Chelsea High’s girls track & field program is experiencing an excellent start to the year. With a roster of 58 athletes—32 of whom are competing for the first time—the team brings considerable enthusiasm and resolve to the season. According to CHS girls head coach Kim Huffer, “Many of our key members graduated last year, but I am excited to have a lot of freshman and sophomore talent joining us this season. I am hopeful that they will be helpful in contributing to the successes that our returning members have experienced the past few years.” The Lady Red Devils opened their 2011 campaign with two decisive conference victories, defeating Lynn Tech 116-20 and Northeast Tech 115-21.
Last Tuesday’s matchup with Lynn Tech saw Chelsea compete through some initial nervousness to post a strong showing, with the team capturing wins in numerous events. Standout individual results included: 400 Hurdles—1. Hassan (78.3), 2. Almeida, 3. De. Mejia; 2 Mile—1. Mikalixen (14.17), 2. A. Ramos, 3. Guardado; 100 High Hurdles—1. Sejour (19.95), 2. Bourouis, 3. Valenzona; 100M—2. S Moni, 3. K. Moni; Mile—1. Cvjetan (6.32), 2. A. Beqo, 3. Yanes; 4×100 Relay—CHELSEA (59.5) Mars, K. Moni, Chung, S. Moni; 400M—1. Almeida (72.9), 2. L. Ramos, 3. Nunez; 800M—1. Contreras (2.53), 2. B. Beqo, 3. Medrano; 200M—2. Chung, 3. Sejour; 4×400 Relay—CHELSEA (5.03) Hassan, L. Ramos, E. Nunez, Contreras; Javelin—1. Rodriguez (68’2), 2. Acevedo, 3. Smith; Shot Put—1. Nasuuna (23’1), 2. Fernandez, 3. S. Hernandez; Discus—2. Guerra, 3. S. Hernandez; Long Jump—2. Sejour, 3. S. Moni; Triple Jump—1. De. Mejia (24’5), 2. Valenzona, 3. Almeida; High Jump—1. Chung (4’4), 2. Hassan, 3. (tie) Bourouis, Sejour, and Valenzona.
Shuly Sejour delivered a particularly strong performance, earning first place in the 100 Hurdles (19.95) along with a second-place finish in the Long Jump and third-place showings in both the High Jump and 200M. Two days later on Thursday, Chelsea faced Northeast, and many athletes demonstrated marked improvement from their Lynn Tech performances while displaying greater concentration in their respective events. Results from that meet included: 400 Hurdles—1. Hassan (78.3), 2. Che, 3. Almeida; 2 Mile—1. Mikalixen (14.05), 2. A. Ramos, 3. Guardado; 100 Hurdles—1. Sejour (19.6), 2. Che, 3. Valenzona; 100M—1. S. Moni (14.6), 2. K. Moni, 3. Castillo; Mile—2. A. Beqo (6.31), 3. Mikalixen.