Regionals are last leg for most runners

MAY 17, CHURCHILL HIGH SCHOOL--
Blair's track and field team placed low in the continuation of the rain-delayed 4A West Regional Championships today, with few runners qualifying for the upcoming state competition.

Blair's performance in the tournament was highlighted by the 4 x 200 meter girls' relay team of seniors Kamilya Walker and Colby Chapman and juniors Jamie Kovach and Nicole Gray, whose fourth place time qualified them for states.

Chapman and Kovach placed third and fourth, respectively, in the girls long jump, also qualifying them for the state tournament. Senior Laurel Jefferson qualified for both the 800 and 3200-meter distance races.

Coach Hugo Harrison attributed the lack of qualifiers to the inexperience of the team as a whole. "We have a really young group, and a lot of the kids didn't make it from counties to regionals. It's a rebuilding process," he said.

Disappointment echoed in the voices of several runners. "We just screwed up," said senior Briand Djenodjilem, following an unfortunate defeat against his 4 x 100 meter relay team. The loss was caused by faulty hand-offs between runners, according to Harrison.

After placing a disappointing eighth in the girls' shot-put and discus events and not performing as well as in the county tournament, sophomore Angela Hayes cited the weather as another factor. "It's really cold, but the [officials] only let us wear just our uniforms. A lot of people's times are off because of it," she said.

Despite the losses, Harrison was pleased with the team's effort throughout the season. "The best part of this is the mentality of not giving up. I really like to see that," he explained.