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| Sacred Heart sophomore Edward “E.J.” Williams won two events at Tuesday’s NVL Track and Field Championships. |
Sacred Heart boys track and field captured its first NVL Brass Division title last week.
Strong senior leadership and young talent combined to produce that accomplishment for the Hearts.
“The kids did it, I didn’t,” Sacred Heart head coach Tom Festa said Tuesday. “The kids did it. I just lead them the right way.”
At Tuesday’s NVL Track and Field Championship meet at Seymour High School, the Hearts turned in a solid fourth place finish.
“We’re not quite in the upper echelon of the league, but we’re getting there,” Festa said.
The Hearts finished behind NVL powers Seymour (first), Derby (second) and Woodland (third). Sacred Heart was strong in sprints, and the leader there is Edward “E.J.” Williams. Williams, just a sophomore, won both the 110 and 300-meter hurdle races.
“It’s amazing what he has done,” Festa said.
Williams ran a 14.79 in the 110, and it could have been better. Yikes.
“If he doesn’t hit the last hurdle, he’s sub-14,” Festa said.
In the 300 hurdles, Williams snapped a 15-year meet record with a winning time of 39.39 seconds. Williams was .39 second better than the record set by Kennedy’s TJ Gonzalez in 2002.
Williams isn’t the only speedy runner. There’s also junior Tyler Rudolph, who claimed third place in the 100-meter dash. Rudolph has been a mentor to younger athletes like Williams. You can also put seniors Joel Guzman, Legend Johnson and Courie Stevenson in that category. Stevenson was lost for the season with an injury.
“Especially Joel and Courie Stevenson,” Festa said of those who helped Williams. “Courie has really taken him under his wing. They tell the younger guys, this is how you have to do it.”
Festa called Rudolph “one of the best teammates.” Rudolph cares more about the total effort than just his own.
“There’s no me, there’s no I,” Festa said. “There’s team.”
Guzman took sixth in the 200-meter dash. Junior Mechai Hayes was third in the 400-meter dash, and senior Andruw Flemming was third in the 800. Senior Tariq Price was third in the high jump, third in the triple jump, and seventh in the long jump.
Junior Andre Anderson, Hayes, Flemming and Williams combined for a second place finish in the 4×400-meter relay.
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| Holy Cross junior Meah Austin, right, ran past Wolcott senior Cynthia Dias and the rest of the competition in the 110-meter hurdles. |
Holy Cross girls win
multiple events
Crusader junior Meah Austin was first in the 100-meter hurdles in 15.70 seconds, and she also finished second in the 300 hurdles. Austin teamed up with senior Hayley Gilmore, freshman Natalie Hodak and junior Devan Eason to take first place in the 4×100-meter relay. Holy Cross won that event in 51.95 seconds.
Kennedy also had a winner, and it was senior Andriska Mickle. She took the top spot in the discus with a throw of 102 feet, 6 inches.
Team Results
As noted before, Sacred Heart was the top boys team from the area at fourth place. In the girls, Holy Cross took fifth place and was the leading area squad.
To see all the results, click here.
PHOTOS: Click here to see images from Tuesday’s meet.
