Columbia HS track teams compete at sectional championships

Columbia sophomore Madison Stevens smiles as she holds her gold medal at the SEC meet for winning the shot put. She is ranked in the top 10 in the state.

MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Columbia High School boys and girls indoor track-and-field teams competed at the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association’s North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4, championships held at the Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex in Toms River on Saturday, Feb. 12.

The girls team finished in ninth place overall with 14 team points.

Madison Stevens, a sophomore, took second place in the shot put event with a throw of 35 feet, 1 inch. Emma Friedrich, a junior, took fifth place in the 3,200-meter run in a time of 12 minutes, 10.25 seconds. Sophomore Gianna Green took fourth place in the high jump with a leap of 4 feet, 10 inches. Green also took eighth place in the 55-meter hurdles in 9.63. The 4-x-400-meter relay team took ninth place in 4:30.16.

On the boys’ side, Darien Waite, a junior, was the lone top-six finisher for Columbia, as he took sixth place in the shot put with a throw of 43 feet, 6 inches. Javier Casella took ninth place in the 1,600-meter run in 4:45.20. Daniel Batkus, a junior, took ninth place in the 3,200-meter run in 10:30.97. Steven Memo, a sophomore, took seventh place in the 55-meter hurdles in 8.57 seconds. The 4-x-400-meter relay team took eighth place in 3:52.72. The top six finishers in each event qualified for the NJSIAA’s Group 4 championships at the Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex on Feb. 26.