TTrack and field at Lakeland Regional High School had a phenomenal season so far, with lots of wins, hard work, and dedication. Athletes were nothing but prepared to conclude the season with excellence, with an abundance of the relay teams placed and are moving on to the Groups Championship, which will take place this coming weekend, June 8-9.
Here are some of the amazing things our Lancer athletes have accomplished:
Girls Track and Field
The girls started off strong, taking first place at the Passaic County Relay Championship. They placed second at conference and took fourth at the county championships.
Lots of talent was demonstrated throughout the season. First Team All-County qualifiers include seniors Alexa Goll, Gicela Cruz and freshmen Jaelynn Vivanco and Kiera Killian. Sophomore Hope Walker and junior Catherine Wiley were All-County as well. Senior Kayla Barnhardt made Second Team All-County and senior Elisabet Miles and junior Laianna Anderson earned honorable mentions.
Remarkable performances were displayed at State Sectionals. The 4×100 team, consisting of senior Ashley Hammerle, Miles, Anderson, and Goll placed fifth, breaking the school record. The 4×400 team with Miles, Goll, Wiley, and Walker placed fourth. Lastly, the 4×800 relay team with Walker, Cruz, Wiley, and Goll placed second.
Team captains expressed nothing but love for their sport. Hammerle mentioned her favorite meet of the season was Senior Night, saying, “The team made sure every senior felt special and it was an awesome day to compete at Lakeland for my last time!” Her favorite moment of the season was, “Breaking the 4x100m school record! When we found out sophomore year that we were 0.6 seconds away from it, that’s all we worked for.” To conclude, Hammerle shared strengths of the team, saying, “I’m really proud of the way our team performed. We all showed up when needed, and having a lot of freshmen on our Varsity team makes the future look bright!”
Junior captain Isabella Andriulli broke the school record for discus, throwing 111’7 feet. This was done at the County Championship. Then at State Sectionals, she won first place in the shot put. Reflecting on the team as a whole, Andruilli said, “We unfortunately didn’t three-peat in counties, but we were able to improve a lot as a team and rebuild for next season. Some critical point scorers got season ending injuries which affected a lot, but other than that, we did an amazing job. So many amazing freshmen joined the team and helped to hopefully rebuild for an amazing next season. I am proud of my personal performances, and as a captain I am looking forward to the end of this season, as well as next winter.” Due to her hard work, Andriulli is a Passaic County Award Winner.
Captain Alexa Goll shared, “My favorite meet of the season was the Senior Night at Lakeland vs. Wayne Valley and Fair Lawn.” Goll mentioned highlights of the season, saying, “My favorite moment of the season was when I ran a personal best in the 400m and 200m on my senior night.” Goll concluded by saying, “I think the team did very well this season and we have a lot of talented underclassmen who will continue to make our team better.”
In a season defined as a year of rebuilding, the Lakeland Lancers boys punched above their weight. Many of the team’s individuals had an incredible year as well.
Boys Track and Field
To open up the season, the Lancers traveled to West Milford to take on the Highlanders. After defeating the Highlanders last year, the Lancers looked to do the same. The Lancers fell short of a win, marking the beginning of what many believed to be a down year for the boys. With a lackluster fourth place finish at the Passaic County Relays, as well as losses to Passaic Valley and Wayne Hills, the boys certainly stumbled out of the gates. Right when the season looked completely lost, the boys picked it up when they needed to most.
The Lancers traveled to Passaic Valley to compete in the Big North Independence Conference Championships. The boys didn’t have much expectations as a team, as they hadn’t won a single dual against any of the teams they were competing against. However, any sentiment of the Lancers not being in the hunt for the team title went out the window, when senior captain Kyle Keyes started the day off with a bang by winning the 400 meter hurdles. Sophomore Logan Gray proceeded to take second in the 100 meters and junior Brody McCormack took first place in the discus and second in the shot put. The Lancers were still competitive, with senior Sean Walker taking third place in the 400 meters and fifth in the 200 meters. Gray took fourth in the 200 meters and junior Greg Ehrmann took first in the javelin. Junior Neo Li took fifth in the shot put and discus, sophomore Szymon Mazus took fifth in pole vault, sophomore Frank Sebilia took fourth in the javelin, and sophomore Jesse Freedman took fifth in the 800. Overall, the Lancers took third as a team, showing that despite their lack of dual victories, they were still a competitive team.
Following the impressive showing at the Big North Championships, the Lancers earned their first dual victory of the season, defeating Wayne Valley. While the boys lost to Fair Lawn on that day, the Lancers left with a good taste in their mouth. The Lancers celebrated graduating seniors Keyes, Walker, Jhon Guimac, Ilmi Kaba, Connor Struble, Nick Jusinski, and Davin Battle.
Moving on to the postseason, the boys traveled to Clifton Stadium for the Passaic County Championships. On day one, many Lancer individuals celebrated incredible success. Once again the Lancers started the meet off with a bang when Keyes won the 400 intermediate hurdles, breaking the school record in the process. Right after Keyes, Gray took fourth in the 100 meters with a blazing time of 11.26. For the icing on the cake of day one, McCormack won discus with a monster throw of 156 feet and three inches. On day two, the Lancers continued their success when Ehrmann took second place in javelin after his first year competing on the team. The Lancers 4×100 relay team of Keyes, Walker, Gray, and junior Brennan Stocker took fifth. After the 4×100, Keyes won the Passaic County 110 meter high hurdles. McCormack also earned himself another medal by placing yet again as fourth in shot put. To finish the day, the Lancers 4×400 team of Keyes, sophomore Zachary Post, Freedman, and Walker took sixth place. The boys finished a respectable fourth place which was an extreme improvement compared to the beginning of the season.
Moving on to State Sectionals, the Lancer boys continued their success. The boys 4×100 meter relay team took fifth place, moving them on to the Group Championship. Keyes got second in the 400 meter hurdles and McCormack took fifth in discus, allowing the both to move onto Groups. To finish off the day, Gray took third in the 100 meters, allowing him to move on as well. On day two, the Lancers day started off with a surprise. Despite being seeded tenth going into the race, Walker snuck into qualifying for the Group Championships by taking sixth in the 400 meter dash. McCormack earned himself another spot in groups by taking fourth place in shot put. To round out the day, Keyes took a silver medal home by taking second in the 110 meter high hurdles. Keyes has a strong chance to make the New Jersey State Meet of Champions in both hurdling events. All qualified athletes will compete in the Group Championship on Friday and Saturday.
While the season was full of growing pains, Gray said it best. “I think the team did really well and unlocked a lot of their potential. A lot of the team clearly grew in both ability and mindset over the season, it shows through our showings in the latest meets. Currently, the team is a relatively young one overall, but that just means it’s only an increase in our performances in most if not all aspects from here. And with what we already have now, I feel we’re definitely going to make even bigger waves than we did already in the years to come.”
Season Conclusion
The team grew as the season went on and unlocked its potential in the later meets. While it is a young one, everyone who ran against Lakeland this year knows the program has lots of incredibly talented individuals. Even when the season was passed off as a “rebuildinging year,” the cupboard was not bare. As a whole, the Lakeland Lancers proved their worth and showed why they have a chance to contend for championships in years to come.
