Newark High's track champs

LaTanya Parker and Jill Starkenburg are state champions in track and field

Last Saturday, Starkenburg reached her highest moment in pole vaulting as she won the Class B State championship held at Kingston, with a vault of 11 feet. The height is an overall state record. Earlier in the day, she had eliminated her competitors in the Class B bracket with a vault of nine feet.

Her attempt at greater heights came when the Class A champion won her event with a vault of 10 feet, six inches. Starkenburg, who will graduate from high school on June 26, decided that she would make the attempt at state history. With a large crowd spilling from the stands near the pole vault area, she attempted her vault and cleared it for the overall state record.

Parker became a double state champion as she captured the Class B title in the shot put with a toss of 43 feet one and 1/2 inches. She won her first ever discus title with a toss of 144 feet, just shy of her Section 5 record. It is Parker's second straight title in the shot put event. She also finished sixth in the 100 meter run.

In the boys 4x400 relay event: Corey Stirpe, Brandon Schroeder, Dwayne Parker and Greg Switzer were fourth overall with a time of 44.03 seconds.

Switzer was ninth in the 400 relay event with a time of 58.90 seconds. In the girls 3000 meter run, Jennifer Stevens was ninth with a time of 10:45.62.

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