Christian Doss and Charlotte DeForest led the way as Crofton swept the team titles at the Class 4A East Region track and field championships, which concluded Wednesday at North County High.
Doss garnered the gold medal in both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles and also ran a leg on the victorious 4×400 relay team to spark the Crofton boys, which piled up 168 points, doubling up runner-up North Point. Chikesandu Ogwu placed second in both hurdles races and was also a member of the 4×400 relay.
Scott Cunningham was runner-up in both the 3,200 and 1,600 for Crofton, which also captured the team crown at the Anne Arundel County Championships last week.
“We had a lot of guys that were hungry to do well at regions. They were excited about winning counties and ready to put their best foot forward,” Crofton coach Stacy Severtsen said. “We had a lot of performances that somewhat surprised us.”
Foremost among those was the 4×800 relay team of Kalebe Russ, Damola Olawode, John Bertuna and Harrison Bibeault that was projected to place fourth and instead took home the gold medal in 8:10.05.
Joining Doss and Ogwu on the 4×400 relay were Julian Treleaven and Brian Schaeffer with the foursome posting a winning time of 3:19.71. Crofton finished fourth in the 4×200 relay with Gavin Brown joining Doss, Treleaven and Schaeffer.
Doss set a personal record, winning the 110 hurdles in 14.48 seconds, which is the sixth-fastest time in Maryland this season according to athletic.net. He ran the 300 hurdles in 38.48 seconds, which was also a PR and sixth-fastest time in the state this spring.
DeForest won the long jump at a distance of 17-feet, 8 ¾-inches, placed second in the pole vault (10-9) and fourth in the triple jump as the Crofton girls amassed 135 points, 12 more than Anne Arundel rival Broadneck. The Bruins had beaten the Cardinals by 12 points at the Anne Arundel County Championships.
“It was close at the county meet and our girls were determined to change that result at regionals,” Severtsen said. “We knew the addition of the out-of-county teams would shift some points around and our girls went out and performed really well.”
Laila Carpenter also put up a lot of points for Crofton, placing second in both the 200 and 400 behind North Point standout Cohren Corbin. Carpenter also ran legs on the Cardinals’ victorious 4×100 (leadoff) and 4×200 (anchor) relay teams.
“Charlotte and Laila have been key contributors since they were freshmen and are solid foundations for the team. Their versatility is so valuable,” Severtsen said.
North County distance runner Cole Cosgrove was another double-winner, winning the mile (4:25.94) and two-mile (9:54.69).
Broadneck’s Kaleb McGhee-Rivero had a strong meet, winning the high jump (6-2) and placing second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.98 seconds. He also ran a leg on the Bruins’ 4×400 relay that finished fourth.
On the girls’ side, Broadneck had three individual winners in the field events with Dana Doubek topping the pole vault (11-9), Nkechi Streete taking the triple jump (36-8 ¾) and Sedona Clarke garnering gold in the high jump with a PR of 5-3. Abigail Shown was runner-up in the discus for the Bruins.
North County also hosted the Class 3A East Region meet and the Severna Park girls claimed the team title with 110 — 25 better than runner-up Oxon Hill.
Freshman Grace Redmond led the way for the Falcons, winning both the 1,600 and 3,200. Redmond, a member of Severna Park’s varsity field hockey team, came out for track and field this spring and has proven a natural distance runner. She set the school record in the mile with a time of 4:58 at the Black and Blue Invitational held at Johns Hopkins University earlier this season.
“Grace is a pretty big-time talent and the sky’s the limit for her,” Severna Park coach Josh Alcombright said.
Severna Park got additional points in middle distance events as Siena Pegues took third in the 1,600 and Ava Zimmerman finished third in the 800 with a school-record time of 2:14.45. The Falcons were runner-up in the 4×800 relay, but will strengthen that foursome at the state meet with the addition of Redmond.
Severna Park also got valuable points in the field events with Alexa Holt topping the pole vault and Peyton Noelle Strong taking third in the triple jump.
