HAMMONTON—Hammonton High School’s winter track and field season came to an end last week, as the Blue Devils hosted Cape Atlantic League foe Oakcrest.
Fernando Flores won two races, as the Blue Devils earned wins in four events.
Flores set the pace in the 800-meter run, winning in 2:11.30. He also won the 1,600-meter run, posting a time of 5:21.40.
“Fernando [Flores] has had a great season for us. He’s only a sophomore and we really think he’s going to develop into a very good runner for us. I’ve been very impressed with his 800 (meter) times,” Hammonton coach Jeff Dey said.
Also competing in the 800 for Hammonton last week were J.D. Shinske, who was third in 2:23.00, and Mason Sherman, who placed fifth in 2:28.70.
Flores topped his brother, Jesus, who finished second in the 1,600 (5:25.30), while Shinske was third in 5:25.90. Ethan Dustman placed sixth with a time of 5:41.40.
In the 400-meter dash, Dom DeRose won for Hammonton in 56.54 seconds. Ian Roman was third with a time of 59.54.
Also on the track, Connor Wright was second in the 55-meter dash (6.64 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (24.04). The junior is drawing attention from many college scouts.
“Connor [Wright] had a solid season. He’s run very well. This is a huge season for him,” Dey said.
Wright is one of the top jumpers in the region, but wasn’t able to work on those events this winter, as jumps were not allowed in winter track meets this season.
“Sure, it would have helped him to be able to compete at least a little, but he’s entered some open meets in North Jersey, so at least he’ll have an idea of where he is heading into the spring season,” Dey said.
Aaron LaSasso was fifth in the 55-meter dash (7.24 seconds), and also placed fifth in the 200 (25.44).
Senior Michael Dogostino won the shot put with a throw of 35-feet, while Jake Schindler was second at 31-feet, 9.5-inches.
For Hammonton’s girls, three Blue Devils earned first place finishes.
Kaylie Ranere won the 800 meters in 2:47.20, while Abigail Smith was fourth in 2:57.90. Sabrina McFerren (3:07.50), Isabella Rivera (2:39.20) and Hailey Reese (3:42.20) also competed.
In the 55-meter hurdles, Carrigan Genovese won with a time of 9.44 seconds. Mackenzie Haldeman was second in 9.74 seconds.
Also for Hammonton, Gabriella Angelastro won the shot put with a throw of 24-feet, 9.5 inches. Juliana Dogostino was second at 22-feet, 0.5-inches and Reese was third (13-feet, 4.5-inches).
Emily Dustman earned second place in two events, the 55-meter dash and 200-meter dash.
Dustman’s time in the 55 meters was 7.94 seconds. Sophia Vento placed third in 8.24 seconds, while Genovese was fourth (8.34) and Ilianna DeJesus was fourth (8.34).
In the 200, Dustman posted a time of 28.44 seconds, while Vento was fourth in 30.14 and Haldeman was sixth (31.44). Also running for Hammonton were Genovese (31.74), Dogostino (32.04), Ariadna Martinez-Lopez (32.54) and DeJesus (32.74).
In the 400-meter dash, Vento placed second in 1:09.64, while Martinez-Lopez was third (1:14.34) and Dogostino placed fourth (1:17.64).
“We had a great season. Today, several girls had season-best times, which is great for us. Hopefully, we’ll carry it over and continue to improve in the spring season,” Hammonton girls coach Michelle Wolosky said.
Both Wolosky and Dey are eager to see their teams back in action when the spring season opens in April. The Blue Devils will train virtually this week, and return to workouts early in April.
“We have a program set up and we’ll be back out soon. As for the winter, at least the kids had some kind of season. It wasn’t ideal, but they had the chance to get out and compete, which is important,” Dey said.