Thomas Jefferson High School Track and Field continues its dominance, and prove that they are the team to beat in the DPS League.
Senior Jalil DeBose prepares for physical activity. photo by Kevin Fleming
On April 22nd, the TJ track team competed in their second Denver Public School Invitational.
The team had already competed in a DPS invite earlier in the season, and impressively came in 1st place, giving the squad confidence heading into this event. “We have seen most of these teams already this year,” said Coach Woody Bonner. “As long as we stay focused, we should perform very well,” he added.
The results are as follows:
| Place | Team | Score |
| 1 | Thomas Jefferson High School | 192.0 |
| 2 | Montbello | 174.0 |
| 3 | George | 165.0 |
| 4 | Overland | 136.0 |
| 5 | John F. Kennedy | 127.0 |
| 6 | Denver East | 107.0 |
| 7 | Denver South | 79.0 |
| 8 | Abraham Lincoln | 43.0 |
| 9 | Denver North | 23.0 |
| DNP | Denver West |
Notable individual performances include:
| Athlete | Place | Event |
| David Cramer | 4 | 200 Meter Dash |
| Brandon Lowe | 5 | 200 Meter Dash |
| Efrem Woldu | 1 | 400 Meter Dash |
| Jalil DeBose | 4 | 400 Meter Dash |
| Jamal Shields | 6 | 800 Meter Run |
| Jalil DeBose | 1 | 110 Meter High Hurdles |
| Armani Nunn | 7 | 110 Meter High Hurdles |
| Armani Nunn | 5 | 300 Meter High Hurdles |
| Andrea Shacklock | 9 | 400 Meter Dash |
| Teyawna DeBose | 3 | 110 Meter High Hurdles |
| Mariah McCrea | 1 | 300 Meter High Hurdles |
| Teyawna DeBose | 4 | 300 Meter High Hurdles |
The relay events for the day proved once again to be a strong-point for the Spartans. The boys’ team managed to come in 1st place in the three of their relays, while the ladies had a respectable 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in their various events.
| Team | Place | Event |
| Girls Relay Team | 3 | 4×100 Meter Relay |
| Girls Relay Team | 1 | 4×200 Meter Relay |
| Girls Relay Team | 4 | 4×400 Meter Relay |
| Girls Relay Team | 2 | 800 Sprint Medley |
| Boys Relay Team | 1 | 4×100 Meter Relay |
| Boys Relay Team | 1 | 4×200 Meter Relay |
| Boys Relay Team | 1 | 4×400 Meter Relay |
| Boys Relay Team | 4 | 4×800 Meter Relay |
The field events also scored well for the team, securing a TJ victory late in the day. Ben Makovsky came in 3rd place on the high jump with his jump of 5 feet 3 inches, while Makovsky and Dillon Rickard came in 1st and 2nd for their work in the pole vault event. Kyllan Snow had a first place of his own with his remarkable discus throw.
For the ladies, Jamee Veasley and Andrea Shacklock came in 3rd and 4th respectively for their individual long jumps.
Coach Bonner couldn’t be happier with the team right now. “This is great news for us, and a huge confidence builder. It sent a message out to the other DPS teams, and lets them know that we are the school to beat, and beating us is no easy task,” commented Bonner.
Next on the agenda for the team is the Montbello Invitational on Saturday, May 2nd, at 6 a.m. The invitational will host teams that TJ has already seen, and will continue to give them good practice in their goal to achieve state qualifying times.
