Chargers Athletics

Chantilly High School

Indoor Track & Field

Game Summaries & Headlines.

Winter Track District Championships: Records Fall, Champions Crowned

Game Date: Feb 7, 2008

The Concorde District Championships ended late on Thursday night, February 7th, and following the 15 boys and girls events being scored, the Chantilly Charger Winter Track team had made their mark, adding to their rich history. Competing against many of the region's best athletes, this year's team claimed their fair share of the spoils. The boys finished in a very strong 2nd place, their best finish in 4 years, while the girls also had opportunities to shine, leading to their eventual 4th place finish. The end tally for Chantilly had sixteen athletes earning All-District honors, 6 individual champions, one new school record, 1 district record, and a state leading mark.

Most experts would have picked the boys team to finish somewhere in the middle of the pack. They had consistantly shown talent in many areas, but in most areas, they were generally overshadowed by other district challengers. This didn't seem to phase the athletes, though, at all. Seven different athletes scored points in 10 of the 15 events, making this meet truly about team commitment. Senior Robert Herrity earned All-District honors in all five of his events. He earned his first individual championship in the 55m hurdles, in a time of 8.12, which will go into regionals as one of the better times in the area. He also took solid 4th places in the long jump, triple jump, and high jump. He contributed 23.5 of the Chargers' 95 point total, making him the team's leading scorer. Junior Wes Sun continued to show why he is one of the best pole vaulters in the area, as he jumped 12' 6" to win his second consecutive pole vault title. He also earned All-District honors with a strong 5th place in the 55m hurdles. Senior Raymond "Bugsy" Urrutia had the best meet of his career, winning his first district championship in the 300m dash (36.64), after being seeded in 8th. He also added to his 19.5 point total with a 2nd place finish in the 55m dash (6.66). He will also go to regionals with a solid chance to score in either of those events. Junior transfer Efraem Salas also made a solid impact, finishing 4th in the 55m dash and stole a 6th place in the 300m dash. Herrity, Sun, Salas and Urrutia all combined to take a fantastic 3rd place in the 4x200m relay as well.

While the sprinters earned a large percentage of the points, there were other boys who made their marks as well. Senior distance runner had the best meet of his career as well. He took a solid 5th place in the 1600m run during the first week, but then returned the second week to run 2:38.27, one of Chantilly's faster times in history, to take 3rd place in the 1000m run. The 3rd place was his highest finish in a district event. Sophomore Chris Foley also equalled this finish in the 3200m run. Both Palmer and Foley should be competitive at the regional meet, with legitimate chances to earn all-region honors, and trips to the state meet. The final scoring event for the boys was the pole vault. While Wes Sun won his 2nd title, his twin brother, Curtis, scored valuable points with his 2nd place. Junior co-captain, Josh Trikakis also earned a trip to regionals with his 5th place finish in the same event.

While the boys celebrated their 2nd place overall finish, 8 girls were also celebrating district honors in eight events. While they did not score as highly as their boy teammates, they arguably left as significant a mark, with multiple records set, en route to 3 individual championships.

Junior Lia DiValentin enjoyed another successful district championship meet, as she continues to round into post season form. After battling in Week One to a close 2nd place in the 1600m run, (in a top 7 state time of 5:06.51), her defense of her 3200m championship from last year was even more close. DiValentin battled with Herndon rival, Hiruni Wijayratne for all 3200m, as they lapped the field en route to a district record. DiValentin's time of 10:52.12 broke the old record from 1996 by .38 seconds, and the winning margin was only .16 seconds. Her time is currently among the top 5 in the country, and bodes well as Lia heads towards the regional, state and national championships in the next month.

As exciting as it was to witness the exploits of a veteran like DiValentin, it was equally gratifying to see the future greatness which may be seen in freshman sprinter/jumper Amira Idris. After a rough start in Week One, which saw her false start in the 55m Dash (when she had a regionally qualifying 2nd seed time), and get a lower than expected 5th place in the long jump, Amira shown in Week Two. In the triple jump, she showed continuous improvement, adding nearly two feet to her personal best, with a 35-5.75 mark. Moreover, this jump won her the first individual championship of her career, in a distance which set a new Chantilly school record, in only the 3rd time she has competed in the event. She continued her strong season by taking a very clear 2nd place in the 300m dash, also in PR time. Going into regionals as one of the leaders in the 55m, 300m long jump and triple jump, Idris' future looks very bright indeed for the Chargers.

