It was an unforgettable day for our Indoor Track and Field Teams at the 2022 DIAA State Championship. To cap off an incredible season, the girl's team took third place, scoring 72 points, and the boy's team fourth place with 42 points, only 4.5 points out of third. Collectively, the Hornets captured three gold medals, four silvers, and two bronze. The senior quartet of Sebastian Pizarro ‘22, Micah Ernest ‘23, Andre Latina ‘22, and Nicolas Pizarro ‘22 won the 4x800 relay in a time of 8:26.60, ten seconds ahead of the next team. Joined by Wyatt Leary ‘23 and Manvir Syan ‘23, Earnest ‘23 and N.Pizarro ‘22 came back later in the day to finish runner-up in the 4x400, just a mere thousandth of a second behind Salesianum. Nic Pizarro made up a sizable gap, nearly clinching the win, splitting 51.2 seconds in his stellar anchor leg. The UPenn bound senior also won the 1600m and 3200m runs, putting him in an elite group of Tatnall runners to have ever achieved the 1600 / 3200 double at a State Championship. Sebastian Pizarro also came up big for his team with a fifth-place finish in the 3200m, running a new personal best time of 9:54.07.
The girl’s team was well-represented across the board and had scoring performances in the distance, sprints, jumps, and relay events. As only an eighth-grader, Arianna Montgomery ‘26 scored 23 points for the Hornets. In an exciting come-from-behind win, Arianna anchored the winning 4x200 relay. Her 4x200 relay teammates Lexi Tarlue ‘24, Kiara Davis ‘26, and Ariana Hernandez ‘25 were just as busy scoring points for the team. Davis and Hernandez placed third and seventh in the long jump, respectively. Hernandez also placed sixth in the high jump in a new personal best jump of 5’0”. Lexi Tarlue ‘24 placed fifth in the 55 hurdles, also running a personal best time of 8.99 seconds. The girls 4x800 team made up of Mikayla Romeo ‘23, Malana Neal ‘24, Carlita Kaliher ‘24, and Delaney Campanelli ‘24 finished in second place, breaking the 10-minute barrier for the first time this season (9:58.24). Carlita Kaliher ‘24 doubled back to run the 3200 later in the day and nearly took down the reigning champion, Tiffany Herrera of St. Mark’s. Her gutsy performance landed her a second-place finish. Katrina Endres ‘24 also picked up points in the event, placing sixth overall, which was impressive after placing sixth in the 1600m run a few hours earlier in the day. Romeo, Neal, and Campanelli were joined by teammate Darian Harris ‘24 for the last event of the day, the 4x400 relay. Harris managed to pass Conrad at the line to secure a third-place finish for their relay. Yasmina Gall ‘25 and Camille Johnson’25 picked up six more points in the triple jump with their fifth and seventh place finishes.
The DIAA State Championship concluded our indoor track and field teams' regular season. A few of our athletes have qualified for and will compete at the New Balance Indoor National Championship in New York City on the weekend of March 11. The action kicks off for our outdoor track and field teams on March 1!
Final Scores:
Women - Team Rankings - 15 Events Scored
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1) Padua Academy 134.66
2) St. Mark's High School 113.83
3) Tatnall 72
4) Smyrna High School 47
5) Ursuline Academy 40
6) St. Georges Tech 38
7) Conrad Schools of Sciences 24
8) Archmere Academy 21
9) Cape Henlopen High School 15
10) Caravel Academy 12
Men - Team Rankings - 15 Events Scored
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1) Salesianum School 111
2) Cape Henlopen High School 57
3) Dover High School 46.50
4) Tatnall 42
5) Smyrna High School 40
6) Middletown High School 36
7) Polytech High School 33.50
8) Alexis I. DuPont High School 30
9) St. Georges Tech 25
10) Sussex Central High School 23
