East Orange Campus HS track star Azariah Christopher wins Group 4 hurdles titles

EAST ORANGE, NJ — East Orange Campus High School senior Azariah Christopher won the girls 100-meter hurdles event at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Group 4 state track-and-field championships at Franklin High School in Somerset on Friday and Saturday, June 10 and 11.

After taking third place in the preliminaries in 15.03 seconds, Christopher won in the finals in 14.51.

Also for the EOCHS girls, the 4×100 meter relay team of sophomore Apple Brown, Christopher, senior Kenicia Medley and senior Kahliyah Smith took fourth place in 49.32. Smith took 13th place in the 400-meter dash. The 4×400 meter relay team of Smith, junior Krissan Vassell, senior Katherine Henry and senior Vegonia Jean-Baptiste took 17th place in 4:08.13. Medley took 20th place in the 100-meter dash in 12.98.

On the boys side, the 4×400 meter relay team of senior Javon Soiro, senior Chris Amos, junior Michael Henderson and senior Kyle Louis took fifth place in 3:20.71. The 4×100 meter relay team of Amos, senior Akeerie McFarlane, Soiro and Louis also took fifth place, in 43.28. 

Amos took eighth place in the 400-meter dash in 49.93. Amos also took 11th place in the preliminaries of the 100-meter dash in 11.15 but did not advance to the finals. Prince Osagie-Erese, a senior, took 11th place in the high jump at 6 feet, 2 inches. McFarlane took 16th place in the 200-meter dash in 23.08.

The group meet consisted of the top six finishers in each event from all the Group 4 sectionals from the previous week.

Christopher qualified for the NJSIAA’s Meet of Champions at Franklin in Somerset this Saturday, June 18. The top two finishers in each event, plus wild cards, qualified for the Meet of Champions. The wild-card berths consist of the top six performances that did not place in the top two from all of the combined group meets.

Photo Courtesy of Lance Wigfall/EOCHS boys head track coach.