Girls' Track & Field

Blair Academy as an institution strives to educate the whole person. We seek to provide a balance between challenging academics and rich extracurricular experiences. The vast majority of our coaches are also teachers, and our students work hard to be successful in the classroom, on the athletic field and within the community.

Blair's track teams operate within this context with a spring schedule of 10 or more meets ranging from dual meets to large relay meets. We compete in all typical high school running and field events, including pole vault and javelin.

Blair offers cross country in the fall and track in the winter and spring, making it possible for a student to run competitively all year long. Few students choose to do this, of course, but the truly dedicated athlete has this option. Dr. Martin Miller coaches the boys’ cross country team in the fall and the distance runners in the spring, while R. Latta Browse coaches girls’ cross country in the fall and is head winter track coach. There is, therefore, continuity in the coaching staff from one season to the next.

Our interscholastic Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) is a very competitive one that includes Lawrenceville, Peddie, Hill, Mercersburg and Hun. These schools, along with numerous other New Jersey private schools, provide the bulk of our competition. We have taken a mile relay team to the Penn Relays every year for nearly a decade and have also competed in the Hill Relays, the Randolph Relays and the East Coast Relays, among others.

The boys' and girls' teams have produced their share of successes, including a qualifier for nationals in the girls’ 1,500 in 2004 and a boys’ distance medley relay team which qualified for the Penn Relays in 2003. The boys’ team won the state prep championship in 2002 and the girls’ team has made steady improvement in their competitive position over the years. Most recently, we've sent athletes to the national championships in the boys' 4 x 400, girls' 100, boys' 100, 200 and 400, and the long jump. In 2016, Blair was home to the number-one long jumper in the country.

Track is a wonderful way to develop speed, strength and self discipline; we invite students to become part of the Blair track family. We look forward to meeting prospective runners and encourage those interested in the team to call or email the coaching staff or contact us when you visit Blair.

Meet Coach Markolovic

Chemistry teacher Dr. Suzana Markolovic holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and chemical biology from Cornell University (2013) and a Doctor of Philosophy in organic chemistry from the University of Oxford (2017). Before coming to Blair in 2018, Suzana worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Cancer Institute, and gained teaching experience through the NIH, Oxford Royale Academy and Choate Summer Programs. In addition to teaching, Suzana coaches cross country and outdoor track at Blair.

Suzana brings 13 years of running experience to Blair. Her running career started at the Academy of Holy Angels (Demarest, NJ), where she received all-county and state parochial team honors and helped lead her team to its first ever state sectional championship. After high school, Suzana was a four-year member of Cornell University’s Division I cross country and winter and spring track & field teams. At Cornell, Suzana was a distance runner and specialized in the 3K steeplechase. After Cornell, Suzana ran for the Oxford University Cross Country Club (OUCCC) for three years. During her time at Oxford, Suzana took on the role of Women’s Captain in her second year. After returning to United States, Suzana participated in local Parkruns in the Washington DC area before making the move to Blairstown.

Suzana lives in Annie Hall with her husband, English teacher and Women’s Rowing Coach, John Redos ‘09.

Meet Coach Thomas

A teacher of fine art at Philadelphia-area independent schools since 2009, Evan Thomas joined Blair’s faculty in 2015 as a teacher of drawing, painting and portfolio. He holds a BS in art education from Kutztown University (2009) and an MA in art education from Boston University (2013). Currently the director of the Pennsylvania Art Education Association’s non-public division, Evan is interested in STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics), the subject of his graduate research, and passionate about engaging local communities in art. Outside the classroom, he operates a successful portrait and wedding photography business and coaches recreational squash and spring track at Blair. Evan serves dorm duty on Flight Deck and lives in Ringe House.

Meet Coach Thatcher

Chris Thatcher joined Blair’s faculty in 2016 as a chemistry and physics teacher and assistant wrestling coach. During a 23-year career in engineering, Chris worked in pharmaceutical manufacturing, validation consulting, and medical device research and development. He earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering at Princeton University (1993), where he was a four-year Division I wrestler and cross country runner and two-year captain of the wrestling team. Chris has served as Blair’s assistant wrestling coach since 2012, and, in addition to continuing in this role, he is the assistant coach of varsity softball. He serves on the staff of the Center for Innovation and Collaboration and the Lakeside dormitory. He and his wife, Kristi, and their children, Tyler, Tanner, Chelsea, and Adison, live in Blairstown. Chris enjoys trail running, hiking and do-it-yourself projects and has coached more than 30 youth recreational sports teams.

Meet Coach Queally

Cally Queally was appointed to Blair’s English faculty in 2020. She earned her bachelor’s degree in creative writing in 2020 at Hamilton College, where she minored in psychology and theatre and captained the ski team. She gained teaching and mentoring experience during summer internships at Northfield Mount Hermon School (2019) and the Meadowbrook School of Weston (2018, 2019). Cally teaches English and coaches the ski team at Blair, and she lives in Kathryn Hall with her golden retriever, Toby. She is working on a fantasy novel, which she hopes to publish someday.

Meet Coach Chamberlain

Caroline Chamberlain joined Blair's faculty as a member of our science department. Caroline has her bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College and a master's degree from Seton Hall. She has spent the last ten years teaching science at Delbarton. At Delbarton, she coached girls' soccer for two years and track and field for nine years.

Meet Coach Hanson

Fine arts teacher and assistant spring track coach Robert Hanson earned a bachelor’s degree in art at Yale University (2002), where he walked on to the track team to throw javelin, hammer, and discus. Out of his four years as a team member, he was able to place 3rd in discus and javelin against Harvard his senior year. In 2019, he coached middle school throwers at a Delbarton track camp in New Jersey. In high school, he was a team captain at the Cate School in California and broke the school record in discus.

View directions to athletic events. To read recaps about past events, go to the "Team News" tab above.

View photos from the past few seasons on Blair's Photoshelter or past years on Blair's Flickr.