2010 Varsity and MS Track and Field Recaps
5/11-5/12 PVAC Championships at Magruder
For the second year in a row, adverse weather greeted the PVAC Track and Field team for their final competition of the year – the PVAC Track and Field Championships. For the second year in a row, the boys team finished fourth, and for the seventh time in the last nine years, the girls team captured the PVAC Championship. They say “anything can happen at championships,” and this year was certainly no exception.
The boys, despite small numbers, for the fifth year in a row, finished in one of the top 4 spots in the conference. The Lions were led by Steven Brown, who repeated as champion in the 300 hurdles and recaptured the gold medal in the 110 meter hurdles. Brown also took home the silver medal in the long jump and triple jump events, leaping to a personal best of 43 feet, 1.5 inches in the triple jump. Lloyd Bramble added to the strong points total, placing 2 nd in the shot put, 5 th in the triple jump, and captured his third PR in three races of the 400, finishing 4 th with a time of 54.69 seconds. The boys also earned points in both relays, as the 4x100 of Dean Bolt, Jordan Gibson-Price, Jerrod Travlee, and Malik Murray earned the silver medal with a time of 47.01 seconds, and the 4x400 of Bolt, Travlee, William Johnson, and Gibson-Price earned the bronze medal.
The back-to-back champion girls team was led by the back-to-back PVAC MVP, Jordan DeLoach. DeLoach captured the gold medal in 3 events for the 4 th straight year. DeLoach won the 100 hurdles, the 300 hurdles, and the 400 meter events. DeLoach also captured the silver medal in the 200 meter dash, earning 38 points for the second straight year. DeLoach shattered her own school record with a time of 58.91 seconds in the 400 meter dash – the fastest time seen in the PVAC in 9 years. Younger sister Paige DeLoach also contributed points in all four of her individual events. Younger DeLoach earned the silver medal in the 100, and bronze medals in the 200, long jump, and triple jumps. Joining Paige in the long jump were Amara Jackson (4th) and Angelica Jones (5th). Jackson also placed 4th in the triple jump and anchored the silver medal 4x100 relay team of Jackson, Jones, Ashley Brown, and Dejah Stewart. Jones ran a huge race in the 100 hurdles, capturing 4 th with the first official sub-19 performance of her career. Stewart ran the second leg of the gold medal 4x400 relay, joining sisters Yinka and Lola Bode-George and Maya Jefferson. The sisters Bode-George and Jefferson managed a 1-5-6 finish in the 800, with Yinka capturing the gold medal and a PR for the third year in a row. Yinka also added a silver medal to her collection in the 300 hurdles, joining Jordan DeLoach for the second 1-2 finish in that event in team history, and a 4th place finish in the hotly contested 400 meter event, coming within 0.08 seconds of her PR. Lizzie Sanderson rounded out the Lions’ scoring attack with a 4th place throw in the shot put and a 5th place in the discus as she broke the 70 foot barrier for the first time.
5/6 PVAC MS Championships at McNamara
The long-awaited, eagerly anticipated PVAC Middle School Track and Field Championships were contested Thursday, pitting a squad short on experience, but not short on heart against the conference. The lone point scorer for the boys was Omar Gillespie, who earned a second-place showing in the shot put. Malik Headen provided a noteworthy performance, capturing a place in the top 10 of both the 1600 and 800. On the girls side, Opeyemi Onabajo scored points with a bronze medal in the 100 hurdles and a sixth place finish in the 200. Ciera Strachan added to the Lions’ points with a 4th place finish in the shot put and a 5th place finish in the discus.
5/4 PVAC Meet at GPrep
Scorching temperatures met the QAS Track and Field Team as they ventured to Georgetown Prep for their final tune-up before championships. Dejah Stewart and Amara Jackson had the biggest days, with Stewart following a monster PR of 53.0 in the 300 hurdles by ably stepping in to replace an injured teammate in the 4x100. Jackson followed a solid performance in the long jump with her first-ever 400 and a strong anchor leg to the 4x1. Yinka Bode-George joined Stewart in the 300 hurdles with a season’s best 49.0. Angelica Jones also made an emphatic debut in the long jump with a leap of 13 feet, 10 inches. On the boys’ side, Lloyd Bramble managed a PR in the 400, and Jordan Gibson-Price added one of his own in the 200.
