The Douglass Tigers Track and Field squads left quite an impression on both the 400-meter oval at Hanson Stadium and the school record books Tuesday afternoon at the CPS West Cluster Meet (hosted by Manley High School).

Setting the tone in an impressive manner, the quartet of Jeffrey Baylock (SR), Joseph Henderson (SO), Brandon Walker (JR) and Tyrone Stone (SR) claimed first place in the field in the 3200 Meter Relay, on their way to establishing a school record (9:53). Not being ones to settle, the four continued to dominate the track for the duration of the meet. In each race they competed accolades were abundant for the thinclads. Walker earned the championship in the 400 Meter Dash (:56.0) and added a third (200 Meters/:25.3) and a fourth (100 Meters/:11.7), while teammate Tyrone Stone had a “triple double” taking second place in every distance event (800 Meters/2:28; 1600 Meters/5:52; 3200 Meters/11:58). Not to be left behind, sophomore Joseph Henderson came in just behind his training partner in the 1600 and was out-dueled in the 3200 for third and fourth places. Senior Baylock capped off the day by anchoring the 1600 Relay just as he began the first race of the day—with a supreme effort. Having been handed the baton in an exchange far off of the leader, Baylock powered down the backstretch to close the gap quickly. With only a few meters remaining and the opposing runners within reach, Jeffrey simply “ran out of race.” The Tigers claimed second place in an amazingly hard-fought effort.

On the girls’ side, the Tiger-ettes showed that they, too, were formidable racers.

Sophomore Angela Stewart dug her claws into the tartan surface and circled the eight laps well ahead of all other competitors. Her 3200 Meter title (15:19) was an exciting start for the ladies’ day. She added a runner-up placing in the 1600 Meter Run (7:25) later in the competition. Junior Briana Blue placed third in the 800 Meter Run ahead of freshman Asia McKinney’s seventh spot.

Making her long-awaited outdoor debut for throwing the discus and shot put, senior April Cockers earned a fifth (41’1”) and sixth (20’8”), respectively.

The successful output saw the boy’s team finish fourth (69.5 points) in the field of eleven, and the girls’ team capture sixth.

“With Ty off to the University of Iowa next year I am confident that he will fly through the cornfields like the wind,” said Coach Almelien. “His leadership has been evident in the way the others put forth their efforts. Not only the boys, but the girls as well.”

Asked about those female tracksters, Almelien added quickly how “proud” and “excited” she was to see Angela cross the line.

The next meet will again be held at Hanson Stadium (southeast corner of Fullerton and Central) on the 28th of April. All are welcome and invited to see what it is “to live fast!”