Ramstein’s Vincent Studer celebrates as he heads to the finish line after clearing the final hurdle in the 300-meter hurdles race at the DODEA-Europe track and field championships in Kaiserslautern, Germany, May 20, 2023. He won in 40.79 seconds. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
The DODEA European sports calendar hands off to the track and field season with relay meets Saturday.
Three weeks later, the real season begins, with seven weeks of competition to prepare for the European meet on May 23-24 at Kaiserslautern High School.
Numerous individual winners coming back will face threats from plenty of podium placers looking to rise to the top, while newcomers will be looking to make impacts in the running lanes and the field events.
Here’s a look at individual teams based on responses from coaches:
Alconbury
The Dragons continue to grow in stature.
Coach Nicole Andre said the 2024 roster is double that of 2023. That has raised expectations, with the hopes of getting twice as many European meet qualifiers and maybe getting more than one onto the podium in May.
Leading the way will be senior returning qualifiers Paige Sander and Julian “Juju” Brazoban. Sander finished 12th in the girls 400-meter dash. Brazoban, meanwhile, missed out on advancing to the 110 hurdle final by .04 seconds, taking ninth.
Half of the boys sprint medley team that took 13th last spring are back in Brazoban and Alfonso Sanchez. On the girls side, the opening and closing legs of the relay are back in Sander and Evangeline Cumming.
Also retuning are Bohdan Andre, Grant Cumming, Gabriella Pantoja, Alejandro Reyes, Brodie Lorton, Eli Schroeder, Helena Plaza-Ponte and Sofia Leas Cruz.
Ansbach
Following two consecutive team titles, the girls team will be in rebuild mode.
The Cougars lost two-time field event champion Tamia McLaughlin (high and triple jumps), as well as three Top-8 placers in Kaiserslautern last spring. Add to that the return of girls soccer siphoning some of the fastest athletes, and it could be a long season.
Still, under first-year coach Christopher Moran, field athletes are making an impact. Junior Sophia Joers returns after taking 11th in the discus, while fellow junior Addison Bryant came in 12th in the triple jump last campaign. Newcomers Sarah Felice and Lizzy Agudzi-Addo have emerged for the Cougars in throwing, with Agudzi-Addo also seeking top-10 placements in jumping events.
Junior Eloisa McCaskill, meanwhile, will seek a spot on the podium after taking 10th in the high jump.
For the boys, Sophomore Greyson Strabala leads a team hungry to get back into the hunt for a Division III European crown. The high jumper was the lone boy to earn points for the squad last spring, coming in seventh in the high jump, and he also placed 12th in the triple jump.
Fellow European qualifiers David Serna and Kenton Duplessie are back after running in the sprint medley relay. Duplessie is expected to make some noise in the middle-distance events.
Okenie McLaughlin and Jalen Donaldson give the team options in the jumping events, while Michael Carbon and James Colon add to Ansbach’s throwing arsenal.
Black Forest Academy
The Falcons are entering 2024 in a youth movement, with a third of the squad being freshmen.
While making this spring a fresh start, the youth highlights the importance of athletes such as Maddie Steiner and Natalie Konieczny. The duo were the first two legs in the 4x100 relay that came in fifth in the European meet.
Steiner, a senior, qualified in all three jumping events, taking fifth, ninth and 12th in the high, triple and long, respectively.
Also returning for BFA are throwers Sam Allers and Austin Yau, sprinter/jumper Caleb Shell and jumper/middle-distance runner Nathan Pinkston.
Brussels
The Brigands face a tall task in replacing the graduated one-man-wrecking-crew that was William Pierce.
They will turn to their three returning 2023 European competitors to do so. Junior Sawyer Ter Horst took 10th in the boys shot put, while senior Nyah Jorgensen launched a 91-foot, 1-inch throw on her last attempt to place fourth in the girls discus.
Haley Mitchell proved an up-and-comer in middle distance events, taking 13th in the 400 and running the anchor leg for both the 4x400 and 4x800 relays, which took 10th and sixth, respectively.
