Track & Field has always dealt with the question as to whether or not it is an individual sport or a team sport.  One's efforts are individual, but they are directed towards a team score.  This is never more apparent than at the district meet, which is the one team score which truly defines a team's season.  At this year's Concorde District championship, both the boys and girls teams learned that everyone's efforts really do count, and when one person comes up short, another must step up.  In the always competitive Concorde District, the Chargers left their marks en route to a strong 3rd place for both the boys and girls teams, with Westfield dominating on both sides.

Collectively, the Chargers earned the 3rd place label which defines their season as a team.  Individually, several team members earned All-District Honors that they may remember for a lifetime, including 3 individual team championships, and securing trips to the regional meet.  This year's meet was made all the tougher, due to cold temperatures and very windy conditions which led to a battle of attrition, as the traditionally fast times were slowed, and athletes fought strictly for the placings which would earn them points.

The boys team enjoyed two individual champions. Junior Wes Sun enjoyed his 3rd consecutive championship, to go with his indoor and last year's outdoor track title.  His jump of 13'6" was impressive, and it led a group of four Chargers who placed in the top 6.  Twin brother Curtis Sun also took a familiar 2nd place in the event, earning an automatic state qualifier, with a personal best jump of 13' 0".  Juniors Kyle Cantrell (11' 6") Josh Trikakis (11' 0") also placed 5th & 6th respectively. Jenn Withers (3rd) and Kim Weinberg (6th) also placed for the girls.

If Sun's championship was a repeat occasion, the Chargers also celebrated a first time champion in sophomore Chris Foley, who won his first career title in the 3200m run.  His was a tactical race, dualing with the wind and his closest competitor, and while his time of 9:53 was nearly 20 seconds from his best, he did demonstrate a distinct sense of racing savvy, and showed that he continues to take his game to the next level.  Also on the distance side, junior Eric Palmer earned All-District honors with his 4th place in the 1600m run. Perhaps even more satisfying was the 3rd place finish of the Boys 4x800m relay.  Running a major seasonal best of 8:11.06, the team ran perfectly, and Palmer and Foley, perennial All-District runners, were pleased to be joined by first time honorees, senior Michael Holton, and junior Wilson Bowflex Bever.

The sprinters also had a chance to flex their muscles. The girls had a particularly impressive showing. The highlight of the meet came from the strong first place, in the 4x100m relay.  This event demonstrated the Chargers depth, and included freshman Amira Idris and sophomores Meera Abdul-Malek, Tyeshia Jarrett and Genevieve Manley.  These girls also won individual honors.  Idris had the strongest meet, with silver medals won in the 100m and 200m dashes.  In addition, Manley repeated her finishes of her freshman year, with a 3rd place in the 100m and a 4th place finish in the 200m dash.  Abdul-Malek earned her first individual medal with a 5th place in the 100m dash.  In the 100m hurdles, Kim Weinberg (3rd) and Samantha Mitchual (5th) earned medals. Lastly, freshman Nina Ullom earned her first district medal with a 5th place in the 400m dash.

The boys also did well in the sprint events. As he has done all season, senior Raymond "Bugsy" Urrutia stacked up well against the best sprinters in the area.  His efforts netted him two silver medals, in the 100m and 200m dashes.  He has state-qualified in both of these events.  Junior Efraem Salas also had an outstanding meet.  He earned a very strong 4th place in the 200m dash, and ran a personal best 11.38 to automatically qualify for regionals in the 100m dash.  Senior Robert Herrity took a 3rd place in the 110m hurdles, and came back to earn a 6th place finish in the 300m hurdle event.  Freshman Mohammed Labor-Koroma earned a strong 4th place in the 400m dash, ending the scoring on the track for the Chargers.

In the throws and jumps, Chantilly also gained solid contributions.  Amira Idris scored well, taking a 2nd place in the triple jump, and 4th place in the long jump.  Senior Leah Soukup celebrated a personal best height of 4' 10" in the high jump, good for 3rd place.  Also in the high jump, two freshman scored well for the boys.  Jake Weigand showed poise and precision in his personal best jump of 5' 10", which tied for 3rd place.  Labor-Koroma also improved to a 5' 8" height which tied him for 5th place on the day.  Sophomore Sarah Meier earned her first district medal with a 4th place in the girls shot put.  Senior Tim Patrick and sophomore Jordan Young also placed for the first time, taking 6th and  5th respectively in the discus.

Those Chargers who placed at districts earned spots in the regional meet, held on Thursday& Friday, May 22nd-23rd, at Lake Braddock.

Full results can be found at: http://www.chargercctrack.com/2008ConcordeDistrictSpringTrackResults.html

Thanks to Tom Foley, for his wonderful pictures, found at:  http://picasaweb.google.com/CHSrunning

Congratulations to all athletes who participated this season, and best wishes to those moving on to regionals and states.

ALL-DISTRICT HONORS

Meera Abdul-Malek- 4th Place- 100m Dash- 13.50

Kyle Cantrell- 5th Place- Pole Vault- 11' 6"

Chris Foley- DISTRICT CHAMPION-3200m Run- 9:53.04

Robert Herrity- 3rd Place- 110m Hurdles- 15.91

6th Place- 300m Hurdles- 42.45

Amira Idris- 2nd Place- 100m Dash- 12.80

2nd Place- 200m Dash- 26.68

2nd Place- Triple Jump- 34' 9.75"

4th Place- Long Jump- 15' 8.75"

Mohammed Labor-Koroma- 4th Place- 400m Dash- 53.07

5th Place (tie)- High Jump- 5' 8"

Genevieve Manley- 3rd Place- 100m Dash- 13.14

4th Place- 200m Dash- 27.04

Sarah Meier- 4th Place- Shot Put- 29' 11.5"

Samantha Mitchual- 5th Place- 100m Hurdles- 18.48

Eric Palmer- 4th Place- 1600m Run- 4:34.03

Tim Patrick- 6th Place- Discus- 112' 0"

Efraem Salas- 4th Place- 200m Dash- 23.20

AUTOMATIC REGIONAL QUALIFIER- 100m Dash- 11.38

Curtis Sun-2nd Place- Pole Vault- 13' 0"

Wes Sun- DISTRICT CHAMPION- Pole Vault- 13' 6"

Nina Ullom- 400m Dash- 5th Place- 1:01.80

Raymond Urrutia- 2nd Place- 100m Dash- 11.20

2nd Place- 200m Dash- 22.59

Jake Weigand- 3rd Place (tie)- High Jump- 5' 10"

Kim Weinberg- 3rd Place- 100m Hurdles- 18.15

6th Place (tie)- Pole Vault- 8' 0"

Jenn Withers- 3rd Place (tie)- 8' 0"

Jordan Young- 5th Place- Discus- 114' 0"

GIRLS 4x100m Relay(Amira Idris, Tyeshia Jarrett, Meera Abdul-Malek, Genevieve Manley)-DISTRICT CHAMPION- 50.09