By Liam Krimmel
Sports Editor
As the school year begins closing in, so do many of the sport seasons here at Neshaminy. The Neshaminy boys and girls track team finished their season with a strong finish. The boys’ team finished their season with an impressive 6-1 record and also finished as the second best team in the Suburban One League conference.
The boys’ team had many standout athletes who have made great impacts towards the team
efforts during dual meets against other schools in the league.
Athletes like senior Dave Marrington, who has won the 300 hurdles at all dual meets to help Neshaminy gain a few points to better the chances of
winning the meet. Ben Matzke, who runs the 400 meter, 300 meter hurdles, and the 4×400 meter relay, has always contributed to scoring points alongside Marrington in the 300 hurdles and the 4×400 meter
relay with Sean Conway, Kyle O’Connell, and Anthony Murray.
On the Distance side, Neshaminy’s mile and two mile runners are always making huge assists with scoring points. Freshman Rusty Kujdych, two miler, has always placed first or second at all the dual meets, taking on other athletes who are juniors and seniors. Recently, Kujdych finished his season as the number one freshman in the state and number 14 in the nation and also set the 3200 meter run in a time of 9:35:67.
Seniors Eric Chapman, Dustin Willing, and Jack Haines run the mile and two mile and
always focus on taking third place while Kujdych tries and place first. The boys also set the school record for the 4 x mile in at the Central Bucks West relays invitational with a time of 18:42, finishing in 5th place.
On the jumpers side, senior D’andre Pollard, who has won two title in the Triple and long jump at the Suburban One League National Conference, has made great contributions to the team, has left his mark in jumping here at Neshaminy.
In the high jump, senior Brian Plunkett, who also competes in the 800 meter run, the 4×800 meter relay, and the 5000 meter, has always helped the boys out when it comes to scoring points at dual meets. The senior has competed at the Indoor Track and Field state championships and is the only runner from Neshaminy to qualify for the PIAA District 1 Championship meet in the 800 meter with a personal best of 1:58:95 minutes.
The throwers for Neshaminy have also made great assists this season with scoring points in throwing events such as Javelin, shot-put and the discus throw. Seniors Luke Hellyer and Tyler Irwin have made great improvements from last season and their progress has shown by scoring many points to help Neshaminy secure a win.
Newcomer Jehsus Santiago has made a huge dent in progress this season. Recently, Santiago won the Javelin at the Suburban One League conference with a throw of 164-4 feet and is the first thrower for Neshaminy to qualify for the PIAA District One Championship meet.
On the girls’ side, the Neshaminy track and field squad had a very strong season with a 4-3 record and finishing third at the Suburban One League National Conference. The girls’ team had a great season with the help of their coach Margie Stefan and senior captain Cheyenne Oswald. The team as a whole is a true force to be reckoned with by any school in the league.
On the individual portion of the time, Senior Alyssa Zukowski broke the record for the 100 meter Hurdles in a time of 15.06 seconds and also qualified for the PIAA Track and Field State Championship meet at Shippensburg, Pa.
Besides Zukowski setting school records, the girl’s 4×400 meter relay record, set back in was broken this year by Seniors Cheyenne Oswald and Abby Alexis, Sophomore Saloni Hebron, and Freshman Madison Bolli, setting a new time of 4:00.73 minutes.
On the distance side, many standout athletes like freshman Kabrina Weaver and Junior Natalia Bastida have made great progress from this past season. Both varsity athletes have hit the sub 6 minute barrier in the mile and performed very well at the Suburban One League National Meet.
