Several area athletes from New Heights Christian, Thomas Jefferson, and Seneca turned in strong performances at a competitive boys and girls track and field meet on Thursday.
Derek Bowman of New Heights Christian Academy had one of the standout days, winning the Boys 200-Meter Dash in 24.28 seconds and finishing second in the Boys 110 Meter Hurdles. He also placed fourth in the Boys 100 Meter Dash (11.91) and earned a strong second place in the Boys Long Jump with a leap of 19-08.00.
Teammate Aiden Gibson from New Heights placed 10th in the Boys 100 Meter Dash with a time of 12.20, while Zach Hunter and Grayson Crumrine competed well in the distance events.
For Thomas Jefferson, Brecken Wadell ran a 12.77 in the Boys 100 Meter Dash, and Tristan Wadell posted a 13.21. In the 200 Meter Dash, James Wisdom finished with 26.48. The TJ boys 4x100 Meter Relay team placed seventh overall.
On the girls side, Esther Yang had an impressive second-place finish in the Girls 400 Meter Dash (1:03.26), while Emmanuelle Sweeny dominated the Girls Long Jump with a winning mark of 16-06.25. Aubrey Freeborg and Sara Maksoud also contributed solid sprints, and Edie Nolan placed second in the Girls 3200 Meter Run. Morgan Shifferd took third in the 1600.
Seneca athletes showed depth across multiple events. Kade Finley ran the Boys 100 Meter Dash in 12.37, and Thomas Adkins competed in both the 100 and 200. In the distance races, Tyler Bettels placed seventh in the Boys 800 Meter Run (2:25.58), and Gabriel Eckert turned in a strong 5:33.54 in the 1600 Meter Run. Landyn Hartje and Joshua Sikes competed in the throwing events, with Hartje throwing 99-04 in discus and 98-02 in javelin.
The meet featured fast sprint times, solid distance performances, and competitive field events across many schools. Local athletes from New Heights Christian, Thomas Jefferson, and Seneca continued to build momentum early in the season with several top-10 and podium-worthy finishes.