Hadley leads track team to fourth

Boardman freshman Mark Hadley qualified for the National Outdoor Track and Field Championship Meet in Greensboro, N.C., in mid-June.

Hadley will be one of 30 freshmen nationwide to compete in the ninth-grade 1600-meter race. He earned the trip to North Carolina with a time of 4:33 in the 1600, which was good enough for a fourth-place finish at the 2011 Poland Invitational.

“I am so happy for Mark and very proud of him,” said Boardman boys distance coach John Phillips. “Mark has worked so hard this season and has been such a huge contributor to the team, this is icing on the cake to one of the greatest freshmen seasons in school history,” added Phillips.

During the Poland meet, the Spartans finished fourth overall as a team.

Highlighting Boardman’s success was sophomore Nathan Jones victory in the 200-meter run in a time of 22.45. Also representing the Spartans was senior Trae Robinson, who placed second in the 400 meters in a time of 50.58.

Senior Clayvon Finch also scored high in the 110-meter hurdles with a second-place finish in 15.06.

Other Spartans that scored at Poland were senior Eddie Adu-Poku whose personal-best time of 9:55 was good enough for a sixth-place finish in the 3200. Adu-Poku’s brother, freshman Ivan Adu-Poku took sixth in the 100 meters in a time of 11.53 seconds. Ivan Adu-Poku, Jones, junior Michael Moxley and freshman Isaiah Lyle took sixth in 45.03 in the 4X100-meter relay.

The 4X400-meter relay team of Robinson, Ivan Adu-Poku, Moxley and Jones finished third with a time of 3:35.23. In the high jump, senior Leandre Jackson finished fourth with a leap of 6-4. Junior John Kuczek took seventh in the shot put with a heave of 43-3 º and junior Nick Lamb took eighth in the discus with a throw of 141-7.