Columbia Girls Track Honored by Freeholders

The Columbia High School Girls Track Team was honored by the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders on June 8.  At the Hall of Records, the Board honored the team for having won the 2011 Group IV Outdoor Track State Championship on Saturday, June 4, 2011, finishing ahead of 35 other Group IV teams and ahead of its nearest Competitor, Randolph High School, 54-44.

By winning this year’s Group IV Championship, the Cougars continued their record of excellence by winning their second straight Group IV Outdoor title and seventh title overall, thereby tying the record for the most-ever State Championship titles by a public high school girls team, while also winning their fourth title in the last four years.

 The team won the Group IV North Jersey, Section 2, Sectional Championship on the weekend of May 27-28, finishing ahead of its nearest competitor, Franklin Township, 108-80, before going on the capture the Group IV State Championship.  During their championship season, the Cougars also captured the Kings County Relay Championships, put in outstanding performances at the Blue Devil Classic held at Westfield High School and the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The team also concluded its second straight undefeated dual meet season in the Super Essex Conference, and captured the Super Essex Big School Outdoor Championships for the second straight year.  They also won their third straight Essex County Relay Championship and captured first place in the Essex County Outdoor Track Championships.

The team was led by standouts Kayann Richards, Olivia Baker, Whitney Jackson, Danielle England, Maya Hinton, Brittany Padmore and Kiana Winton.

The team was coached by Head Coach Lisa Morgan and Assistant Coaches Nicole Gilhuley and William Keegan.

Freeholder Carol Clark of East Orange sponsored the Board’s Commendation honoring the team.

The full resolution is below:

WHEREAS, the Columbia High School Girls Track Team won the 2011 Group IV Outdoor Track State Championship on Saturday, June 4, 2011, in Old Bridge, New Jersey, when it finished ahead of 35 other Group IV teams and ahead of its nearest competitor, Randolph High School, by the score of 54-44.  In so doing, the Cougars continued their record of excellence by winning their second straight Group IV Outdoor title and seventh title overall, thereby tying the record for the most-ever State Championship titles by a public high school girls team, while also winning their fourth title in the last four years; and

WHEREAS, the Columbia High School Girls Track Team began its Spring season by winning the Kings County Relay Championships on April 2^nd at Ichan Stadium in New York City where they defeated many of the best schools in the NY-NJ Metropolitan Area, and then put in a dominating performance at the Blue Devil Classic held at Westfield High School on April 16^th by winning the 3X400IH, the Shuttle Hurdle Relay, and the 4X100 and 4X200 Meter Relays.  The Team also enjoyed a highly successful performance at the prestigious 117^th Annual Penn Relays at historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the weekend on April 27-30, by qualifying Kayann Richards to compete in the 400 Meter Hurdles, plus the 4X800 and 4X400 Meter Relay Teams, as well as the 4X100 Relay Team, which achieved the best time in New Jersey this year (3:51.25); and

WHEREAS, the Columbia High School Girls Track Team also concluded its second straight undefeated dual meet season in the Super Essex Conference, and captured the Super Essex Big School Outdoor Championships for the second straight year at Millburn High School on May 13^th, where they finished ahead of second place West Orange, 159-124.  The Team also won its third straight Essex County Relay Championships on May 6^th where they set two meet records and finished ahead of second place Livingston High School, 92-66.  They also captured first place in the Essex County Outdoor Track Championships held at Montclair High School on the weekend of May 20-21, when the team won 6 of 16 events, finishing ahead of second place Newark Tech, 108-75; and

WHEREAS, the Columbia High School Girls Track Team then went on to win the Group IV North Jersey, Section 2, Sectional Championship held at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, on the weekend of May 27-28, by finishing ahead of its nearest competitor, Franklin Township, 108-80, before capturing its Group IV Outdoor State Championship on June 4^th; and

WHEREAS, in addition to the Team’s stellar accomplishments, several members of the Team also enjoyed outstanding individual success.  Kayann Richards (100M Hurdles), Olivia Baker (400M and 800M), Whitney Jackson (200M) and Danielle England (Javelin) led the way by winning State Sectional titles.  Olivia Baker went on to capture Group IV titles in both the 400M and 800M, and also ran a leg on the Group IV Champion 4X400 Meter Relay Team that included Maya Hinton, Brittany Padmore and Kiana Winston; Olivia’s 400M time of 54.46 was the best time in New Jersey this year, and the best time run by a freshman in the entire country; and

WHEREAS, the Columbia High School Girls Track Team is comprised of the following members: Seniors Ebonie Coleman, Tasia Crumbley, Danielle England, Chanel Jackson, Jade Johnson, Janae Miller, Sarah-Ann Nijman, Cynthia Ogbonna, Chelsea Osuji, Ashley Phillips, Kayann Richards and Charity Scipio; Juniors Georgine Alexis, Nicole Basili, Briana Bellamy, Juanica Buchanan, Kelsi Burgess, Fayola Etienne, Yishana Gordon, Ni’mah Ismail, Whitney Jackson, Ashley Kamal, Janee Kearney, Megan Kirk, Laura Marino, Madison Moore, Brittany Padmore, Ayaana Smith and Erica Snarski; Sophomores Amber Ballew, Simone Brownlee, Destin Christie, Christelle Daceus, Shanika Dessein, Kelsey Earle, Kenya Gatson, Marvianna Gray, Natasha Rowley, Victoria Thomson, Anna van Zeijts, A’nasia Wiley and Kiana Winston; and Freshmen Folayemi Akindubuwa, Sarah Backstrave, Olivia Baker, Aigner Bobbitt, Hannah Butler, Calisha Caine, Najiyyah Clark, Imani Coleman, Baheejah Crumbley, Amanda Faison, Maya Hinton, Shationa Holder, Jessica Innocent, Jaelle Laurore, Hannah Panzer, Margot Radding, Kayla Richardson, Marilyn Sadasy, Deja Scott, Jada Smith, Tikeyah Thornton, Mitsy Wedderburn and Raquel Williams; and

WHEREAS, the Columbia High School Girls Track Team was coached by Coaches Lisa Morgan and Nicole Gilhuley.  The team also received administrative support from Superintendent Brian Osborne, Principal Dr. Lovie Lilly and Athletic Director Dave Curtin; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders hereby congratulates and commends the members of the Columbia High School Girls Track Team for their outstanding season and for winning the 2011 Group IV Outdoor Track State Championship; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that copies of this Resolution be presented to members of the team and the coaching and administrative staffs.