“As always, we were trying to get as many people as possible qualified for the state meet. The girls did their jobs and everyone performed well,” Alcombright said.
Distance standout Tsedeke Jakovics led the way as Old Mill was runner-up in the 3A East boys standings. Jakovics won the 800, placed second in the 3,200 and ran legs on the victorious 4×400 and 4×800 relay teams as the Patriots posted 91 points — five fewer than Great Mills.
Jakovics won the 800 with a time of 1:52.80 and is hoping to shave almost three seconds off that at the Class 3A state meet. The Princeton signee did not push the envelope in the 3,200 and was forced to run in the slow heat of the 1,600 because he did not compete in the event all season.
“Tsedeke was just running to qualify [in the 1,600 and 3,200],” Old Mill coach Justin Murdock said. “Our main goal for Tsedeke at states is to pop a real good time in the 800. Obviously, we would like to see him win all three individual events, but we’ll have to see how he is feeling going into each race.”
Joining Jakovics on both the 4×400 and 4×800 relays were Christian Rozanski, Chase Johnson and Colin Prato with that foursome recording winning times of 3:21.59 and 8:08.32, respectively. Prato placed second in the 800, while Tristan Sudama won the pole vault for the Patriots.
“I think our boys did a wonderful job. Everyone showed up strong and we scored points in most of the events,” Murdock said.
Severna Park had a double-winner in sophomore sensation Ben Ghahhari, who got the gold in the 3,200 (9:42.93) and 1,600 (4:23.57). Classmate Brenden Woods was runner-up in the 1,600 and fourth in the 3,200.
“Ben and Brenden are very talented runners and both will be a force to be reckoned with over the next couple years,” Alcombright said.
Have a news tip? Contact Bill Wagner at bwagner@capgaznews.com, 443-534-0102 and x.com/@BWagner_CapGaz.
Class 4A East Region Championships
Boys Team Scores
1, Crofton 168 points; 2, North Point 84; 3, Leonardtown 74; 4, Bowie 71; 5, Broadneck 69
Boys Individual Results
(winner or highest Anne Arundel finisher)
4×800 relay — 1, Crofton (K. Russ, D. Olawode, J. Bertuna, H. Bibeault, 8:10.05
4×400 relay — 1, Crofton (J. Treleaven, C. Ogwu, C. Doss, B. Schaeffer), 3:19.71
4×200 relay — 1, North Point, 1:28.12; 4, Crofton (C. Doss, G. Brown, J. Treleaven, B. Schaeffer), 1:29.40
4×100 relay — 1, C.H. Flowers, 42.73; 4, Broadneck (K. McGhee-Rivero, I. Mauldin, J. Thompson, M. Allen), 43.59
3,200-meter run — 1, Cole Cosgrove (NC), 9:54.69; 2, Scott Cunningham (CR), 9:56.72.
