Johnson, Broadnax compete at national meet

By: Carolyn M. Hartko
   It was hot and humid this past weekend as elite athletes in track and field converged on the University of North Carolina in Raleigh for the annual high school championships. For the second year in a row, the South Brunswick High School girls track team was represented at the prestigious National High School Championships at the University of North Carolina.
   Competing in the long jump on Friday the 13th, senior Natalya Johnson finished 13th (out of26) with a leap of 17-6, just a few inches shy of her personal best of 17-11. Johnson beat all the other competitors from New Jersey.
   "It was a really good experience," Johnson said. "The 17-6 was better than my performance at the (NJ state) Meet of Champions. I always look to improve, so I did okay."
   Senior Lauren Broadnax competed in two events, placing 24th in both. She clocked a 25.11 in the 200 dash, and a 57.69 in the 400. Both times were fully automatic.
   "It was a little different this year, because Natalya and I competed in individual events," Broadnax said. "Last year, we ran a relay. But we fared pretty well overall. I ran my fastest 200, and I tied my fastest 400 time. It was fun."
   "Lauren equaled her school record time in the 200," Lady Viking head coach Brian Jost said. "In the 400, she equaled her personal best time, and those two races were about three hours apart. I’m very pleased with how both of them performed."