Signs of promise for Trojans as track season progresses

By Patrick Browne
On April 27, the Forest Park Trojans competed in the Niagara Badger Invite and, although they did not come away with a victory, individual results were impressive.
The team competed in a field of eight schools and finished third, just two points behind second place. The girls finished fourth in a field of nine teams.
Senior Sam McKissack anchored the 4-by-100 meter relay team (Felix Quevedo, Gaven Rintala, Grayson Sundell, and Sam McKissack) which bested the field with an impressive time of 48.1 seconds. The photo finish saw the Trojans beat second and third place by five tenths of a second.
McKissack continued his day by garnering first place in the 200 meter dash, third in the 110 high hurdles and second in the high jump, missing first place by only two inches.
Trojan junior Rintala took control of the distance events, winning both the 1600 and 3200 meter races. His win in the 1600 saw him best 15 other runners, while his 3200 meter victory saw him win by a convincing 37 seconds.
Sophomore Sundell’s outstanding performance in the sprint events speaks well for the future of Trojan track. Sundell came in second in both the 100 and 200 meter sprints. His loss in the 200 was by a mere two-tenths of a second while his loss in the 100 was by hundredths of a second.
The usually strong performing Kevin Giuliani earned third place in the shot put, beating out fourth place by over four feet.
In the women’s competition, two freshmen led the way for Forest Park. Elsie Williams placed second in the 200 meters while Ava Fischer finished second in the 300 meter hurdles, third in the shot put and second in triple jump. Junior Charlie Larson’s third place in triple jump and Tatum Clark’s fourth place finish in the 1600 meter run rounded out an impressive day for the team.
It is Coach Lindsey Anderson’s inaugural year coaching for Forest Park.
“I am proud of both of our teams for finishing in the top tier again,” she said. “Their hard work is paying off. The girls’ team is small, only 12 members, but powerful. We have six freshmen on the team and we are still working to determine where to best place them. They have so much potential and athleticism, but it’s finding out where those skills are best served for them individually and for the team. We’re most certainly trending in the right direction and keeping up with some big schools.”