Tabor Hosts ISTA Championships

On Saturday, May 13, the Tabor Academy campus was overrun with athletes, parents, and fans as Tabor hosted the 34th annual Independent School Track Association (ISTA) Championship Track & Field Meet.

The championship brought athletes from 12 independent schools across New England to Tabor. With a number of individual victories and personal-record finishes on both sides, the boys’ team placed second and the girls’ team placed sixth.

On the boys’ side, two athletes placed first in their respective categories. The first was senior Archie Velasquez, who won in the 3,000-meter race.

“Archie had the biggest win of the day, setting a new PR and leading a 1-2 Tabor finish in the 3,000 along with [sophomore Yudai Yamakawa] in second,” said Head Boys’ Coach Chris Adams in a post on the Tabor website.

The other win was by senior Akim Sanni, who, as the favorite in the event, won the high jump with a top jump of 6’ 2”. Sanni also threw 51’ 1” in the shotput, breaking both a personal and school record.

On the girls’ side, junior and captain Abby Park won in the long jump. Abby won the event with a jump of 14’ 8.25”.

“I wasn’t really expecting anything from the meet, but it was a nice surprise to be able to help earn the team more points,” said Park.

The ISTA is a league comprised almost entirely of schools from the ISL, the Independent School League, which includes many of the top prep schools in the Greater-Boston area. The one exception is Tabor, which despite not being a member of the ISL has been a member of the ISTA for many years.

This outsider status in the ISTA will disappear next year when Tabor officially joins the ISL. Tabor will be taking the spot of St. Paul’s School, which is leaving the league with the plan of joining a new league comprised of another group of top New England prep schools. The decision to admit Tabor came in the fall, and the admittance will provide great benefits and opportunities for the school’s athletics.

Tabor is no stranger to hosting running championships. This past fall, Tabor hosted the New England Prep School Track Association Division II Cross Country Championships. In this event, Tabor’s boys’ team took first place in a dominating fashion, winning the event for the first time in Tabor’s history. In past years, Tabor has hosted the New England Track & Field Championships as well.

Next weekend on May 20, Tabor will travel to Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Massachusetts for the New England Championship. Both teams look to build upon their results in the ISTA Championships, and use their strength to make a statement on the entire field of New England schools.

By Jack Gordon

 

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