Lake wins 'team' title

By MIKE FINNEY
Staff reporter
05/20/2001

WOODSIDE - The Lake Forest High girls team could have looked at the record book and given up all hope in Saturday's Delaware High School Track and Field Championships.

Under the heading "Division II girls champion," it read "Ursuline." For the past 10 years.

But the inspired Spartans shrugged it off. Despite winning just three individual championships, depth carried Lake Forest to its first state title since 1983.

"At our first practice this spring, we had written on the bulletin board, 'Where will you be on May 18 and 19?' " said Lake Forest coach Jim Blades. "I guess they showed where they were going to be. They won it all."

Lake Forest scored 101 points and was followed by Hodgson's 85, Ursuline's 78 and Polytech's 71.

Stephanie Thompson won the shot put (34 feet, 7.5 inches) and the discus (105-1), and Neshia Giddens won the 100 meters (12.69 seconds) for the Spartans.

"I just said to myself, 'I can do this if I try,' " Giddens said. "I just had to do the things I did in the dual meets, and it would all work out. And I did it."

Said Blades: "I think our team truly showed what track and field is about. ... It is track and field.

"Ursuline's had a great run for 10 years; it's nice that someone else gets a chance to win."

Colleen Taylor of Ursuline was the individual standout in Division II, winning the 1,600 (5:11.44), the 800 (2:17.36) and the 3,200 (11:39.19).

She became the first girl in Division II history to pull off a sweep of the distance events at the state championship meet. She won her fourth consecutive state title in the 1,600.

"It's tough that our streak ended," said Taylor, who will run track at

Villanova starting this fall. "I know it's said a lot, but in this sport, really, on any day, anything can happen."

Hajec's wins lead Caesar Rodney to state title

By MIKE FINNEY
Staff reporter
05/20/2001

WOODSIDE - Glasgow High's Kamilah Salaam and Christiana's Danielle Bailey were in the spotlight Saturday.

The speedsters did not disappoint.

Salaam blazed to victories in three events and was on a winning relay team, while Bailey took home a couple of gold medals in the Delaware High School Track and Field Championships at Polytech.

But their wins didn't stop Caesar Rodney from quietly piling up the points to win the Division I girls title.

It was the first team title for the Riders since they won three in a row from 1978 to '80. They finished with 110 points, surpassing Brandywine's 88.5, Christiana's 60.5 and Dover's 60.

"We met this morning before the meet, and I told them that in order for us to pull this thing off, somebody was going to have to do something special," said Caesar Rodney coach Brian Berns. "It turns out they all took that to heart and did something special."

Distance specialist Jill Hajec was the catalyst for Caesar Rodney. She won the 1,600 in 5:19.88 and the 3,200 in 11:56.65.

"We thought we had a chance to win the state championship," Hajec said. "We had it in the back of our minds, but we didn't let it get into our heads. We just kept working hard and plugging away."

Caesar Rodney also took first in three relays. The Riders' 4 x 200 relay team of Jessica Schultz, Latashi Stafford, Sheena Harris and Antonia Adams nipped Dover with a time of 1:45.90.

The 4 x 400 relay team of Rosa White, Adams, Samantha Morrison and Schultz won in 3:57.41. On Friday, Caesar Rodney's 4 x 800 team of Kashante Codner, Stephanie Garcia, Hajec and Morrison won in 10:43.72.

Individually, Salaam also came up big Saturday, winning the 100 hurdles in 15.52 seconds, the 300 hurdles in 44.48, the 200 in 24.18 and running on Glasgow's winning 4 x 100 relay.

"That's pretty good ... four golds," said Salaam, a sophomore. "I was ready today."

In the 200, Salaam edged friend and rival Bailey in a scramble before a screaming grandstand.

Bailey was a double winner with victories in the 100 in 12.36 and the 400 in 56.13.

"That was pretty good, but my times were not exactly what I wanted to do," said Bailey, who will run at Seton Hall starting this fall. "My most pleasing race was the 400; that's my first state championship in that event. My 100 was OK."

McKean's Mandy Stille also brought home two firsts. She won the triple jump with a leap of 35 feet, 1 inch and the long jump at 17-2.5.

But no team could leap past Caesar Rodney.

"We've all worked hard for this," Hajec said. "I'm really proud of my team."

Reach Mike Finney at 734-7945 or send an e-mail.

The News Journal/GARY EMEIGH
Christiana's Danielle Bailey leads the pack on the way to victory in the Division I 100-meter dash on Saturday. Bailey also won the 400.