Randolph’s sophomore girls beat out 14 other sophomore teams to secure a first-place victory in their division at the Winter Track Sophomore/Frosh Championship, held at Drew University, on Jan. 15, 2024.
“This is a very talented sophomore class, as seen by their championship performance at the frosh/soph meet,” said Kevin Higgins, Randolph Girls Track head coach. “This is a hard-working group that will continue to improve over the next several years and compete for County championships.”
The meet kicked off with the 55-meter hurdle race, with Randolph sophomores Juliana Kusiner placing 11th and Madyson Galloza placing 12th in the competitive division.
“Honestly, my main training secrets are dedication and hard work,” Kusiner said about her approach to training. “That’s what it takes to do well in this sport. It’s not easy, but slacking is no way to success.”
In the 1600-meter run, Randolph sophomores Keili Semler placed 3rd and Lillianna Colasante placed 5th. Carlie Wysocki then dominated the 600-meter girls’ sophomore race, placing 1st as the only Randolph participant.
The sophomore girls 300-meter dash saw Seannah Parsons place 2nd, Ameerah Taylor 6th and Kusiner 20th, while Galloza placed 51st out of 61 runners. Despite their strong placements, Parsons noted, “We definitely need to improve our consistency and confidence going into the meets.”
In the 1,000-meter run, Lilah Willis secured 1st place. The team attained another 1st place finish in the 4×400 relay, with runners Willis, Wysocki, Taylor and Parsons finishing a full 10 seconds ahead of Mount Olive.
“Carlie Wysocki and Lilah are two of the top middle-distance runners in the county, and Seannah Parsons and Ameerah Taylor are two of the top sprinters and jumpers,” Higgins noted. “This mix of girls will remain unstoppable in the next few seasons running together.”
In the sophomore girls high jump, Willis placed 4th overall, representing Randolph as the only sophomore high jumper at the meet.
“I think the sophomores are doing really well so far, and I think they will improve with their dedication in the next few seasons,” said April Kusiner, a senior captain of the girls winter track team.
With a score of 64 points, Randolph’s sophomore girls clinched 1st place overall for the girls sophomore teams, an impressive 20 points ahead of the second-place team, dominating the girls’ teams in participation. The Randolph team’s hard work and dedication paid off. It was an exciting win, and it looks like there is a bright future ahead for the members of the team.