1,600-meter run — 1, Cole Cosgrove (NC), 4:25.94; 2, Scott Cunningham (CR), 4:25.95
800-meter run — 1, Elijah Hicks (ANN), 1:57.45
110-meter hurdles — 1, Christian Doss (CR), 14.48; 2, 2, Chikesandu Ogwu (CR),
300-meter hurdles — 1, Christian Doss (CR), 38.48; 2, Chikesandu Ogwu (CR), 40.26
100-meter dash — 1, James Harrison (CHF), 10.88; 2, Kaleb McGhee-Rivero (BN), 10.98
200-meter dash — 1, James Harrison (CHF), 21.57; 2, Kaci Davis (CR), 22.13
400-meter dash — 1, Damien Howard (SUI), 48.49; 5, Bryan Schaeffer (CR), 50.21
Long jump — 1, Wesley Meran-Henson (ME), 21-6
High jump — 1, Kaleb McGhee-Rivero (BN), 6-2
Triple jump — 1, Chavoye White (BO), 44-7 ½; 3, Josiah Akowe (GB), 43-10
Shot put — 1, Hunter Mann (LEO), 56-7 ¾; 3, Adetoye Onyekaba (CR), 49-5 ¾
Discus — 1, Hunter Mann (LEO), 162-07; 2, Anthony Mason (CR), 139-10
Pole vault — 1, Cooper Rivas (BN), 13-7; 2, Thomas Polk (CR), 13-7
Girls Team Scores
1, Crofton 135; 2, Broadneck 123; 3, North Point 109 ½; 4, C.H. Flowers 82; 5, Leonardtown 70
Girls Individual Results
4×800 relay — 1, Leonardtown, 9:46.94; 3, Crofton (K. Gallagher, A. Bristol, E. Manville, K. Waters), 9:55.06
4×400 relay — 1, North Point, 3:58.22; 2, Broadneck (L. Best, A. Coates, N. Crooks, A. Queen), 3:59.26
4×200 relay — 1, Crofton (O. Boehmer, A. Stephens, M. Culbreath, L. Carpenter), 1:40.44
4×100 relay — 1, Crofton (L. Carpenter, M. Culbreath, O. Boehmer, K. Hall), 47.89
3,200-meter run — 1, Aniya Yates (NP), 11:35.98; 3, Emma Jacobs (NC), 11:47.99
1,600-meter run — 1, Aniya Yates (NP), 5:14.72; 4, Julia Hudson (CR), 5:32.54
800-meter run — 1, Emily Maury (LEO), 2:20.99; 4, Katelyn Waters (CR), 2:22.86
100-meter hurdles — 1, Jaelynn Blackwell (CHF), 14.30; 4, Jaslyn Bangoura (ME), 14.84
300-meter hurdles — 1, Jaelynn Blackwell (CHF), 43.97; 2, 3, Jaslyn Bangoura (ME), 45.81
100-meter dash — 1, Cohren Corbin (NP), 11.81; 3, Arianna Easley (NC), 12.27
200-meter dash — 1, Cohren Corbin (NP), 23.90; 3, Laila Carpenter (CR), 25.14
400-meter dash — 1, Cohren Corbin (NP), 54.60; 2, Laila Carpenter (CR), 56.54
Pole vault — 1, Dana Doubek (BN), 11-9; 2, Charlotte DeForest (CR), 10-9
Discus — 1, Brianna Miller (CHF), 136-08; 2, Abigail Shown (BN), 108-06
Shot put — 1, Claire Baumann (LEO), 33-3 ¾; 2, Karis Belt (ANN), 31-07
Triple jump — 1, Nkechi Streete (BN), 36-8 ¾; 4, Charlotte DeForest (CR), 33-5 ½
High jump — 1, Sedona Clarke (BN), 5-3; 2, Dana Doubek (BN), 5-1
Long jump — 1, Charlotte DeForest (CR), 17-8 ¾; 2, Nkechi Streete (BN), 17-7
Class 3A East Region Championships
Boys Team Scores
1, Great Mills 96; 2, Old Mill 91; 3, Chesapeake-AA 75 ½; 4, Severna Park 75 ½; 5, Arundel 73
Boys Individual Results
(winner and/or next highest Anne Arundel finisher)
4×800 relay — 1, Old Mill (C. Rozanski, C. Johnson, C. Prato, T. Jakovics), 7:57.30; 2, Severna Park, 8:08.32
