Blair raced at the Armory for the final time this season, competing in the largest event of the season at the New Jersey Metropolitan Invitational. The meet accommodated freshman, novice and varsity divisions, attracting hundreds of athletes from across the state.
In the varsity races, Etka Ayhan '22, Kaleb Nelson '25 and Machua Muchugia '24 ran their all time-bests in the 200m in 24.01, 25.29 and 27.23, respectively, while Isaac Greene '24 ran below 4:30 for the first time to medal (4th place) in the 1600m. Isaac also ran a PR 2:02.83 in the 800m. Nikki Patterson '22 and Petra Taylor '24 both PR-ed in the 200m, Nikki dipping below the 27 second mark for the first time in her career. Brian Liu '23 did likewise with his 6th place finish in the shot put, throwing an all-time best of 39 ft, 1 in. In the long jump, Eka Ayhan was 5th; finally, Moussa Kane '23 jumped 5’, 4” in the high jump, a personal best for him.
The freshman and novice athletes also fared well. Marty Dericks '22 lowered her season-best time in the 1600m by almost 13 seconds, running 6:07 as she looks to go 6 flat by the end of the season. Abdullah Adeola '24 ran 28.55 in the novice 200m while Jack Nothstine '25 went 31.34 for a PR in the freshman division of the same distance.
With the meet postponed one day to Sunday morning due to a massive snowstorm, Blair woke up early to travel down to The Lawrenceville School’s Lavino Fieldhouse for the New Jersey Prep A State Championship meet. As a championship meet, the level of competition was high, so athletes who scored are to be congratulated for their performances.
Chloe Lau '23 placed 4th in the girls’ 55 meter hurdles, Nikki Patterson (3rd) and Petra Taylor (5th) scored team points in the 400m, while Marty Dericks did so in the 800m run. Petra (4th) and Nikki (6th) both came back to score in the 200m dash, allowing the girls’ team to place 5th overall with 19 points. On the boys’ side, Isaac Greene was 2nd in the 1600m run and third in the 800m, and Luis Jiminez '24 placed 6th in both the 400 and the 200m dashes. The boys’ team compiled 16 points for 6th place overall.