The Concorde District Indoor Track Championships is always the primary team goal each season, with a high level of competition awaiting the Chargers on an annual basis. With regional berths on the line, and the opportunity to etch one’s name into Chantilly’s rich history of post-season success stories, this year’s team rose to the challenges which lay before them. The end results will show that the boy’s team ended up with a solid 3rd place, while the girls took 5th, but the individual efforts that went into the team finishes represented tales which represented some of the best which this year’s batch of Chantilly have ever achieved.
The boys started the meet with dreams of competing for a team title, and while those ambitions fell short in the end, it was not for a lack of stellar athletes doing their best to contribute. The star of the two day meet had to be junior co-captain Mohamed Labor-Koroma, Jr. Labor-Koroma competed in six events over the two day meet, three on each day, and scored in five of them. On the first day, January 28th, Labor-Koroma started his meet by anchoring the boys 4×800m relay, with senior Matt Cumpian, and junior Eric Rolfe and Samuel Tucker III, all of whom earned personal bests. His personal best time of 1:59.94 led the relay to a better-than-expected 3rd place finish, earning his three teammates their first career all-district medals, and a trip to regionals. Literally moments after he left the track, he scampered over to the long jump, where he ended up in a tie for 6th place, losing out on a scoring spot on a tie breaker, despite a career best leap of 19′ 4.5″. His last event of the first day was the pole vault, an event in which he had only competed in once, with a 9′ 0″ personal best. Showing his strength and athleticism, Mo improved by an incredible 1′ 6″, earning a sixth place finish at 10′ 6″.
If Labor-Koroma’s first day was impressive, his second day, one week later, showed why he may be one of the absolute best athletes in the Northern Region. Running on his 17th birthday, Mohamed was determined to do anything he could to carry his team. He started his day with the 500m Dash, an event in which he was the defending district and regional champion from last year. He went after the field from the gun, strongly and confidently striding away from everyone else to run the best time in the region this year of 1:06.64, breaking his own school record which was set last year. In the next hour, he would also take his second gold medal in the 300m dash, in a personal best time of 36.44, and hustling back to take 4th in the high jump in a seasonal best mark of 5′ 10″. At the end of the meet, Labor-Koroma had more than done his part for the team, contributing to 31 team points.
With Labor-Koroma carrying his weight in the sprints and field events, the Chargers were also led in the distance events by senior All-Met Chris Foley. In the regular season, Foley has enjoyed his best career regular season, earning personal bests in each race, including the current national best time in the 3200m run. Foley more than pulled his weight in this meet, earning one gold and two silver medals, as one of only two runners in the meet to do the ultra-difficult 1600m/1000m/3200m triple. In the first week, Foley competed in the 1600m run, running an agressive race en route to a close 2nd place in 4:22.01, being nipped by Centreville’s Yazid Zoumaia, the top seed in the event. In the second week, Foley started off his evening with a solid win in the 1000m run, defending his top seed with a 2:35.49 time. With just over a hour of rest, Foley jumped into the 3200m run. Racing again against Zoumaia, the US #2 runner who ran fresh, Foley fought hard to a 2nd place finish of 9:35.77, completing his meet with 26 points.
Historically, one of the strengths of the Charger Track program has been the pole vault. In recent years, Chantilly has been strong and deep. Despite graduation hitting the team hard, the team still boasts the top vaulter in the district, in Chris Menzel. A year ago, Menzel was only the fifth best vaulter on the team; in 2010, he is ranked third in the Northern Region, and took his first career district title with a personal best vault of 12′ 6″. His victory continues a string of championships for Coach Nick Burgoyne, who has enjoyed success at the district, regional and state levels over the past several years with several boys and girls. Menzel also contributed 4 more points to the team with a strong 4th place in the 55m hurdles.
While three boys accounted for the team’s four gold medals in the 15 events, they were not the only one’s to shine. Sophomore Arthur McDuffy scored points in both horizontal jumps, with a 2nd place finish in the triple jump (42′ 0.75″) and a fifth place in the long jump (19′ 6.5″). Senior Ryan McWeeny earned a career best 3rd place in the 55m Hurdles (8.38), as well as a tie for 6th in the high jump, with a personal best height of 5′ 6″. Freshman Sean McGorty concluded the scoring for the Chargers with a personal best time of 9:55.99 in the 3200m, earning his first trip to regionals with a 5th place finish.
