The outdoor track team has once again placed third in both Staten Island and PSAL Borough Championships. Overall points of schools were closer than ever before, with their 4×100 meter team winning both the Island and Borough Championship, and 4×800 meter relays winning at Boroughs. One highlight of the meet is Senior Christine Manneh graduating with three gold medals from these two meets alone, earning a total of thirty points for the team.
Azaniah Marcus, another accomplished senior runner and a part of the winning 4×100 meter team, placed third in the borough in both PSAL and Islands for the 100 meter sprint. As her final season comes to a close, she reflected about next year, “even though it’s a different team from last year, it’s important to practice and remember that every millisecond counts.”
Both these seniors will be missed for the energy they bring to the team, as their fellow runner Angelina Borrero said, “I am extremely proud of them and I can’t even imagine the team without them.”
Manneh expressed an equal amount of humility and gratitude. “At Boroughs, winning three gold medals felt euphoric and unbelievable can’t believe my hard work paid off,” she said. “To leave school with a good track record, it just shows that you have to lock in if you really want to be great.” Manneh will continue to run track at Wagner College, where she will be enrolled in the fall.
The 4×100 team, which qualified for PSAL City Championships, is Marcus, Juliana Apreza, Feliza Cheung, and Manneh; the 4×800 team has Avery Taggart, Bia Cialino, Asha Rivera, and their trailblazing anchor, Camille Banks. Both of these teams placed first on the island. The 4×400 team even swept into the third place spot, which consists of Marcus, Feliza, Asha, and Lizbeth Garcia.
Freshman Riley Tefft won javelin, and had times that qualified her for city’s in the 1500 meter, and 100 meter hurdles. Junior Zaria Dinkins also qualified for javelin and shot, both of which she placed third in Boroughs and Islands. Both Manneh and Tefft will also be representing Curtis at national meets.
“It was an emotional journey, but it gives me joy to see how the team has improved and developed and will continue to grow,” said Captain Shirley Ramirez.
These plentiful qualifications are the fruits of the team’s labors, with the girls pushing through the spring season’s chaotic and heated atmosphere as the year ends.
