Track sprints towards title

MONTGOMERY BLAIR HIGH SCHOOL—

There were 200 meters left in the race. All the runners of the 4x4 relay dashed towards the finish line in a group. Suddenly, senior David Shope pulled away from the pack and sped across the finish line, collapsing on the side of the track and winning the race.

Shope's finish was a perfect finale to a great meet in which the Blair girls beat Rockville High School 103-24 and the boys won 101-18. The boys' and girls' teams won every relay and placed in every event to improve both teams' season records to 3-0.

Part of Blair's success was the result of a small Rockville team that left many events vacant of opposing runners. For the most part, however, the victory came from the strength of both first-year and veteran track members.

The boys' team has benefited from new track stars such as sophomore Perry Smith, who leaped 18 feet, 7 inches in the meet, and junior Brian Djenodjieon, who won the 400-meter dash.

Junior sprinter Cedric Mack feels the boys' team has improved in large part due to the athletes who run track for fall and winter off-season training.

According to Head Coach James Short, if both teams win their next two meets against Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Einstein high schools, they have a good shot at winning the division.

Short also feels the track athletes are becoming a team. Though the girls are simply "continuing a tradition" of excellence, they continue to prove their capacity for cooperation and athletic ability. When distance runner and captain Hayley Wynn was absent at the Rockville meet, senior Kim Schaerdel filled in for her in the two-mile race for the first time in competition and placed first.

Senior Ashley Moorefield was impressed with the team's efforts to fill in for Wynn and sophomore sprinter Jamie Kovach, who was also absent. "Everyone did a good job taking their roles. Those are big shoes to fill," Moorefield said.