4/30-5/1 Draper Invitational
The temperature wasn’t the only thing that sizzled this weekend, as the QAS Track and Field team returned to the fabled Draper Invitational for the 6th year in a row, and walked away with several PR’s. Dejah Stewart, fresh off a PR in the 200, stepped in for an injured teammate in the 4x100 and provided a solid 3rd leg. Jordan DeLoach returned to competition, cruising to a mid-63 in the 400 and a sub-51 in the 300 hurdles. Yinka Bode-George recaptured the top time in the PVAC with a 2:34 clocking in the 800, and was joined by sister Lola, who captured a PR of almost 4 seconds with her heat-winning performance of 2:38, the 6th fastest time in QAS history. Lloyd Bramble, Kyesha Cary, and Lizzie Sanderson all managed PR’s in the shot put, with Bramble adding a PR in the long jump, eclipsing the 18-foot barrier. The boys 4x100 of Dean Bolt, Jordan Gibson-Price, Jerrod Travlee, and Malik Murray shaved another 2 tenths of a second off their season’s best time, hanging onto the top performance in the PVAC so far this season. Ashley Brown and Angelica Jones’ PR’s in the 100 and 100 hurdles, respectively, rounded out a strong showing for QAS athletes.
4/28 Run/Gun at Good Counsel
The Varsity Track and Field team traveled to Our Lady of Good Counsel High School for a Draper tune-up. Lloyd Bramble led all QAS athletes in the 100, while Steven Brown ran the 5 th fastest 200 in QAS history with a clocking of 24.1. Yinka Bode-George ran a strong 400, and Angelica Jones managed a sub-19 performance in the 100 hurdles. Amara Jackson finally got her footwork together and launched a 14 foot, 8 inch Long Jump.
4/27 PVAC Meet at Magruder (MS only)
Competing as a single unit for the first time this season, a young QAS Middle school Track and Field team competed hard and lived up to their billing as the stars of tomorrow. Opeyemi Onabajo enjoyed her first 4-event day, performing admirably in the 100 hurdles, 4x100, 100, and 200 meter events. Kaela Cephas and Ianthe Humphries made strong debuts in the long jump, while Ciera Strachan and Joise Howison continued to prove that they are amongst the best Middle School throwers in the conference. On the boys side, Malik Headen ran the first 1600/800 double of his career, defeating all competitors, Middle School and Varsity, in the latter.
4/22 Penn Relays
For the third consecutive year, 8 select members of the QAS Girls Track and Field team travelled to Philadelphia to compete in the Penn Relays Carnival. Perfect weather greeted the Lady Lions as they made their way down chestnut street towards historic Franklin Field. The 4x100 relay of Angelica Jones, Ashley Brown, Maya Jefferson, and Amara Jackson posted a time of 53.13 seconds – the fastest time for that quartet this season. The 4x400 relay of Yinka Bode-George, Lola Bode-George, Dejah Stewart, and Maya Jefferson ran a time of 4 minutes, 28 seconds.
4/20 PVAC Meet at MSD-Frederick
The long trek to MSD-Frederick pitted the QAS Track and Field team against MSD, Mount Airy Christian, McLean, Oakcrest, and rival Grace Brethren. After a few shaky performances early in the meet, the team found their competitive fire. The boys 4x1 continued their unbeaten streak against PVAC teams, and the girls 4x1 ran their fastest time of the season, though finished 2 nd to a stacked Grace Brethren team. Lola Bode-George ran her first (and only) 300 hurdles race. This race was won by sister Yinka, who ran 50.4 – the fastest time in the PVAC to date. Dejah Stewart chopped nearly 3 seconds off her fastest time of the year to break the 55 second barrier and set a PR in the process. Opeyemi Onabajo ran the first 400 of her life with a solid first-ever time of 71 seconds. On the boys side, Steven Brown won both hurdles and both jumps, and was joined by Lloyd Bramble who captured 2 nd place finishes in both jumps. Bramble also ran his first-ever 800, crossing the line in 2:14, the second fastest ever by a QAS athlete. Jerrod Travlee and Malik Murray ran solid times in the 200, and Jordan Gibson-Price broke the 50-second barrier in the 300 hurdles.
4/16 Knights Invitational
For the third year, the QAS Track and Field team travelled to the Knights Invitational at North County High School. Though the day was wrought with inconsistent performances, several season’s bests were turned in. Jerrod Travlee got out of the blocks well, winning his heat in both the 100 and 200. Travlee joined teammates Dean Bolt, Jordan Gibson-Price, and Malik Murray in the 4x100, clocking a time of 47.40, currently the top time in the PVAC. Steven Brown took home silver medals in both jumps, managing a season’s best in the triple jump of 42 feet, 3 inches. Lola Bode-George ran a season’s best in the 400, while Maya Jefferson ran a season’s best in the 800 of 2:40.40. Jefferson and teammate Yinka Bode-George currently own the top 2 times in the PVAC in that event. Angelica Jones ran a PR and broke the 20-second barrier in the 100 hurdles, and Dejah Stewart managed a season’s best in the 300 hurdles.
