Claudia Francis made quite a return to the Benjamin Cardozo track team.
The senior, who returned to the Judges after leaving the squad after last cross country season, helped her team grab the fastest time in the nation this season in the distance medley relay at the Marine Corps Holiday Classic at the Armory on Wednesday. Francis, a national champion in the 800 last year, ran her leg in 2:12 and Cardozo posted a time of 12:06.70.
She was later the anchor the 4 x 400 relay of Latiesha Philson, Ugonna Okpala and Sabrina Southerland as they set the meet record with a time of 3:48.85. Medgar Evers was second in 3:50.82. William Penn (Pa.) set the previous record of 3:51.09 in 2000. Francis ran her anchor leg in 55.1
Medgar Evers, though, was not to be outdone. The team of Kimberly Campbell, Kadecia Baird, Sheniece Daphess and Sandrae Fraquaharson ran a time of 1:39.38 to win the 4 x 200, to best their nation-leading time.
Bishop Loughlin’s Adrienne Alexander won the shot put with a toss of 40 feet 2 inches and St. John Villa’s Mariah Claudio placed third in the 800 meters with a time of 2:18.02.
Medgar Evers’ flexed its relay muscle on the boys side also.
Andre Jordan, Brent Jules, Michael Betton and Adrian Lewis placed first in the 4 x 200 relay with a time of 1:30.20, the second fastest time in the nation this year. Lewis was able to hold off Newburgh, which placed second in 1:30.29. The Cougars were also second in the 4 x 400 in 3:24.77.
While Medgar came through with a strong finish, Columbus’s Strymar Livingston is off to a fast start. The junior was one of the state’s best in the 800 indoors last season and now owns the nation’s top time in the 1,000. Livingston held off Monroe-Woodbury’s Ryan Brennan down the stretch and finished in 1:54.59. He was also the anchor of Columbus’s sprint medley relay that placed first in a time of 3:35.56.
Dominick Vilsaint and Jason Matthews of St. Francis Prep combined to place third in the long jump relay with a mark of 39-4.5. Matthews was fifth in the long jump with leap of 20-1.5. Fordham Prep’s Trevon Tann won the high jump with a leap of 6-4. Dewitt Clinton’s Pierre Francios notched a second place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 47-10.75.