By scoring points in the majority of events and having multiple individual place finishers, the Bishop O’Connell Knights posted a strong showing at the recent Virginia State Catholic Track & Field Championships.
O’Connell won the boys high-school meet with 151 points. In the girls competition, the Knights were second with 108.5, trailing winner Paul VI Catholic with 148.
A year ago, the O’Connell boys finished third in the meet with 74 points and the O’Connell girls were fourth with 70.
“We have much more depth and talent this season, a nucleus of 10 to 15 high-quality performers, and we have top athletes from different sports contributing well,” O’Connell coach Jim Connor said. “That has helped us be successful in big meets.”
One of the top performers for the boys was senior Job Grant. He won the 100-meter dash in 11.15 seconds, was third in the long and triple jumps and ran on O’Connell’s winning 4×100 (42.80) and 4×400 (3:26.98) relays.
Grant was O’Connell’s starting quarterback during the fall and was on the boys basketball team this past winter. He will attend the U.S. Naval Academy.
“Job is a great sprinter and athlete, and he can do a lot of things in track and field very well,” Connor said.
Cameron Lee, Mori Langshaw, Duarte Alves, Trevor Klein and Anthony Lenzini were among other top placers for the boys.
Alves won the 110 hurdles (15.58) and was second in the 300 hurdles and triple jump. Klein won the discus (109-feet, 4-inches) and was second in the shot put. Lenzini took second in the 3,200 and fifth in the 1,600. Lee was third in the 800 and fourth in the 400. Langshaw was third in the 110 hurdles, sixth in the long jump and 10th in the triple jump.
Luke Bryman finished fourth in the 100 and seventh in the high jump, Mateo Gruendel took third in the high jump, Jayden Crosby third in the 400, Connor Redfield was fourth in the 200, Christopher Lucas fourth in the 1,600, Nick O’Donnell fourth in the 800, Jay Thompson eighth in the shot and 12th in the discus, and Austin Coleman was seventh in the discus and ninth in the shot.
O’Connell’s 4×800 relay was third.
For the O’Connell girls, Chayse Raymond won the 100 (12.43), was second in the 200 and long jump and third in the triple jump. Molly Weitham won the 1,600 (5:28.93) and 3,200 (12:06.55). Megan Heuschel won the 300 hurdles and was fourth in the 100 hurdles.
Carolina Rosson placed second in the triple jump, fourth in the long jump and fifth in the 100. Mary Boniface was fourth in the shot and discus and seventh in the 100 hurdles. Eva Woodcock finished third in the 300 hurdles, sixth in the 100 hurdles, seventh in the high and triple jumps and 12th in the long jump.
Anna Chiappetta was fourth in the 800 and eighth in the 400, Rowan Nolen was fifth in the 1,600, Danielle Rodriguez ended up fifth in the 400, Kathryn Sarrage took fifth in the high jump and Samantha Rough was seventh in the 100.
The one remaining big meet for the O’Connell teams is the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championships.
“There will be a lot of talent at that meet and we are very excited about how we can do,” Connor said.