Baker leads CHS girls' indoor track to state sectional title

Sophomore Olivia Baker won the 400-meter run and the 800-meter run to lead the Columbia High School girls' indoor track and field team to the team title at the state North Jersey Section 2, Group 4 Championships on Sunday Feb. 12 at the Bennett Center in Toms River.

The Lady Cougars amassed 71 points in the girls' team standings based on top-six finishes in each event. Union was second with 61 points.

Baker broker her own meet record in the 400. In the 800, Baker led a 1-2-3 finish for CHS, with Shanika Dessein taking second and Imani Coleman finishing third.

On the boys' side, Xavier McIntosh won the high jump to lead CHS, which tied for fifth overall with North Hunterdon with 26 points. Franklin was first with 67 points.

GROUP 4

BOYS

TEAMS: 1-Franklin 67. 2-Union 44. 3-Westfield 38. 4-Piscataway 28. 5-North Hunterdon and Columbia 26. 7-Linden 22. 8-Ridge 18. 9-Watchung Hills 16. 10-Elizabeth 9. 11-Bayonne 8. 12-Perth Amboy 6. 13-J.P. Stevens 2.

1,600-METER RUN: 5-David McCombs, Columbia, 4:30.37.

HIGH JUMP: 1-Xavier McIntosh, Columbia, 6 feet, 6 inches. 4-Leonard Dupree, Columbia, 6-0.

SHOT PUT: 4-Josuah Nijman, Columbia, 43-10 3/4.

1,600-METER RELAY:3-Columbia 3:35.23.
GIRLS

TEAMS: 1-Columbia 71. 2-Union 61. 3-Franklin 54. 4-Ridge 41. 5-North Hunterdon 40. 6-Bridgewater-Raritan 15. 7-Watchung Hills 10. 8-Westfield 9. 9-Piscataway 6. 10-Dickinson 2.

55-METER DASH: 2-Whitney Jackson, Columbia, 7.50. 3-Amber Ballew, Columbia, 7.52. 6-Kenya Gatson, Columbia, 7.65.

400-METER RUN: 1-Olivia Baker, Columbia, 57.38, record; former record, 57.69, Baker, Columbia, 2011. 5-Maya Hinton, Columbia, 59.79.

800-METER RUN: 1-Olivia Baker, Columbia, 2:20.67. 2-Shanika Dessein, Columbia, 2:22.13. 3-Imani Coleman, Columbia, 2:22.20.

1,600-METER RUN: 3-Shanika Dessein, Columbia, 5:26.82.

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55-METER HURDLES: 6-Kiana Winston, Columbia, 8.73.

HIGH JUMP: 3-Jada Jones, Union, and Amber Ballew, 4-8.

1,600-METER RELAY: 2-Columbia 4:04.51.