DECATUR: BAYSIDE CHAMPIONS

Stephen Decatur’s Jimmy Wells, center, leads the competition over the last hurdle of the 55-meter event during the Jan. 27 indoor track and field Bayside Conference championship at the Worcester County Recreation Center in Snow Hill. Wells won the race in 7.9 seconds, a personal best and school record. OCEAN CITY TODAY/LISA CAPITELLI (Feb. 5, 2010) Stephen Decatur’s boys’ and girls’ indoor track and field teams both captured Bayside Conference championship titles during the Jan. 27 competition at the Worcester County Recreation Center in Snow Hill.

Thirteen schools participated in the meet. It is the second consecutive year the Seahawk teams won the crown.

“I wasn’t that surprised about the boys because pretty much the whole season they dominated the Bayside teams. The girls were a pleasant surprise,” Decatur Coach Pat Russo said. “According to the (pre-meet) seedings we would have lost to Kent Island by 15 or 20 points. They had more potential points than we did, but we performed better at Baysides and won the meet.”

Decatur Coach Pat Russo The Decatur boys’ squad was the favorite going into the meet and scored 107 points for the victory. North Caroline finished second with 63 points.

Seahawk Jimmy Wells not only recorded his personal best time, 7.9 seconds, in the 55-meter hurdles, but he also broke his own school record (8.1 seconds), which he set earlier this year. The senior said he was “in shock” after winning the race.

“I said I was going to run 7.9 (seconds) and I ran it and I’m Bayside champ for the first time,” Wells said. “I’m psyched. I can’t believe it. I had a wake-up call when I started losing in the last two meets and then I picked it up this meet. I wanted to end the season well.”

Decatur’s Matt Allenbaugh competes in the pole vault during the Bayside Conference championship. He placed first in the event with a vault of 12 feet 6 inches. OCEAN CITY TODAY/LISA CAPITELLI Wells said he wants to finish the 55-meter hurdles in 7.7 seconds at the Feb. 9 3A East Regional meet and place in the top three. His ultimate objective is to qualify for the state championship.

Teammate Cameron Campbell became the Bayside champion in the 800-meter event, crossing the finish line in 2:07.70. Matt Allenbaugh placed first in the pole vault, with a height of 12 feet 6 inches and Mike Kempa was victorious in the shot put with a throw of 43 feet 3 inches.

The Lady Seahawks tallied 106 points to win their competition. North Caroline was second with 85.5 points.

Bradley Janson finished first in the 500- and 300-meter dashes. The senior completed the events in 1:26.30 and 44.10 seconds, respectively. She also ran a leg for the 3,200-meter relay team with Ravyn Saunders, Lauren Cosgriff and Carly Bodolus. The foursome won the race in 10:31.40, nine seconds ahead of the second-place team.

Stephen Decatur’s Annie Brown soars over the bar during the high jump competition on Jan. 27. Brown placed third in the event during the Bayside Conference championship at the Worcester County Recreation Center in Snow Hill. OCEAN CITY TODAY/LISA CAPITELLI “It’s exciting to win the Bayside championship because you work hard all season trying to get to this point,” Janson said. “Finally doing it feels really good. It’s a really good way to end my last indoor season.”

The 800-meter relay team consisting of Jessica Galuardi, Annie Brown, Lindsey Miller and Jenna Abbaticchio, broke the school record (1:58) and took first place in their event (1:57.30).

Jessica Ames became a two-time Bayside champion in the pole vault. The senior vaulted 8 feet 6 inches to capture the title.

“Just about everybody, both the boys and girls, met or exceeded the expectations set for them. Many of them had personal bests,” Russo said. “I’m very happy for the kids. They’ve had a great season, but it’s not over yet.”

The 3A East Regional meet is scheduled for Feb. 9 at the Prince George’s Sportsplex in Landover. The Lady Seahawks won last year’s regional competition by one point. The boys were fifth out of the 14 schools that participated. Regional competition is always tough, Russo said, but he is confident the Seahawks will be competitive.

The top four finishers in each regional event will advance to the state championship, set for Feb. 16 at the same location.