4×400 relay — 1, Old Mill (C. Rozanski, C. Johnson, C. Prato, T. Jakovics), 3:21.59; 2, Chesapeake, 3:23.68
4×200 relay — 1, Great Mills, 1:28.46; 2, Chesapeake (P. Michael, A. Diffendall, C. Ritter, C. Seabreeze), 1:29.14
4×100 relay — 1, Great Mills, 42.44; 2, Chesapeake (P. Michael, A. Diffendall, C. Ritter, C. Seabrease), 43.50
3,200-meter run — 1, Ben Ghahhari (SP), 9:42.93; 2, Tsedeke Jakovics (OM), 9:46.07
1,600-meter run — 1, Ben Ghahhari (SP), 4:23.57; 2, Brendan Woods (SP), 4:25.79
800-meter run — 1, Tsedeke Jakovics (OM), 1:52.80; 2, Colin Prato (OM), 1:54.33
110-meter hurdles — 1, Chege Kaba (AR), 14.61; 3, Gabe AkoArrey (OM), 15.09
300-meter hurdles — 1, Mobolaji Popoola (GM), 38.81; 2, Chege Kaba (AR), 38.89
100-meter dash — 1, Zachary Braden (GM), 10.70; 3, Edward Smith II (AR), 10.99
200-meter dash — 1, Kyre Grays (OH), 21.71; 4, Edward Smith II (AR), 22.27
400-meter dash — 1, Danny Simmons (OH), 49.66; 4, Samuel Blake (SP), 50.36
Long jump — 1, Derrick McKorkle (NO-C), 23-9 ½; 2, Kofi Duro (AR), 22-3
High jump — 1, Mobolaji Popoola (GM), 6-5; 2, Chege Kaba (AR), 6-3
Triple jump — 1, Kofi Duro (AR), 44-08 ½; 3, Jonathan Will (OM), 42-11 ¼
Shot put — 1, William Mandis (CHO), 53-2 ¾
Discus — 1, William Mandis (CHO), 151-06; 4, Jonas Dotson (CH), 130-02
Pole vault — 1, Tristan Sudama (OM), 12-9; 2, Chase Gage (CH), 12-3
Girls Team Scores
1, Severna Park 110; 2, Oxon Hill 85; 3, St. Charles 71; 4, Northern 63; 5, Chesapeake-AA 52
Girls Individual Results
4×800 relay — 1, Oxon Hill, 9:36.42; 2, Severna Park (Val Saenz, L. Fitzsimmons, Harper Wallace, N. Bowman), 9:45.67
4×400 relay — 1, Oxon Hill, 3:52.66; 2, Chesapeake (M. Nave, E. Odom, K. Kautz, Z. Harper), 4:07.03
4×200 relay — 1, St. Charles, 1:42.18; 2, Old Mill (C. Adkins, S. Ellis, S. Gray, A. Alejo), 1:42.99
4×100 relay — 1, Arundel (A. Gutrick, C. White, E. Kusi, K. Jackson), 48.54; 3, Severn Run, 50.54
3,200-meter run — 1, Grace Redmond (SP), 11:09.30; 3, Josephine Kamas (SP), 11:16.89
1,600-meter run — 1, Grace Redmond (SP), 5:05.44; 3, Siena Pegues (SP), 5:11.39
800-meter run — 1, Taylor Riley (OH), 2:10.96; 2, Ava Zimmerman (SP), 2:14.45
100-meter hurdles — 1, Allison Perez (NO-C), 15.59; 2, Justine Buchanan (SR), 16.02
300-meter hurdles — 1, Jacey Void (SC), 45.70; 4, Nevah Graham (NE), 49.07
100-meter dash — 1, Mya Summers (NO-C), 12.19; 2, Ce’Anna Adkins (OM), 12.42
200-meter dash — 1, Mya Summers (NO-C), 24.85; 4, Kaelyn Johnson (AR), 25.42
400-meter dash — 1, Taylor Riley (OH), 55.18; 4, Ava Zimmerman (SP), 57.76
Pole vault — 1, Alexa Holt (SP), 9-3; 2, Colleen Creswell (SR), 8-3
Discus — 1, Jecolia Holt (JMB), 118-02; 3, Claire Muteteke (CH), 104-01
Shot put — 1, Jecolia Holt (JMB), 42-0 ½; 4, Claire Muteteke (CH), 33-2 ½
Triple jump — 1, Lotus Wise (SD), 35-6; 3, Peyton Noelle Strong (SP), 33-9
High jump — 1, Savannah Weekes (SC), 5-0
Long jump — 1, Lotus Wise (SD), 16-7 ¾; 4, Isabelle Jacoby (NE), 15-6 ¼