Last Thursday saw the majority of the Seaforth track and field team compete in a conference tilt against Bartlett Yancey and Cummings, but sophomore Jack Anstrom was on his own at the Raleigh Relays.
Competing against some of the top athletes in North Carolina, Anstrom finished the 3,200-meter race in a time of 9:27.40. The time was the fastest of any sophomore in the event, and it would have won the 3,200 at last year’s 2A outdoor track and field championships.
Anstrom is already having a wildly successful year. Back in the fall, he won the 2A boys cross country state championship. And at the New Balance National Indoor Championships in Boston earlier this month, he placed 43rd out of 135 competitors in the 2-mile race with a time of 9:16.38.
Chathamites competing at Cummings last Thursday also had a solid showing, with numerous Seaforth athletes claiming first place in their respective events. Sophomore Will Cuicchi won both the 400- and 800-meter races, while sophomore Nathan Smith won the 1,600 and and sophomore Keni Thompson won the 3,200. In the field events, junior Chris Scanlon won the pole vault with a height of 7-06.00.
On the girls side, Seaforth sohomore Malana McLean won the 100- and 200-meter dashes, while sophomore Claire Morgan claimed first in both the 800- and 1,600-meter races. Junior Shayna Whitney also won the pole vault.
As a team, the Seaforth girls took home first in the 4x100 relay, edging out Cummings.
Seaforth will be one of several local schools competing at the Chatham County Championships on Saturday, along with Northwood, Chatham Central, Jordan-Matthews and Chatham Charter.
At last year’s event, Northwood won both the boys and girls titles at the event, with Seaforth finishing third in both competitions. The lone Hawks to win their individual track events at last year’s county championships were Anthony Vesce (100- and 200-meter dash) and Juliette VanOlinda (100- and 300-meter hurdles), who are both juniors now. McLean won last year’s long jump with a distance of 14-03.00.
This year’s outdoor track and field regionals will take place on May 12-13, with the state championships following the weekend after. Seaforth finished seventh in the boys 2A mideast regional and 11th in the girls in 2022.
Sports Editor Jeremy Vernon can be reached at jeremy@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @jbo_vernon.