Girls' Track

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 Newbury

Sarah Newbury holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Harvard University (2015) and a master’s degree in applied mathematics from Columbia University (2016); she joined Blair’s math faculty in 2017 as a teacher of algebra 2 and precalculus. Ms. Newbury gained teaching experience during her master’s program working as a Barnard College physics lab teaching assistant, and she has also worked as a math and science tutor. As an undergraduate, she interned several summers at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and participated in the Teaching Opportunities in Physical Sciences program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she taught physics to middle- and high-school students for a summer. She also served as co-president and pianist for a Harvard musical group that performed at local nursing homes and hospitals. An assistant coach for Blair’s winter and spring track teams, Ms. Newbury lives in Ringe House and serves dorm duty on Flight Deck.

Meet Coach Campbell

Zackary Campbell joined Blair’s faculty in 2019, following his graduation from Bates College with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. During his years at Bates, he captained the track team and  served as a residence coordinator team leader, a teaching assistant in the Bates College Math and Statistics Workshop and a senior fellow in the admission office. An alumnus of The Lawrenceville School, Zackary teaches algebra 2 and pre-calculus and coaches track and football at Blair. 

Meet Coach Friend

Keenan Friend, a member of Blair’s mathematics faculty since 2018, teaches geometry and multivariable calculus. He received dual degrees (BA and MA) in mathematics, graduating from the University of Pennsylvania summa cum laude. As an undergraduate, he distinguished himself in the department as a teaching assistant for three years, as instructor of a calculus course and as the recipient of the departmental teaching award. Keenan taught in Penn’s Pre-Freshman Program, mentoring incoming freshmen in courses designed to assist them in transitioning to college life. He is an avid runner and cyclist, and coaches cross country and track at Blair. In his free time, he also enjoys guitar and cooking.

Meet Coach Towne

Language teacher Mitchell Towne joined Blair’s faculty in 2019 after spending three years in Rome with the Paideia Institute for Humanistic Study. As part of this nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading access to the study of Latin and ancient Greek, Mitchell led classical tours around Italy, Greece and Sicily and taught in language programs. He is a 2016 graduate of Williams College with a bachelor’s degree in classics. A varsity swimmer at Williams, Mitchell coaches swimming and track at Blair.

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

View more photos from the 2020 season on Blair's Photoshelter or past years on Blair's Flickr.