In the final leg of the 4×200-Meter Relay, Post-Graduate (PG) Robert Jones ’16 overtook a Phillips Exeter Academy runner to narrowly secure first place in 1:44.52 minutes for Andover Boys Indoor Track & Field at Governor’s on Wednesday. The relay team, which also included Brad Schlosser ’16, Captain Andrew Wang ’16 and William Hartemink ’17, ran the last event in Andover’s 46-43-16 second-place finish against Exeter and Governor’s.
Andover has won all four of its meets against Governor’s this season.
Ralph Skinner ’16, who finished first in the Mile and 1000-Meter with times of 4:58.6 minutes and 2:53.5 minutes, respectively, said, “We had all really gotten used to [Governor’s] as a team and used to dominating them as a team, so we just perpetuated that domination during this [meet].”
The meet also provided Andover’s upperclassmen the opportunity to compete against Exeter for the first time this season.
Joe Okafor ’17, who set a new Personal Record in Shot-Put with a fourth-place finish of 40 feet 8 inches, said, “I realized that these would be our toughest opponents and so I went as hard as I could. [This meet] made me realize that Exeter is not all that better than us, and we stand a fighting chance considering we beat them today.”
To round out the day’s impressive performances, Jones ran to a first place finish in the 50-Meter Dash in 5.7 seconds, while Schlosser and Hartemink came in first and second places in the 300-Meter Dash with times of 41.4 and 41.7 seconds, respectively.
As Andover enters the final stretch of its season, it is keeping an eye on the U.S.A. Track & Field New England Indoor Championships that will occur at the end of the season.
Skinner said, “After today’s race with the end of the season in sight, it’s really easy to take your foot off the gas and cruise in, but now it is more essential than ever to stay focused and train smart.”
The team looks to continue building momentum before its final regular season meet next week against Exeter.