The final individual championship of the day came in the girls pole vault. Just as the boys placed all three of their competitors in the top 6, the girls mirrored this feat, with a first, second and sixth place finish. Junior Kim Weinberg came out on top, with a personal best height of 9' 0". Sophomore Jenn Withers showed her consistency this season with the runner-up spot, in 8-6, while fellow sophomore Melanie Vassallo also earned a trip to regionals by finishing in a tie for 6th place, with her 7' 0" jump.

Weinberg was also involved in the only other event to see three Chargers place in the top 6: the 55m Hurdles. The event was essentially a Westfield/Chantilly dual, with the six finalists coming only from those teams. Weinberg led the way in 4th place, while sophomore Kaitlyn Manley earned 5th place honors, followed by senior Lily Wang. The final All-District honoree came from senior co-captain, who took 3rd in the high jump, in a personal best mark of 4' 8".

The regional meet will be held on Saturday, February 23rd, at George Mason University. The top 8 finishers will earn all-region honors, with the top-6 in each event advancing to the state meet, also at GMU, on the following weekend, February 29th-March 1st. Several of the Chargers competing stand realistic chances of placing, and continuing to honor a strong season in Chantilly's tradition.

The complete list of All-District Finishers include:

Lia DiValentin- DISTRICT CHAMPION & NEW MEET RECORD HOLDER
- 3200m Run- 10:52.18 (Tops in VA in 2008- State Qualfier)
-2^nd Place- 1600m Run- 5:06.51 (State Qualifier)
Chris Foley- 3^rd Place- 3200m Run- 9:52.60
Robert Herrity- DISTRICT CHAMPION- 55m Hurdles- 8.12
- 4^th Place- Long Jump- 19' 7"
- 4^th Place- Triple Jump- 40-3.75
- 4^th Place- High Jump- 5"6'
Amira Idris- DISTRICT CHAMPION & NEW SCHOOL RECORD HOLDER!!!! Triple Jump- 35" 5.75'
- 2^nd Place- 300m Dash- 42.58
- 5^th Place- Long Jump- 15' 6.75"?
Kaitlyn Manley- 5^th Place- 55m Hurdles-10.30
Eric Palmer- 3^rd Place- 1000m Run- 2:38.27
- 5^th Place- 1600m Run- 4:34.84
Efraem Salas- 4^th Place- 55m Dash- 6.76
- 6^th Place- 300m Dash- 36.64
Leah Soukup- 3^rd Place- High Jump- 4'8"
Wes Sun- DISTRICT CHAMPION- Pole Vault- 12' 6" (Already State Qualified)
- 5^th Place- 55m Hurdles- 8.53
Curtis Sun- 2^nd Place- Pole Vault- 11' 6"
Josh Trikakis- 5^th Place- Pole Vault- 10â€™ 0â€?
Raymond Urrutia- DISTRICT CHAMPION- 300m Dash- 36.64
- 2^nd Place- 55m Dash- 6.69
Melanie Vassallo- 6^th Place- Pole Vault- 7' 0"
Lily Wang- 6^th Place- 55m Hurdles- 10.76
Kim Weinberg- DISTRICT CHAMPION- Pole Vault- 9' 0" - 4^th Place- 55m Hurdles- 9.88
Jenn Withers- 2^nd Place- Pole Vault- 8â€™ 6â€?
BOYS 4X 200m Relay- 3^rd Place- Wes Sun, Efraem Salas, Robert Herrity, & Raymond Urrutia

Full results of the district meet can be found at: http://www.chargercctrack.com/wt07results.html.

Photos from the district meet, courtesy of Tom Foley, can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/CHSrunning.

https://chantillysports.bigteams.com