Catasauqua High School’s track and field team competed at the Colonial League Track and Field Championships on May 7 and 8 at Whitehall High School where the Rough Riders earned 12 medals in six events.

Sophomore sprinter Hailey Jenkins reached the top of the podium stand with her first-place finish in the 100 meter dash.

“It’s actually really exciting, you know, when I had nerves all day in school, and thinking about it since last week when I saw the seeding chart. Once I saw that I was second, I think that made me push harder to being the league champ,” she said.

Jenkins’ time was 12.09.

“I think I had a really good start, and the thing I really wanted to focus on- I’ve been told that my start is way stronger than my finish- so today, I did a really good job in having a strong finish. I pumped my arms way harder today. I had a strong race, and I think I really did push my limits.”

Jenkins was the silver medalist in the 200 meter dash with a time of 25.37.

Catty’s 4x400 meter relay team of Peter LaPointe, Josiah Lafond, Franklin Pujols, and Hamaad Jenkins won bronze medals in the last event of the meet.

“It feels amazing,” said LaPointe, the only senior on the relay. “Last year we ran in third with a whole different group of people, so the fact that we were able to do it with three different guys is honestly amazing. I’m always proud of my teammates, no matter what place we get, and I’m always grateful to be here, and it’s an amazing accomplishment.”

The Rough Riders’ time was 3:34.33.

“I knew there were a lot of fast kids in the first leg, so I had to get out to a good start,” LaPointe said. “I ran the open 4 about an hour before that, so I was feeling the effects of that coming through, later in the race, but overall, I think I kept my stride pretty well, maintained a good pace, and passed off to the second leg with a good enough lead. The handoff was perfect. It normally always is.”

LaPointe passed the baton to Lafond, who was in first place for a few meters.

“Off the handoff, I felt like I was going pretty fast,” he said. “I started seeing I was passing kids, and I knew I had it from there. I felt like I was flying. I didn’t expect it from me. Handoff to Franklin was perfect.”

Pujols ran the third leg.

“When [Josiah] goes out, I know he’s gonna do good for me, and when I saw him coming around the curve for the last 100, he’s coming in hot, and I know he passed five people and put us in second place, so when I grabbed that baton, I tried to pace because it’s a hard race to do,” said Pujols. “I tried to catch the first-place person, but I couldn’t, so I tried to keep the pace up so we could stay in a place to get a medal. The handoff was perfect.”

Jenkins was Catty’s anchor.

“During the 200 (meter dash), I got fourth, and that brought my hopes up a lot, so I had a positive mindset coming into the 400 (relay),” Jenkins said. “Once he gave me the baton, I knew I had to do my job. On this track, you don’t really slow down, so I started to get my knees up, pump my arms, and it really helped me succeed in the end.”

Jenkins also received a medal for the 200 meter dash with a time of 22.84, and Lafond won a fourth-place medal in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 42.23.

Manny Bolmer, LaPointe, Jeremiah Cofie, and Jenkins collected fourth-place medals in the 4x100 meter relay with a time of 44.23.

Rough Riders who placed in the top five in individual events included fifth-place finishers, Pujols in the 300 meter hurdles in 43.69, Lauren DeLong in the shot put with a throw of 32-10.00, and Cadeo Estronza in the 800 meter run in 2:06.64.

The Rough Riders, coached by Kyle Rusnock, will compete in the District XI Class 2A Track and Field Championships, scheduled for May 14 and 15, at Blue Mountain High School.