After being rained out the year before, the Lion Invitational made a comeback for the 2024 spring season coming back better and stronger. On April 27, 2024 the MHSN Track and Field program hosted the Lion Invitational consisting of athletes from over 35 schools. With the help of MHSN students and parents, this was one of the best meets yet. The weather was constantly changing but that didn’t stop anyone from putting their best foot forward. With the track loaded with runners, the field flooded with jumpers and throwers, and the loud cheers coming from the bleachers, the excitement was undeniable.
PRs were broken and medals were won with MHSN track athletes rising to the occasion and coming to play. With the girls securing a spot in 8th place and the boys securing one in 6th, the Lions were a force to be reckoned with.
With a 11.36 in the 100 meter and a 23.28 in the 200 meter, senior Richard Welton not only PRed in both events, but also secured a spot at 3rd and 4th place giving him two medals. Welton wasn’t the only runner to dominate, though. Another senior, Savannah Kenny, ran in the 100 hurdles with a time of 16.10 giving her a spot at first place.
When asked about the success of the meet, coach Ray Convey said, “The 2024 Lion Invitational was a huge success. We had 33 boys teams and 32 girls teams competing. Last year we had to cancel the meet due to rain, but this year we were fortunate to have nice weather throughout the day. As a result, there were many good results from multiple athletes. The highlight for Middletown North was Savannah Kenny taking first place in the 100 meter hurdles. A special thank you goes out to all of the Middletown North athletes, parents, and assistant coaches who helped make this year’s Lion Invitational an outstanding event.” The hard work put into this meet was crystal clear with how smoothly things were running.
The runners were not the only ones who were successful. North’s throwers also had a very successful meet with both girls and boys medaling throughout the day. The day started with boys shot, girls discus, and girls javelin. Junior Janell Sampson’s outstanding performance in girls javelin with a throw of 98’ 8 put her in fourth place.
As the day went on the focus shifted to girls shot put, boys discus and boys javelin. With a throw of 158 ‘8, senior Thomas Randolph secured a spot in third place not only giving him a medal but also a new PR. Our javelin throwers also did not fail to disappoint with senior Ian Poole Morgan placing 4th with a throw of 154’ 11 with yet another medal and PR.
Coach Randy Kalman, the throwers’ coach at North, was asked about the meet as well. He said, “ The Lion Invitational finally got back to full force and was a huge success this past weekend thanks mainly to our volunteers. It was great showing off the track and field talent in the state and our MHSN students like Rashi Mhapsekar and Lianna Faria volunteered the whole day to make it a top notch experience for the 60+ teams in attendance!”
The Lion Invitational was a huge success this year and it could not have been done without the work of our tremendous volunteers, parents, athletes and coaches. With another successful meet in the books, we can’t wait to see what these amazing athletes do in the future!