While the boys team may have shown a bit more depth this year, the girls were certainly not devoid of talent or highlights. The girls team earned 13 All-District medals, in 8 of the 15 events. This included three five top-three finishes, earning eight different girls trips to regionals.
Senior Rachel Grochowski turned in one of the gutsiest performances of the championship meet, as she not only completed the distance triple (the only girl to do so), but she placed in the top five in each race. She started her meet in solid fashion the first week, by placing fourth in the 1600m run in a five-second personal best time of 5:17.61. The second week she completed the ultra-difficult 1000m/3200m double in the span of 1 hour. She began the day by taking a career-best second place in the 1000m run (3:11.27), before doubling back to fight for a 5th place finish in the 3200m run, in a seasonal best of 11:47.66.
Junior Nina Ullom also enjoyed a strong meet, placing in two different field events. Ranked as one of the better regional pole vaulters this year, Ullom fought for a solid 2nd place in the meet, with a personal best height of 9′ 0″. This came after a first week, which saw her leap to a huge personal best in the long jump, finishing 3rd with a mark of 16′ 1.75″.
Newcomer Jacki Sieder also made strong contributions to the team total, in her characteristic agressive style. She started the meet with a solid 6th place finish in the long jump (14′ 8.5″). She saved her best performance for the 500m dash. Coming in with an 8th place seed, putting her in the 2nd of 3 heats, she ran strongly and determined, shaving off nearly 3 seconds from her time, ending up in a surprising 3rd place overall (1:21.66), one of the best times the Chargers have had in the event in the last several years.
Five other Chargers earned All-District honors, and trips to regionals. Senior Sarah Meier scored a 3rd place in the shot put (34′ 6″), while senior Olabisi Abisogun and freshman Samantha Lull tied for 4th place in the high jump (4′ 6″). Junior Tiffany Mitchell (7.75) and senior Tyeisha Jarrett (7.80) both earned personal bests in finishing 5th & 6th in the 55m Dash, respectively.
The Chargers will wait out the winter weather until Saturday, February 20th, when they take part in the regional championships at George Mason University.
Full Results of the meet can be found at: http://www.chargercctrack.com/wtresults.html.
Pictures from both weeks, courtesy of Tom Foley, can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/CHSrunning
ALL-DISTRICT
- Mohamed Labor-Koroma- DISTRICT CHAMPION- 500m Dash (1:06.64- NEW SCHOOL RECORD); DISTRICT CHAMPION- 300m Dash (36.44); 4th Place- High Jump (5′ 10″); 6th Place- Pole Vault (10′ 6″)
- Chris Foley- DISTRICT CHAMPION- 1000m Run (2:35.49); 2nd Place- 1600m Run (4:22.01); 2nd Place- 3200m Run (9:35.77)
- Chris Menzel- DISTRICT CHAMPION- Pole Vault (12′ 6″); 4th Place- 55m Hurdles (8.43)
- Rachel Grochowski- 2nd Place- 1000m Run (3:11.27); 4th Place- 1600m Run (5:17.61); 5th Place- 3200m Run (11:47.66)
- Nina Ullom- 2nd Place- Pole Vault (9′ 0″); 3rd Place- Long Jump (16′ 1.75″)
- Arthur McDuffy- 2nd Place- Triple Jump (42′ 0.75″); 5th Place- Long Jump (19′ 6.5″)
- Ryan McWeeny- 3rd Place- 55m Hurdles (8.38); 6th Place (tie)- High Jump (5′ 6″)
- Jacquelyn Sieder- 3rd Place- 500m Dash (1:21.66); 6th Place- Long Jump (14′ 8.5″)
- Sarah Meier- 3rd Place- Shot Put (34′ 6″)
- Olabisi Abisogun- 4th Place (tie)- High Jump (4′ 6″)
- Samantha Lull- 4th Place (tie)- High Jump (4′ 6″)
- Sean McGorty- 5th Place- 3200m Run (9:55.99)
- Tiffany Mitchell- 5th Place- 55m Dash (7.75)
- Tyeshia Jarrett- 6th Place- 55m Dash (7.80)
- Boys 4×800m Relay- 3rd Place (8:27.04) (Matt Cumpian, Samuel Tucker III, Eric Rolfe, Mohamed Labor-Koroma)
















