By Chloe McGeehan, The Current Managing Editor, and Jason Benedek, Staff Writer
Despite only having two official indoor meets of the season, River Hill sprinters Ara Omitowoju, Janasia Buckner, Larasia Buckner, and Sierra Collis came prepared to claim the title of 3A Maryland 4x200m State Champions with a time faster than all 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A public high school teams. These elite athletes devoted countless hours of hard work towards achieving their goals and winning competitive races. After a two-week COVID shutdown and multiple race cancellations, they still managed to end their 2022 indoor season with a stellar 1:50.66 4x200m performance.
For reference, 200 meters takes you halfway around a standard 400 meter outdoor track, but indoor tracks are typically 200 meters total for financial and spatial logistics. Maryland’s Indoor Track State Championships are traditionally held at Prince George’s Track Complex, with a synthetic rubber 200 meter track; however, the facility has been transformed into a COVID testing site. This meant that state-qualifying high school runners tested out a new track this year at the Baltimore Armory, one that was a little more unconventional. Janasia Buckner, a senior on the relay team, described her experience as “terrifying because we were not in an actual track facility, so it was more of like a [wood] basketball court. Running on the curves was absolutely difficult. I knew this from running regionals and I knew it was hard for me to stay balanced and not get in other peoples lanes.” Luckily the girls were able to learn from their regional performances at the same track and manipulate their plan of action to accommodate for the hardwood floor.
Something as simple as the floor surface or as small as arm placement can make or break a sprinting event. Sierra Collis shared, “Coach Richmond has really helped me correct my form when sprinting. At the beginning of the season everyone used to say I had princess arms which was very funny, but anyways, he has helped me remember to use my arms. As a sprinter, form is critical.” Coach Richmond played a huge role in the team’s success this year. Senior, Ara Omitowoju explains, “In general, I would say Coach Richmond has been my biggest supporter. He takes the time to individually work with me despite the 130 people on the team while constantly reassuring me of the potential I have as a runner even when I don’t believe in myself. It’s easy for a coach to ignore the thoughts and concerns of their athletes, but he listens. He also pushes good mental health above all.”
As a four year River Hill athlete, Janasia emphasized a different aspect of the training that went into their golden win: mental preparation. Janasia stated, “I knew how to run [the 4×200] and I knew what I needed to do in my leg of running. So it was just mentally preparing to go out fast and get ahead of everyone.”
Unlike individual events, a 4x200m relay relies on all four athletes performing at peak performance. Janasia expressed this, commenting, “We all have our own parts in the race. I’m the lead so I have to get out and make sure we have a good start. The second leg is supposed to continue that lead and so is the third leg, both making sure no one passes us. The last leg, which is Ara, finishes strong and if we are behind, she is the one who can catch up to people, which is what happened at States for the 4×200.”
Ultimately the girls were super excited with their performance and the opportunity to represent River Hill at the state level in such a bold way. Janasia cheered, “It means a lot, winning in general and being able to bring a title to school and just represent is pretty cool.”
This was sophomore Sierra’s first ever experience going to states; she remarked, “Winning states was so rewarding and exhilarating, especially because it was my first season of track in high school. Honestly, I’m still in shock. I am so glad that I got to be a part of such a great relay. I am so proud of the girls!”
The team was exhilarated to say the least after their monumental 4×200 victory. After finishing the last leg in first place, Ara Omitowoju stated, “I can’t even put it into words. We have won a bunch of other races, but that one has to be a top 3 win. We went from 3rd place to 1st place – I was literally head to head with the other girl. I think when it actually felt real was seeing the looks on my teammates faces and getting the medal. Nothing better than adding another to the collection.”
Having learned a lot from this amazing experience, Sierra added, “My advice to someone looking to make achievements in track is to truly commit to going to practice and your training. Having the right mindset when practicing is also very important. If you don’t want to put in the work, you will not see results.”
This team has proven that there is no shortage of speed at River Hill. This win follows a long tradition of River Hill dominance in athletics. They have received recognition and respect from their family, friends, peers, school administration, and even county executive, Calvin Ball. Dr. Ball tweeted on March 21st his congratulations, writing “I was proud to stop by @hcpss_rhhs today to congratulate some of our MPSSAA indoor track ’22 State Champions. It’s always thrilling to see our Hawks soar and I can’t wait to see what new heights they achieve.” Congratulations again to Janasia, Larasia, Sierra, and Ara! The River Hill community looks forward to watching your 2022 outdoor track performances this spring.
