Jana Sharp

The Lions attended the Montgomery County Private School Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 5.

Stepping up to the starting line, senior Jonah Berman prepared to start his 800 meter race. As he waited for the sound of the gunshot signaling the race to start, Berman was shocked as the gun did not go off. With adrenaline rushing, he waited in anticipation to finally start his last race with his CESJDS team.

The winter track and field team attended the Montgomery County Private School Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 5. Only 13 members of the team were at the meet, however many got personal and season records in the various races.

While he only ran one race, and hoped to place better in it than he did, Berman was overall happy with his performance at the race and enjoyed the ability to run with the team one last time.

“I might not have had my best time today, but I don’t think that’s necessary,” Berman said. “I’ve put a lot of good times down before today, and I’m happy about that.”

Along with it being the winter track championships, it was senior night at the meet. The two seniors who attended were Berman and senior Nathan Szubin. Szubin ran two races and placed second in the 1600 meter. Szubin reset his personal record to 4:43.93. He also placed first in the 3200 meter race.

Additional personal records were achieved by sophomore Isaiah Segal-Geeter in the 1600 meter race, sophomore Ryan Klepper and freshman Max Obstfeld in the 300 and 500 meter races and junior Mia Forseter in the 500 meter race. Sophomore Ella Kane and freshman Hannah Jakabovics competed in the shot put event for the first time, coming in first and second places in their flight.

Sophomore Eve Sharp came in first place in the 800 meter race. Sharp thinks she did particularly well in this race, because she was able to pass a competitor by her fourth lap, securing first place. While she was able to pass that competitor, Sharp finds that as she starts her races she tends to get a bit bewildered, so at the beginning she tries to calm herself and focus on her strategies to help her succeed.

“It takes me a second to kind of recenter and get my head into my race strategy,” Sharp said. “And then it’s all about pacing myself. It’s really easy, especially in the 800, to go out too quickly and then die off towards the end of the race, so I usually try and keep myself controlled.”

Sharp also ran the 4×800 meter relay with Forseter, sophomore Mali Osofsky and junior Eliana Wolf. They placed third in this event. While Sharp medaled, she was not as happy with her performance during this race because she felt that she could have had a stronger finish.

“I made the mistake of getting passed in the end…” Sharp said. “I think I should have kicked a little harder towards the end of my race, but I had a good start.”

Head coach Shayna Held thinks that the team did well in this meet despite the many challenges that this season’s weather events have brought. Since there are only two practices a week, with many cancellations because of winter weather, Held said that it was hard to keep a routine.

“Overall I am pleased with how they did and just the demeanor to which they put themselves… even though their season has not looked, perhaps the way that it would typically look,” Held said.

While the team did not place, Held said that was not the intention of the meet. She said the intention was to go out there and compete against themselves. The personal records achieved made this championship a positive way for many athletes to end the season. In addition to this, Sharp was happy with this season even though it may not have been her best.

“I didn’t get my personal record, just because that usually happens more in the spring season, when the training is more intense and it’s not snowing everywhere,” Sharp said. “But even so, I think it was a great, great end to my winter season, and I look forward to more good races in [the] spring.”