(Atlantic) Atlantic’s girls track team left no doubt, winning the meet championship on Tuesday at Lewis Central while piling up points in every event, delivering a wave of personal bests—including a school record-breaking performance in the 4×100 Meter Relay.
Atlantic Head Coach Matt Mullenix said the team not only achieved its goal of winning the meet, but also turned in numerous performances capable of competing at the state level.
Matt Mullenix said the team was excited about winning the meet, but added that, in their post-meet discussion, they emphasized even bigger goals ahead.
The Trojans achieved personal bests in five individual events, and five of the seven relays reached seasonal bests.
Stella Van Aernam led the way with a win in the 100 meters, clocking a personal-best 12.51 that ranks ninth in Class 3A, while freshman Braleigh Hass took third in a PR 12.88. Van Aernam added another personal best in the 200, finishing third in 26.14, just behind teammate Lila Wiederstein, who won the race in 25.87. Adler Bruce also placed third in the 400 hurdles with a personal-best 1:12.48, while Kaitlyn Hickman recorded a PR of 2:36.0 to finish seventh in the 800.
Atlantic’s 4×100-meter relay team of Lila Wiederstein, Braleigh Hass, Allison Middents, and Stella Van Aernam climbed to fourth-fastest in Class 3A with a school-record time of 49.57, breaking last season’s mark with the same quartet. The group also posted a season-best 1:45.84 in the 4×200, ranking 12th in Class 3A. In the shuttle relay, Aiza Jones, Emery Jones, Adler Bruce, and Jayci Reed ran a personal-best 1:08.69. The 4×800 relay of Katrina Williams, Reese Harlan, Gabrielle Engler, and Ximena Mendez-Cordero finished in a season-best 10:27.05. At the same time, the 4×400 team of Hass, Harlan, Kaitlyn Hickman, and Mendez-Cordero recorded a season-best 4:17.86.
