Track athletes take titles

Seniors Kelsie Benjamin and Jake Evans and junior Marion Gendron came home winners from the Feb. 12 Section II, Division IV indoor track championships.

Benjamin won the sectional shot put for the third time with a throw of 36 feet, 6 inches and also took the weight throw with a distance of 30 feet, 11 inches, which breaks her own school record by just over a foot.

Evans won the 55-meter hurdles in 8.47 seconds. He was second in the 300 meters in 39.39 and second in the long jump at 20 feet, 4.75 inches. Teammate Jared DeRusha, also a senior, was third at 20 feet, 2.5 inches. The event was very close, with Greenwich’s Anthony Bartolucci winning at 20 feet, 6.75 inches.

Evans’ time in the hurdles was a school record, breaking his own mark of 8.48 seconds set earlier this season. The race also marked the first time he defeated top-seeded Mike Fiacco of Granville.

Gendron won the 1,500-meter race walk with a time of 9 minutes, 46 seconds. It was her third straight sectional title in the event.

Georgette Hasson was eighth in the shot put at 25 feet, 6.75 inches and Maggie Benjamin was 13th at 21-10.75. The Railroaders were seventh in the girls’ meet with 10 points.

DeRusha placed second in the triple jump at 40-3.5 and was seventh in the shot put at 36-3.75. Freshman Ryan St. Clair was 20th in the shot put at 24-1.5. DeRusha’s triple jump was a school record, breaking the mark of 38-5 he set earlier this season. The boys were seventh with 40 points.

Evans’ long jump was a school record, breaking the mark of 19-6.5 set by DeRusha in last week’s Wasaren Championships. DeRusha had won that event with Evans third at 18-9.

In the league meet, Evans was second in the 50-meter hurdles in 7.76 and second in the 300 in 39.01. Freshman P.J. Ferguson was fourth in the 3,200 meters in 11:53.43. In the shot put, St. Clair was 10th at 22-7.

Kelsie Benjamin won the Wasaren meet for the fourth straight time by throwing the shot put 34 feet, 10.5 inches. Hasson was seventh at 23-4 and Maggie Benjamin 10th at 21-1.25.

Gendron was fourth in the triple jump at 45-4, seventh in the 300 at 50.98 and eighth in the 600 at 2:08.53.