IRVINGTON, NJ — Cashieve Blair has blazing speed. Zaheem Crawford-Patterson can really jump.
The two Irvington High School seniors demonstrated their remarkable athletic talents to capture individual titles 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.
Blair won the 400-meter dash in 47.93 seconds. Blair also took third place in the 200-meter dash in 21.90 and fifth place in the 100-meter dash in 10.91.
Crawford-Patterson won the triple jump with a school-record leap of 45 feet, 11 ½ inches.
Blair and Crawford-Patterson were the lone competitors for Irvington at the meet, which consisted of the top six finishers in each event for all the Group 4 sectionals in the previous week. They both won their events at the North 2, Group 4 state sectionals.
On the girls side, the 4×100 meter relay team of senior Anaika Bazile, senior Nalanie Clement, sophomore Nousaline Georges and senior Shanelle Vilson took 22nd place in 52.28. The relay team was the lone IHS girls representative in the meet.
Blair and Crawford-Patterson automatically qualified for the NJSIAA’s Meet of Champions on Saturday, June 18, at Franklin. The top two finishers in each event, plus wild-card berths, 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 group meets.
Photos Courtesy of Felicia Laguerre Owens and IHS head boys track coach Marvin Hawkins.