SOUTH ORANGE, NJ – On a cold and windy day, the Our Lady of Sorrows track team made an impressive start to the season by defending its title at the Union Catholic Invitational against 17 other schools. Saint Thomas of Bloomfield was second and Saint John the Apostle of Clark was third.
OLS wasted no time putting points on the board in the first event, the 1,600-meter runs. Third-grader Fionn Tynan and second-grader Joe Schmidt placed second in 6:39.5 and fourth in 7:05 in the Boys third and fourth. Emma Torres blew out the field and set a new class record with a 6.39.8 in the Girls Fifth and Sixth event while Jared Edwards coasted to the win in the Boys Fifth and Sixth.
Ajamo Carraby-Jones ran second in the Seventh and Eighth Boys race with a 5:39.8.
In the 800-meter races, Maudy Grace Lomuscio won the school division in the Girls Third and Fourth race while Alyma Karbownik won the school division in the Girls Fifth and Sixth. Despite terrible pacing, Oliver Karbonik placed fifth in the Boys Seventh and Eighth, just ahead of Nick Torres. Oliver broke Nick’s seventh grade class record with a time of 2:38.86.
Sergio Marion slipped into third place in the school division for Fifth and Sixth boys, while Aidan Benjamin, Alfonso Dunmeyer and Brendan McKeown served notice that they will be contenders in 2018 at the Third and Fourth Grade level.
OLS had some success in the 400s, too, as Harold Fullilove placed third at the school Fifth and Sixth level and Ajamo Carraby-Jones ran sixth at the senior level while Hana Yamoaka and Olivia Ince were fourth and sixth at the girls’ senior level.
The only scorers in the 200 and 100 were third-grader Kyle Dixon, third in the school’s division in the Boys Third and Fourth 100 and Jordan Ince and Teresa Pollard, fourth and sixth in Seventh and Eighth school division.
Of course, no OLS team is complete without field events. Parker Hamilton successfully defended his title in the Boys Third and Fourth shot put and Ochanya Ofikwu won the girls’ event and Lori Kola placed fifth. Enayi Ofikwu, Amelia Benjamin and Stefanie James placed second, third and fifth at the Girls Fifth and Sixth level while Toana Maphosa placed third for the boys. Teresa Pollard set a personal record while claiming fourth in the Girls Seventh and Eighth and Sheu Maphosa and Akhir Crenshaw placed third and fifth for the boys. Strong efforts were made by Maurice Tabron and Jeremiah Lunis.
The Long Jump featured Alyma Karbownik who tied for 1st in the Girls Fifth and Sixth event and Charlotte Marion, who won the Girls Seventh and Eighth event. Other scorers were Jared Edwards and Harold Fullilove, fourth and sixth in the Boys Fifth and Sixth, and Oliver Karbownik, fifth at Seventh and Eighth Grade level.
It was Parker Hamilton, again, with a second place in the Boys Third and Fourth TurboJav. Only three feet behind, in fourth, was Adam Ofikwu. However, Ochanya Ofikwu shattered the fourth grade girls’ class record with a 57-foot toss to win her event! The success continued with Toana Maphosa also winning his first title in the Boys Fifth and Sixth. His throw of 87 feet, 10 inches is a career best. Enayi Ofikwu led the Fifth and Sixth grade girls with her second place, followed by Amelia Benjamin’s fourth and Emma Torres’ sixth, but Max Ince just missed scoring at the boys’ event.
Caroline Schmidt and Ciara McKeon had impressive first-time-ever performances, too. Charlotte Marion’s 66 feet, 3.5 inches won her first individual gold medal in the Girls Seventh and Eighth TurboJav, placing fourth in OLS history, while fifth and sixth were claimed by Olivia Ince and Hana Yamoaka. Sheu Maphosa was second in the Boys Sevneth and Eighth event at 97 feet.
The relays followed and OLS did very well with the Girls Third and Fourth placing fourth while the Girls Fifth and Sixth placed second. The Boys Third and Fourth placed second, the Fifth and Sixth placed third and the Seventh and Eighth were third.
Not to be overlooked were the fine performances of other members of the team, many of whom were competing for the first time: Zenya Stewart-Mitchell, Christina Paul, Caylee Brice, Zayda Gordon, Mitchell Purnomo, Declan Tynan, David Purnamo and a host of “fun runners” from the kindergarten, first- and second-graders.
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