Among the new and younger contingent to the squad are Isabella Mitchell, Joshua Isaacson, Amaia Sharrock, Kate Baird and Rylan Marron.
Frankfurt International
Coach Manika Mookerjee enters the season looking forward to the improvement of the returners.
One such athlete, Owen Seveland, could be the most exciting. The junior made the podium in all three of his events, finishing sixth in the 300 hurdles after advancing to the final with the third-fastest time and taking seventh in the long and triple jumps.
Also retuning are Keira Chaplin, Zoë King, Lucy Collins, Henry Wilde, Seth Leishman, Ricardo Bianchi and Jacob Anderson. New to the team are Jakob Glanz, Myles Fields, Vivaan Kartik, Karl Rasmus Byskov, Khoi Fumo-Pegues, Theodor Hutter, Alexander Frijlink, Helena Brandt and Laura Capranicocaetani.
Ramstein
Coach Neil Malone said the Royals may not be on anybody’s radar until late in the season, but opponents should sleep on Ramstein at their own risk.
Despite high turnover, the Royals have plenty of firepower back. Senior Vincent Studer won a European title in the boys 300 hurdles in 40.79 seconds. He also came in third in the 110 hurdles.
Championship runners-up Javier Harrington (discus) with a throw of 127-11 and Michael Gonzales (high jump) at 5-11 are back, and Harrington also took sixth in the shot put.
Senior Frank Lozano joined the long-distance team last spring and made an impact, running third, ninth and 11th in the 3,200, 1,600 and 800 races, respectively at the championships. Junior Jakobe Jeans trailed his teammate in the 3,200 and 1,600, taking eighth and ninth places, respectively.
For the girls, Simone Smith will build off her sensational freshman campaign, coming in sixth in the 100 dash and eighth in the long jump. Junior Mya Loringer placed eighth in the 2-mile, junior Natalie Lords qualified in the mile and junior Aydriel Chambers leapt to a fourth-place finish at Euros.
Rota
The Admirals are excited heading into this spring.
Returners like Sophia Dickkut, Rachel Owins, Anna Townsend and Joyah Rawles are big reasons for that. The quartet made up the 4x400 relay squad that came in fifth place at Kaiserslautern High School last May.
Dickkut, a senior, qualified for the Euros in all three sprinting events, making the podium in the 400 with a seventh-place finish. Rawles took 15th place at the European meet in the 300 hurdles.
Also returning are Brian Leiba, Claudia Cordero-Ramos, Dustin Gonzalez, Maria Liuzza and Tyler Marcus.
Additions include Addison Bleile, Emi Cruz, Jonathan King, Isabel Lanker, Jaden Naylor, Blake Williams, Julian Haber, Shane Nowak, Aliana Haber, Brandon Frare, Camille Siguenza, Brandon Frare, Thomas Phillips, Keelyn Simpkins, Olivia Bussey, Anthony Romero and Lilia Cypers.
SHAPE’s Samson Tryon won the high jump competition at the DODEA-Europe track and field championships in Kaiserslautern, Germany, May 20, 2023. Tyron was the only competitor who cleared 6-1 in the event, making it on his third try. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
SHAPE
The Spartans have doubled their roster heading into 2024 with more than 70 athletes. And they will be hoping to contend by placing multiple athletes on the podium.
It begins with senior Samson Tryon, who won the 2023 European title in the boys high jump. Asher McMullen, David Van Wagenen and Tudor Varvari made up three-quarters of the boys sprint medley and 4x400 relays that both placed eight at Euros.
For the girls, Rihanna Bender, Shaely McMullen and Amelia Teta took fifth in the sprint medley relay, while they also qualified for Euros in the 4x400. Bender, a junior, placed seventh in the 1,600 last spring.
Junior Sofia Tryon advanced to Europe in shot put as well.
Also returning are Diego Moreno-Ortiz, Julia Cesonis, Stella Chatziamanetoglou, Monste Cuquerella, Kieran Hall, Maria Claudia Lupuleasa, Flavio Nanni, Alkminni Papavasileiou, Sarah Rochlitzer, Rauno Sirk, Jocelyn Smith, Lucia Velasco and Tommaso Vinciguerra.
