Baldwin track team wins five medals at States, 4×400 wins state gold and Inter-Ac title
The Baldwin School track and field team wrapped up a successful spring season by winning medals in five events at the 2016 Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) State Championship meet May 18 at The Hill School.
The highlight of the day was the 4×400 meter relay team of junior Jen Dietrich, senior Ellie Greenberg, senior Sarah Park and sophomore Absara Irgau bringing home the first place gold medal with a time of 3:58.83, just missing the state record by 0.2 seconds. The 4×400 meter relay team also captured the gold medal at the Inter-Ac League championships.
After watching the 4×400 meter relay team win the gold medal, Baldwin head coach Ije Iheoma said, “This relay team continues to amaze me with their strong performances. They have done something that no other Baldwin track relay team has ever done before. They left a legacy of excellence and it was an honor to coach them and watch them succeed on and off the track.”
Greenberg earned a second place silver medal in the 100-meter run with a time of 12.80.
Dietrich finished with a silver medal in the 400-meter run with a new personal and school record time of 56.78. Irgau took fifth in the 400-meter run with a time of 59.79.
Dietrich grabbed a third place bronze medal in the 200-meter run with a time of 26.01. Greenberg finished seventh in the 200-meter run with a time of 26.78.
Baldwin freshman Cici Cui locked up seventh in the 100-meter hurdles with a new personal and school record time of 17.36. Cui also placed 12th in the 300-meter hurdles.
The 4×100 meter relay team of Greenberg, Dietrich, Irgau and sophomore Haley Tavares won a second place silver medal with a personal and school record time of 50.53.
Baldwin finished in ninth place overall at the PAISAA meet.
“This is our best finish in program history,” said Iheoma. “I am so proud of all the team’s accomplishments this spring season and look forward to continuing to grow and develop track and field at Baldwin.”
The Baldwin track program has made great strides in the past three years. Baldwin finished in ninth place overall out of 16 schools and scored 45 points at the 2016 PAISAA meet. In 2014, Baldwin finished last with nine points and in 2015 Baldwin was ninth with 24 points.
A few days before the 2016 PAISAA meet, Baldwin’s 4×400 meter relay team of junior Jen Dietrich, senior Ellie Greenberg, sophomore Absara Irgau and senior Sarah Park captured the program’s first ever Inter-Ac title at the league championships at William Penn Charter School. The team set a school record with a time of 4:01.9, narrowly missing out on the Inter-Ac League record time of 4:01.7.
Baldwin placed fifth out of seven teams overall, finishing ahead of both Penn Charter and AIS. The Polar Bears were only 11 points away from fourth place Germantown Academy.
At the conclusion of the championship meet, Iheoma said, “I am so proud of the performances by everyone today. The girls are a pleasure to coach and have improved so much this season. They support each other and work so hard together. I can’t wait for the upcoming PAISAA meet.”
