Track crashes into Falcons' nest

MARCH 30, POOLESVILLE—

The boys' track team improved after its loss to Seneca Valley on March 24 to beat the Poolesville Falcons 76-61, while the girls' team fell to Poolesville 56-81 after its strong win over Seneca Valley.

The boys placed well in distance, sprinting and field events, thanks to senior co-captains Matt Sheldon and Esey Kidane and seniors Perry Smith, Jr., and Hansel Cedeno. Kidane credits the team's success to a strong work ethic. "We worked harder at practice, and it made a difference," he said.

The surprise win for the boys came in the 400m, where freshman Aaron Townsend, senior Sekou Kourouma and sophomore Vainthe Julien placed in the top three in the event.

The girls' team points to absent athletes and stronger competition as the cause of its surprise loss. "We were missing key runners, so we had to make do with what we had, and we did our best. We had some people step up, but it wasn't enough," said senior co-captain Alysia Isong.

Key sprinter Narique Dixon, a junior, was absent on the day of the meet. Freshman Nalaisha Walker filled her spot masterfully, claiming first in the 100m dash and taking Dixon's place on the 4x200m relay team that placed second to the Falcons. However, Walker got a bad cramp during the 400m, leaving an empty hole in the first leg of the race.

Freshman Katie Zalaya filled the hole helping the relay team to first place. "I was really impressed with [Zalaya's] performance. She did really well as a freshman who had never run with us before," said senior co-captain Nicole Gray.

As usual, the freshman twins Ashlyn and Halsey Sinclair performed well, but their high-scoring races were not enough to bring the girls' team a victory. The Sinclairs placed first and second in the 800m and 1600m races. Ashlyn Sinclair placed first in the 3600m, and Halsey Sinclair placed second to Poolesville in the 300m hurdles.

The next meet is at home against Walter Johnson on April 27.