Sigonella
The Jaguars’ top hope heading into this spring is Rickalia Goss, a junior who experienced plenty of success her first two seasons. Goss fell short in the 400 for second place, and she took third place in the 200 and long jump.
Goss also made the podium in the 100 with a fifth-place finish.
Adding depth for the Sigonella girls are freshmen Isabelle Lyon and Hudson Burcham, junior Camryn Burcham and sophomore Tess Martinsen.
For the boys, Rhys Martinsen, Sladen Hager, Robert “Bobby” Gibbons, Andrew Buelow and Gideon Tasfay are expected to make an immediate impact as newcomers. Complementing them are freshman Hudson Burcham and sophomores C.J. Tenorio and Vaughn Dimapalis.
Spangdahlem
The Sentinels enter this spring with optimism for both the boys and girls team.
Key returners on the boys side will look to make the podium. Senior Javian Rivera ran the 100 and 400 at the European meet, finishing 12th and 11th, respectively, as well as the 4x400. Fellow senior Makario Drummond took 10th in the long jump and was a member of the sprint medley, 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams that ran at Kaiserslautern High School.
Sophomore Jayden Leonard also was a member of the 4x100 team that came in seventh in the final. Junior Messiah Smith qualified in the high jump and 4x400.
Isaac Espinoza returns and sophomore Zander Doulder joins the squad.
Coach Mark Jackson said numbers are rising for the girls side, and the Sentinels will have not just quantity but quality as well.
Sophomore Trinity Burse and Makenzie Proctor are back, and joining the team are Kelsey Drummond, Kylee Marien, Talia burse, Laila Leggett, Bella Parker, Bella Valenzuela and Kalise Rivera, among others.
Stuttgart
Coach Ian Wingfield has moved south from Wiesbaden to Stuttgart, taking over a squad filled with talented veterans.
Jack Gruver has found himself on top in every sport in the past year. Before earning football and wrestling titles his senior campaign, Gruver won the 2023 European discus event with a throw of 134-02 and finished second in the shot put at 42-6.5.
Alex Guthrie and Anika Smith also have runner-up finishes under their belts. Guthrie, a sophomore, ran an 11.19 in the 100 finals to take second after positing the fastest preliminary time. Smith, a senior, came in second in both the 100 (12.3) and 200 (25.59).
Others who advanced to the European meet are Daniel Greer (100 and 400), Johann Maldonado (discus), junior Madeline Alberico (100 hurdles and 4x400 relay), senior Isabella Segalla (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, high jump and 4x100 relay), senior Laura Boom (sprint medley, 4x100 and 4x400 relays and shot put), Kathleen Fox (sprint medley and 4x400 relays) and sophomore Miccah Evans (100 and sprint medley and 4x100 relays).
Also returning are Nathan Clery and Marnessa Fox.
Newcomers expected to make an impact are Michael Wakins, Tymir Johnson, Devon Johnson and Sophia Aybulut-Williams.
Vilseck
The Falcons are excited for the season, and with the veterans available, it’s easy to see why.
Junior Gabby Shields is coming off a great European meet in 2023. The sprinter/jumper stepped onto the podium four times last spring, the best a second-place finish in the girls 4x400 relay. Shields also competed in the 100 (seventh), 200 (fifth) and long jump (seventh).
Kaitlyn Brewer, a junior, ran the middle legs with Shields on that 4x400 relay. Brewer also qualified in the 100 hurdles, in which she finished 12th.
Distance runner Jaylen Acron proved himself to be a top jumper in DODEA-Europe last spring, advancing to the finals in the triple jump where the senior took sixth. Fellow senior Levi Jones also competed in the triple jump at Euros, finishing ninth.
Adrian Coert-Metcalf transferred in from Hohenfels, while Damion Rogers joins the Falcons from Brussels after qualifying in the 300 hurdles and long jump last spring. Also new are sprinters Victoria Shields, Kamani Huskey and Mazie Lorcher.
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