Article by Phoenix writer Nicholas Cortese ’23:
In an ever evolving weather day on April 2, the Lady Firebird track and field team stayed firm and determined. Chelsea Ezumah had her best day with a medal performance in the shot pout and a personal best in the discus, Olivia Spirakis picked up from her award winning winter season to double medal in the triple and long jumps. Ally Abrahams medaled in the 400 before joining her teammates Klaudia Kurek, Lisa Anderson and Spirkais to take bronze in the 4×100 relay. Anderson had earlier medaled in the 200. Shannon Pulis impressed in the grueling 3000 meter steeplechase. The final female medalists of the day right before the boys record breaking 4×100 victory was the freshman-Sophomore medley relay team of Alexa Cornella, Story Steinburg, E.J. Darcy, and Sienna Pimental, who ran a courageous anchor leg in securing the medals for her teammates.
The unheralded Girls Track team continued on their path to noticeable improvement at Saturday April 15th’s Dennis Walker Relays. The group was led by senior Lisa Anderson, who after a week of a breakthrough long jump performance, turned in a scintillating anchor leg to bring her teammates Ally Abrahams, Mackenzie Brown, and Sienna Pimental to a silver medal performance. Anderson later teamed with senior Olivia Spirakis to win gold in the combined long jump relay.
Lisa was one of many to achieve personal goals, and when these goals stack, they translate into achievements for the whole team. She said, “It felt good to finally hit my personal record in long jump, and winning a gold medal alongside my supportive teammate Olivia created an important win for me and my team.”
Spirakis has also been jumping her way to new heights by hop, skip, and jumping to the Catholic league’s current top triple jump. Winning gold medals as well was the Distance Medley relay quartet of Caleigh Hopkins, Katerina Mazur, Shanon Pulis, and Mikhaela Dennean. With rapidly improving marks turned in by throwers Chelsea Ezumah, Gabby Doris, Damyrna Neas, Bianca Jean-Baptiste, and a strong, rising underclassmen undercard of Brown, E.J. Darcy, Story Seidenberg, Riley Fallon, Caroline Malewski, Anabelle Senatus, and Alexa Cornella, a season of surprises looms ahead.
