![GSB Varsity Track and Field]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1718732248/gsbschoolorg/tpgxe4jbopmekklizwjd/news-2024-06-18-track-and-field.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1718732248/gsbschoolorg/tpgxe4jbopmekklizwjd/news-2024-06-18-track-and-field.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1718732248/gsbschoolorg/tpgxe4jbopmekklizwjd/news-2024-06-18-track-and-field.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1718732248/gsbschoolorg/tpgxe4jbopmekklizwjd/news-2024-06-18-track-and-field.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1718732248/gsbschoolorg/tpgxe4jbopmekklizwjd/news-2024-06-18-track-and-field.jpg","width":1440}])
Without question, the dedication and commitment to improvement defined the Gill St. Bernard's Varsity Track and Field team during the 2024 season.
The culmination of all that hard work was front and center at the NJSIAA Non-Public B Group State Championship, where each of the twenty athletes who attended set a PR in their event.
This accomplishment was on the heels of the Skyland Conference Championship, when the girls’ 4x400-meter team didn’t start until after the five-and-a-half-hour mark. Instead of sprinting around an empty track, the entire GSB team was still on the field, cheering them on.
“The support of our athletes for one another at the conference meet was one of the most memorable moments of the season,” Head Varsity Track and Field Coach Elliot Platt shared. “Our three captains, Samantha Leo ’24, Ema Hercules ’25, and Sanjay De Silva ’25, were the most dedicated individuals on the team and always put the team ahead of themselves. Their leadership set the tone for the others, and the entire team remained, putting their full support behind the girls’ 4x4 race.”
Recognition for the team captains’ performance was not limited to their teammates and coaches. Leo was named to the 1st Team Skyland Conference Mountain Division in Long Jump, Hercules received the 1st Team Skyland Conference Mountain Division for the 3200-meter, and De Silva received an Honorable Mention Skyland Conference Mountain Division in javelin. Teammate Madeline Craig ’25 also received an Honorable Mention Skyland Conference Mountain Division in javelin.
On an individual basis, personal records for key performing athletes were:
Annabelle Beekman ’26, javelin: 79-8
Sanjay De Silva ’25, shot: 37-2
Ben Fedon ’27, discus: 79-5
Ben Fedon ’27, javelin: 79-3
Ben Fedon ’27, shot put: 30-2
Ema Hercules ’25, 3200-meter: 11:54.22
Daphne Kibler ’27, discus: 68-0
Daphne Kibler ’27, shot put: 23-03 1/4
Catie Klein ’25, discus: 75-7
Catie Klein ’25, shot put: 31-6 1/2
Deshan Kawatra ’25, discus: 85-8
Deshan Kawatra ’25, shot put: 29-5
Jordan McDonald, javelin: 100-3
James O’Brien ’25, 800-meter: 2:19.83
Liam Seeley ’24, 800-meter: 2:13.03
Anthony Wilson ’27, javelin: 65-4
Girls’ 4x400-meter team: Leo, Beekman, Hercules, Craig - 4:41.35
Girls’ 4x800-meter team: Craig, Ellie Roslund ’25, Beekman, Hercules - 11:44.50
Boys 4x400-meter team: McDonald, Oliver Litchfield ’26, O’Brien, Seeley - 3:45.45
“Hercules, Leo, and De Silva did an unbelievable job mentoring their peers, being prepared for practice, and working hard each and every day to make sure workouts were completed,” Platt said. “As long as the team uses the momentum and work ethic we learned this year and carries that over to next season, our successes will continue to build.”