By Kennedy Werner

With perseverance and determination, the men’s and women’s Track and Field teams of Walled Lake Central took home the Kensington Lakes Athletic Association (KLAA) Conference Title, Saturday, May 11 at Lakeland High School in White Lake Township. Taking first in almost every event at the Walled Lake City meet, the next step for the team is the Regional Championship at Milford High School in Milford, Friday, May 17.

“The meet on Saturday was something we have been looking forward to all year. We really wanted to win and we accomplished that,” said senior Cullen Prena, who recently signed with the University of Oregon for discus and shot put in the fall.“As far as regionals goes, it is not as important from a team standpoint, but more from an individual one. It is the only state qualifying meet so performance on that day is crucial.”

Quite frankly, he’s right, Central really did “accomplish” what they were hungry for on Saturday. With credits to Josephine “Indi” Jackson, University of Notre Dame commit for Track and Field, the women’s Shot Put and Discus titles were taken home. Alongside Jackson, senior, Devyn Bogert winning the men’s Shot Put title and Prenan winning the men’s Discus title, Central can easily still call themselves the best throwers in the state.

Also on Saturday, the team took home first in many events, including the women’s 100m (Senior, Chantel Edwards), 200m (Senior, Gabrielle Edwards), 30” 300m Hurdles (Junior, Jasmine Brown), 4×100 Relay, 4×200 Relay, Shot Put (Jackson), and Discus (Jackson) and the men’s Shot Put (Bogert) and Discus (Prena). How does Walled Lake Central’s Track and Field team do so well?

“It has to do with year-round training,” said Head Coach Neb Stojkovic to the Detroit News, “It’s all technique. It’s a drill.” Because they proved to be the best at Lakeland, “We are confident now leading into regionals,” Prena said.