March 27, 2009 - On March 14 and 15, the Columbia High School Boy’s and Girl’s Track Teams won top awards at The Nike Indoor Nationals in Boston, Massachusetts and qualified for All-American Honors after finishing in the top six of their specific events.
Under the direction of Coach Lisa Morgan, the teams met stiff qualifying standards in order to participate in the Nike event, the highest national athletic honor that a student track athlete can achieve.
The Columbia boys’ 4x400 meter relay team ran a time of 3:23.07, setting a new school record and finishing 5th in the nation. This is the second fastest time in NJ this year. The team members include Kharique Bell, Stephen Wiggins, Terry Anderson, and DJ Roberts.
Terry Anderson competed in the Pentathlon for the first time and finished 7th overall and McNisky Jeantus competed on the Boy's 4X200 meter relay team that finished 11th overall.
The Columbia girls’ team, including TyVonna Johnson, Kelsey Jackson, Kayann Richards and Brittney Jackson, competed in both the Sprint Medley Relay and the 4x400 meter relay, finishing 4th in the nation in both events. The teams’ times of 4:07.50 and 3:53.99 make their wins in both events the second fastest times in the State of NJ for those events this year.
Other members of the girls’ team participating in events at the Nationals include Melissa David and Jade Johnson in the 4x800 meter relay, Jasmine Carter in the 60 meter dash and freshmen Ayaana Smith and Brittany Padmore.
Prior to the Nationals, Coach Lisa Morgan was selected by her peers as the Essex County Track Coach of the Year for both the boys and girls teams. This was a first time achievement for any Essex County track coach.