4/9-4/10 Northern Virginia Invitational
The first major invitational of the year, the Northern Virginia Invitational, pitted the QAS Track and Field team against some of the toughest competition in the area. Kyesha Cary managed a PR in both the discus and shot put events, and was joined in the shot by Lizzie Sanderson, whose throw of 27 feet, 6.25 inches was the fifth best throw in QAS history. Also in the field events, Steven Brown placed 6th in the triple jump with a season’s best 41 feet, 6 inches. The girls 4x100 meter relay of Angelica Jones, Ashley Brown, Maya Jefferson, and Amara Jackson took over a second off their season’s best time to record a sub-54 clocking. Jones managed a PR in the 100 hurdles, despite running into a headwind, while Jefferson ran PR’s in both the 400 and 200 meter events. Jordan Gibson-Price powered his way to a 1-second PR in the 200, and joined Dean Bolt, Lloyd Bramble, and Steven Brown in the 4x400 relay that clocked a season’s best time of 3:48. Lola Bode-George sliced 8 seconds off her 800 time from four days prior, and joined sister Yinka along with Dejah Stewart and Jordan DeLoach in the 4x400 relay. The quartet posted a season’s best time of 4:29. The performance of the meet, however, belonged to Amara Jackson, who, with a PR of over 4 feet in the triple jump, managed the third best jump in QAS history with a leap of 32 feet, 6.75 inches.
4/6 PVAC Meet at Magruder
The QAS Track and Field team - both varsity and middle school athletes, made the storied trek to Magruder HS for compeition against Barrie, Edmund Burke, WIS, Sandy Spring, and longtime rival Grace Brethren. The temperature soared, but times dropped. The boys captured first place in both the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays, and saw solid performances from Malik Murray and Dean Bolt, each capturing a PR in the 100. Jerrod Travlee, who ran a strong and critical 3rd leg of the 4x1 ran a solid 400, the first he has ever run. 8th grader Malik Headen made an emphatic debut with a 2:29 clocking in the 800. It was the field events, however, where QAS displayed its true strength. LLoyd Bramble captured 3 PRs in the shot (39-3, the second farthest throw in QAS history), Triple Jump (38-11, the 5th best jump in QAS history) and the Long Jump (17-9, also the 5th best jump in QAS history). But it was Steven Brown with 4 huge victories, who outshined everyone. Brown won the 110 Hurdles with a new PR of 16.4, then flattened the competition in the 300 hurdles with a time of 43.0. He won the triple jump with a leap of 41-1. His fourth victory was the most significant, as Brown broke the 20 foot barrier in the Long Jump, soaring to 20 feet, 5 inches, breaking QAS Legend Okechi Hamilton's school record in the process.
On the girls side, Angelica Jones got things started with a PR in the 100 hurdles, followed by Opeyemi "Opes" Onabajo's emphatic debut in the same event. Ianthe Humphries made her QAS Track debut, anchoring the MS 4x1 (also featuring Kaela Cephas, Signe Leamon, and Violet Pendzuk), and followed that up with a strong showing in the 100. The quartet of Yinka Bode-George, Maya Jefferson, Lola Bode-George and Dejah Stewart crushed the competition with a 1-2-3-5 finish in the 800, and a victory of nearly 50 meters in the 4x400. The field events also proved to be a huge source of excitement for the girls. Lizzie Sanderson and Kyesha Cary both offered herculean heaves in both throwing events, with Cary managing a near 10-foot PR in the discus. They were joined by 7th grader Ciera Strachan whose 21-8 heave has her near the top of the MS PVAC rankings. Young Paige DeLoach raised the already soaring temperature a few more degrees with her sizzling performances. Following a clocking of 12.8 in the 100, the fourth fastest in QAS History, young DeLoach launched a PR in the Triple Jump of 32 feet, 9 inches, a mere 7 inches from the QAS Record. But as it was with the boys, the Long Jump was the story of the day. DeLoach flew to a mark of 15 feet, 3 inches, breaking both the 15-foot barrier and the QAS School Record.
3/30 PVAC Meet at Langley
The first action of the year for the QAS Track and Field team pitted the Lions against WIS and a huge Oakcrest team. Though only two days removed from spring break, several members of the squad turned in solid performances. For the girls, Jordan DeLoach set the bar high, effectively matching her PR in the 100 hurdles, winning convincingly with a time of 15.5 seconds. A “new-look” 4x100 of Regina Daniel, Ashley Brown, Maya Jefferson, and Amara Jackson also easily crossed the line in first place. Maya Jefferson added a 2nd place in the 200 and anchored the 4x400 to victory. Young Paige DeLoach brought home three first-place finishes, winning the 200 meter dash and both jumping events. The boys were led by the performances of their triumvirate of seniors. Dean Bolt placed 2nd in the 400 and 3rd in the 200, Malik Murray finished 1st in the 100 and 2nd in the 200, and Jerrod Travlee captured 2 PR’s en route to his 2nd place finish in the 100 and victory in the 200. Steven Brown won both jumps, with Lloyd bramble taking second in the same events. The team’s next action is April 6th, against several PVAC schools, where they will be joined by the Middle School athletes.