Track and Field

Blair’s winter track program is designed to accommodate both experienced and novice runners at distances from 200 to 3,200 meters. Athletes also participate in track-and-field events, including horizontal jumps and indoor shot put. The season places significant emphasis on preparation for the spring athletic season for both track and non-track and field events.

We train on campus in our seasonal winter sports complex. In the “bubble,” all of our equipment, including jump mats, hurdles, weights, pulleys, sleds, medicine balls and bands, is readily available, and there is plenty of room to practice jumps, throws and running events. Weather permitting, we also train on local roads and on our all-weather track, all in preparation for open meets at various universities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In addition to our open schedule, we also compete in the state prep and Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) championship meets held in the Lavino Fieldhouse at The Lawrenceville School. Interested runners should contact Coach Browse or Coach Markolovic.   

Meet Coach Markolovic

Chemistry teacher Suzana Markolovic holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and chemical biology from Cornell University (2013) and a PhD 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, where she studied the function of a transporter protein in prostate cancer. She gained teaching experience through the NIH, Oxford Royale Academy and Choate Summer Programs. Suzana was a four-year member of Cornell’s cross country and track and field teams and served as women’s captain of Oxford University’s cross country club. She is the head coach of Blair’s boys’ and girls' indoor and outdoor track and field teams and is married to English teacher John Redos ’09. 

Meet Coach Browse

Head coach for distance runners R. Latta Browse, appointed in 1982, graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1978 from Middlebury College with a BA in mathematics. In 1989, he earned an MALS in Islamic studies at Columbia University and, in 1991, received his CAS in mathematics from Wesleyan University. Latta taught high school mathematics as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malaysia from 1978 to 1981. For two years, he taught at Antwerp International School as an international baccalaureate math teacher. Over the years, Latta has served in a variety of capacities, including housemaster of Davies, West and Mason Halls, dorm resident in Locke, and sophomore class monitor. He has also served as head or assistant coach for a myriad of sports, including JV soccer, JV baseball, varsity soccer, varsity baseball, winter track and boys' cross country. Latta is currently head coach of the girls' cross country team. He is married to Carolyn Conforti-Browse '79, a veteran English teacher at Blair. They have two children: Tyler '08 and Annelies '13.

Meet Coach Chamberlin

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 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 Rowny

Appointed in 2020, Julia Rowny is Blair’s math department chair. She is a 2008 graduate of Kenyon College with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a 2020 graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she earned her Ed.M. in learning and teaching and instructor leadership. Julia’s experience in the classroom includes 10 years as a math teacher at Hopkins School, where she was also a track and cross country coach. In addition to her duties as department chair, she teaches math and coaches girls’ cross country and track. Julia is married to fellow Blair math teacher Stephen Sacchetti, and they live in Annie Hall.
 

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

View photos from the 2019-2020 season or past years on Blair's Flickr.

The "bubble"-enclosed winter sports complex is a seasonal landmark on Blair's campus during the coldest months of the year. Created by enclosing a portion of the tennis center under an air dome, the facility features two tennis courts and a turf field, giving teams plenty of room to practice. 

The winter track team has found the extra space and ability to set up hurdles at further distances a huge advantage as athletes train for competitions.