SLHS Wins Liberty Conference Indoor Track Titles

Paced by record-setting performances in the 500 meters, seniors Golden Kumi-Darfour and Skander Ballard led the South Lakes High School indoor track and field teams to Liberty Conference titles in both the boys and girls divisions Friday at the Prince George’s County Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Md.

The South Lakes girls team scored 138.50 points and placed in 13 of the 15 events to win its fifth consecutive conference title. James Madison finished second with 89 points and McLean was third with 64. Langley scored 49.50 points for fourth, followed by Fairfax (44), Washington-Lee (39), Yorktown (21) and Hayfield Secondary (17).

SLHS boys team finished with 190 points, placing in 14 of 15 events, for its eighth straight conference championship. James Madison, was second with 55 points. Fairfax and Washington and Lee tied for third with 49 points followed by McLean (40), Hayfield Secondary (30), Yorktown (29) and Langley (23).

Fourteen SLHS girls and 15 boys contributed to the team scoring. Kumi-Darfour was unbeatable in all of her events, especially in the 500 meters where her 1:16.55 broke the meet record of 1:17.92 set in 2005.

Kumi-Darfour, along ith senior Monica Lannen, and sophomores Olivia Beckner and Sarah Wolfe, won the 4×800 meter relay (9:43.55). She finished the meet with a win in the 4×400 meter relay with Beckner, freshman Sophie Halkett and junior Jessica Lister.

Ballard also had multiple wins. His 1:07.16 time in winning the 500 meters broke the 2008 record of 1:07.55 set by Nick Vaughn. He also won the 300 meters (35.96), triple jump (43-09.00) and teamed with seniors Nikolai Waithe, Connor Smith and sophomore Alex Wallace in winning the 4×400 meter relay (3:33.28). Ballard was also fourth in the long jump (19-03.50) and seventh in the pole vault (10-06.00).

Additionally, SLHS dominated several events, including:

• Winning all six relays
• Girls 55 meter hurdles (freshman Kristen Williams, 9.82; senior Anas Fain, 7.72)
• Girls 55 meters (juniors Nikayla Hoyte; 7.42 and Timiebi Ogobri, 6.64)
• Boys 300 meters (Hoyte, 42.60; Ballard, 35.96)
• Boys 500 (Ballard, 1st; Waithe, 2nd, 1:08.38; Wallace, 3rd, 1:09.71; Smith, 5th, 1:10.02; senior Chris Byron, 6th, 1:10.69)
• Boys 300 (Ballard, 1st; Waithe, 2nd, 37.14; senior Eric Kirlew, 4th, 38.38; Wallace, 5th, 38.40, Ogobri 6th, 38.47)
• Girls 500 (Kumi-Darfour, 1st; Halkett, 4th, 1:20.99; Lister, 5th, 1:24.29)
• Girls 300 (Hoyte, 1st, 42.50; Jones, 2nd, 42.99; Halkett, 4th, 43.98)

Photo of SLHS indoor track teams by Brenda Wallace