Columbia HS track-and-field athletes give good Group 4 efforts

MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Columbia High School track-and-field contingent gave good 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 10 and 11.

On the girls side, sophomore Madison Stevens took eighth place in the shot put with a throw of 38 feet, 1 ¾ inches. Emma Friedrich, a junior, took 12th place in the 3,200-meter run in 11:28.17. Gianna Green, a sophomore, took 14th place in the high jump at 5 feet.

On the boys side, senior Nate Lindstrom took ninth place in the 3,200-meter run in 9:27.38. Austin Walton, a junior, took 11th place in the triple jump at 43-1 ½. Javier Casella, a senior, took 14th place in the 800-meter run in 1:59.15. The 4×800-meter relay team of Casella, Lindstrom, senior Aaron Glassman and junior Daniel Butkus took 17th place in 8:17.78. Steven Memo, a sophomore, took 20th place in the 110-meter hurdles in 16.16.

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

The NJSIAA’s Meet of Champions will take place at Franklin on 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.