CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tuesday’s Jesse Owens Senate League track championship meet was a great way for teams to close out the regular season. John Hay’s girls, led by senior Arnae Rogers’ double sprint championships, retained their league title. The Hornets finished with 179 points, safely ahead of runner-up Rhodes’ 103 and JFK’s 94.
Glenville dominated the boys’ side, scoring 189 points to remain Senate League champions. Sophomore Bryce West, junior Milique Herron and three of four Tarblooder relay teams won championships. Rhodes’ 126 points made it the runner-up, while John Hay took third with 101.
Though she won the 200, Rogers says it’s her least favorite race.
“I hate that race, but it does help with my other sprints,” Rogers said. “You have to sprint the whole way, but you really have to focus on your stride, because someone can always catch you at the end. I heard (JFK’s Lashay Woods’) footsteps behind me which made me realize how close she was, so I had to make sure to open up my stride.”
The 200 was just one part of a big day for Rogers. Every time she stepped on the track she won. She had the fastest 100 and 200 times in prelims before winning the final in both events. She anchored the Hornets’ 4x100 to a championship before doing the same in the 4x400.
“This meet has been really good for me humility-wise, because it lets me know where I came from,” Rogers said. “People always remind me about how I’m coming out of Cleveland, and how I need to be the best and work the hardest to show the other cities that have more equipment and resources and stuff that we can do it too.”
There is a misconception about track and field that its athletes are just naturally gifted. Rogers wants to make it clear that without dedication and commitment to the sport and the willingness to work hard when nobody is paying attention, success in track -- in anything -- is nearly impossible.
“I just want to let people know that doing this isn’t natural talent. It really consists of and requires hard work and consistency to do this,” Rogers said. “You have to be proud of yourself. Not letting other people to tell you you did good, but really truly knowing and being proud of yourself, and loving the sport for yourself. It takes that heart. I want to just let people know to pay attention to that instead of people’s talents, and if you work hard that’ll get you places.”
Full results can be found here.
Top Performers
Arnae Rogers, John Hay, Senior
Rogers won the 100 in 12.58 seconds before taking the 200 in 25.60. She anchored the Hornets’ 4x100 to a 52.03 and Senate League title. She secured a win for the 4x400 too, as she crossed the finish line at 4:35.91.
Milique Herron, Glenville, Junior
Herron was a big part of Glenville’s dominance. He started by popping off the championship Tarblooder 4x200, which finished in 1 minute, 29.44 seconds. He then helped the 4x100 to a league title in 43.10. Herron wrapped the meet with a 22.02 200-meter championship.
Promise Edeh, Rhodes, Senior
Edeh was huge for Rhodes’ final point total. She took third in the 100 with a 12.95 before a fifth place 200-meter finish. She dominated the 400 with a 1:02.80, finishing nearly 10 seconds ahead of the runner-up. She anchored the Rams’ 4x400 to a runner-up finish.
Jayson Williams, Glenville, Sophomore
Williams won three championships. First was the 110 hurdles title which he captured in 15.15 seconds. He ran a 40.20 to win the 300 hurdles by nearly six seconds. In the last event of the day, Williams ran leadoff for the 4x400, which won with a 3:28 flat.
Khalea Avery, John Hay, Senior
Avery claimed her spot as the Senate hurdle champion. She ran a 17.07 to win the 100 hurdles by two seconds. Her 51.71 in the 300 gave her the title by eight seconds. She also helped the Hornet 4x200 and 4x400 to titles.
Saiyd Harvin, John Hay, Senior
Harvin was the 400-meter champion after running a 50.18 to hold off Glenville’s Malik Davis. His 22.82 made him the 200-meter champion. He anchored the 4x200 to a runner-up finish before doing the same for John Hay’s 4x400.
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