Four Raiders win district track and field titles
Four RE student-athletics won district titles at the Florida High School Athletic Association 2A District 16 Track and Field Championships at Tropical Park on April 13: Mia Balestra ’21 in the javelin, Alex Dray ’21 in the 3,200 meters, Aidan Rothstein ’22 in the pole vault, and Juliana Williamson ’22 in the high jump.
Balestra, who also finished fifth in the 400 meters, achieved a school record javelin throw of 98 feet, four inches, and she followed her victory up with a win at the regional final on May 2. Dray crossed the finish line in 10 minutes, 19.83 seconds, and Rothstein vaulted a personal best of 10 feet, 11-3/4 inches. Williamson jumped a season best of 5 feet, 2-1/4 inches.
In other notable finals, Nicole Tacher ’21 finished second in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the long jump (15 feet, 11-3/4 inches); Lindsay Gould ’21 finished second in the triple jump (30 feet, 11 inches), third in the pole vault (7 feet, 6 inches), fourth in the shot put (25 feet, 1-1/4 inches) and fifth in the 100 hurdles. Brooke Scott ’21 finished third in the 800 meters in 2 minutes, 24.72 seconds. The girls’ 4x400 relay team of Marella Rebessi ’24, Balestra, Scott and Lucia Font ’23 finished second in 4 minutes, 20.75 seconds.
For the boys, Noah Gold ’22 finished second in the pole vault (9 feet, 6-1/4 inches); Eli Goldman ’22 finished second in the high jump (6 feet, 2 inches); Matthew Gallagher ’21 finished third in the javelin (132 feet, five inches) with a school-record throw; Justin Wong ’21 earned fifth in the 800 meters (2 minutes, 10.28 seconds); the 4x800 relay team of Dray, Sebastian Mateu ’21, Leo Gershman ’22 and Wong finished second in 8 minutes, 54.06 seconds; and the 4x400 team (Wong, Mateu, Luca Capiani ’22 and Jayden Vrins ’21) posted RE’s fastest time in 15 years in finishing fourth in 3 minutes, 38.70 seconds.
The teams, who are coached by faculty member Mike Becker, are gearing up the state meet May 8. The girls finished fourth out of 10 teams; the boys’ team finished fifth out of 10.
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Founded in 1903, Ransom Everglades School is a coeducational, college preparatory day school for grades 6 - 12 located on two campuses in Coconut Grove, Florida. Ransom Everglades School produces graduates who "believe that they are in the world not so much for what they can get out of it as for what they can put into it." The school provides rigorous college preparation that promotes the student's sense of identity, community, personal integrity and values for a productive and satisfying life, and prepares the student to lead and to contribute to society.