high school team, there’s never a moment where he failed me. He made my dreams and wishes that I never believe was possible, come through. He motivates me to be great, not only on the track, but also in real life. He have done so much for me and my family and there’s no way that I will ever be able to repay him for that. However, what I will miss the most from what he taught me is to ‘kill an ant with an axe’ and ‘win humbly, but lose graciously.’ Those two things that Coach Lance have said to me countless times I believe have shaped the kind of athlete that I am now and I will always be that way.
Q: Why North Carolina A&T and what will you major in?
AL: I chose North Carolina A&T because while doing my research on schools, I found out that it was top in the nation for the major that I want to pursue – aeronautical and mechanical engineering. It was close to home and it reminded me of my old team. The team that I have right now in East Orange is my family. We do everything together and there’s never a moment where I felt like I didn’t belong. The chemistry that I have at home, I felt a similar part of that at NC A&T. The members of the track team seemed close and they’re willing to protect each other no matter what and that’s exactly what I was looking for in a team. The best part about it is that they’re ranked really well and I believe they can take me to the next level.
The following is a Q&A with Coach Lance Wigfall:
Q: How does it feel to be the head coach of the fastest American team two years in the row at the Penn Relays?
LW: To be completely honest, it really hasn’t hit me yet because of how nervous I had gotten once the race was about to start. It was almost like the feeling I used to get when i was competing myself. One thing for sure, when I seen the time for the trails of 3:16, I was like, ‘Wow it’s still early in the year.’ Then once the Championship of America 4×400 was over and I had seen the time, I was like, “this is a coach’s dream to have a good problem like this, to have a group of guys to go out there and run fast times, no matter how you run them.’
Q: There’s been a lot of doubt about East Orange Campus? How do you feel about that?
LW: Truthfully, it makes my job easier when people start talking about the things we can not do because once the team gets wind of it, they just want to work harder to be great in all aspects of life.
Q: What is the goal for the rest of the year?
LW: To stay healthy, have fun and take advantage of every opportunity that we come across as a team, as we embrace the fact that we are the school that’s been hunted.
East Orange Campus HS track athletes impress at Penn Relays added by Joe Ragozzino on
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