Sports

Four members of Stuyvesant’s girls’ varsity indoor track team participated in the National Scholastic Indoor Championships, held on Sunday, March 16, at the Armory.

Senior Eva Sadej, who ran a sub-4:48 1500 meter, was the only runner to qualify. At Nationals, Sadej set a school record by running a 5:13 mile, good for 22nd in the United States. About 40 runners ran a sub-4:48 1500 and qualified for nationals.

“It’s not first in the nation, it’s not second in the nation,” Sadej said. “I didn’t expect to be, so I’m not upset, but I wish I’d went a little faster today. I think I had a lot in me.”

Senior Nina Yang as well as juniors Connie Cheng and Dan Ping He all qualified for their sub-8:10 1500 meter racewalk times. For both events, one only had to run below the qualifying time at any point in the season. Forty people qualified. Yang and Cheng were disqualified. He set a personal record with an 8:26 mile, placing 14th overall in the nation.

Despite reaching Nationals, all four performed somewhat unimpressively at the New York State Championships, on Saturday, March 8, at Cornell University.

“It wasn’t a good race at all,” said Sadej, who placed 17th in the 1500 meter run with a time of 5:00. “It’s a lot off par for what I can do.”

Sadej qualified for States by placing first in the 1500 meter run with a time of 4:49 at the New York City Championships, which were held on Friday, February 22 at the Armory. Nonetheless, she attributes her struggles at States partially to her previous success in this event.

“This season I peaked a little too early,” Sadej said. “I peaked specifically for cities, that’s why I did well.” She plans to take a one week break from running to rejuvenate and prepare for the outdoor track season.

The racewalkers’ experiences are similar. Yang, after placing first in the 1500 meter racewalk at Cities with a time of 7:42, was disqualified in the same event at States for bending her knees, which is illegal in racewalking. He placed second in cities with a time of 7:43, but came in ninth with a time of 7:58 at States. Although she made Nationals, Cheng did not qualify for States because she did not place first or second at Cities, instead placing fourth with a time of 8:02.

“We were a little tired, a little overworked,” Yang said.

“It’s been a long season,” He said.

In addition, He and Yang both qualified for the Nike Indoor National Championships, which were held on Saturday, March 15 in Maryland. About 20 people qualified. Cheng did not qualify because she did not post a sub-8-minute-mile racewalk during the season. He was disqualified. Yang, after performing in SING! as a step dancer on Friday, drove to Maryland, placed 8th overall with an 8:33 mile, then drove back to New York to perform in SING! again on Saturday and compete in a National Championship again on Sunday. “In the end, it was a great experience,” Yang said.