Oak Knoll’s winter track and field season concluded, but not before elevating the program to new heights.  

OKS athletes finished their winter season by shattering school and personal records and attaining career-high achievements. The spotlight on the sport has recently expanded the spring season as a record number of 60 athletes have recently joined the spring track and field team. 

Winter track and field athletes excelled last weekend at the New Balance Indoor National Track and Field Group Championship where Oak Knoll had qualifiers.

Samantha Petrucco ’22 of Short Hills set a new school record in the 400 meter (57.95) and qualified for the championship. Lily Murphy ’22 of Summit also scooped a new school record in the 3,200-meter (10:32.6 converted) enroute to the second-best time in NJ in the two mile 10:36.

Oak Knoll’s Track and Field relay team earned new records in several relays this season. The sprint medley relay, distance medley relay, 4 X 800-meter relay and 4 x 400-meter relay. 

Petrucco also set a new Oak Knoll School record and finished in first place in the 300-meter and third in the 55-meter race at the Dick DeSchriver Invitational. Murphy finished second here in the 1,600-meter run. 

In the Len Pietrewicz Invitational, Petrucco earned first place in the 55-meter and Sarah McManus ’22 of Chatham earned first place in the 1600 meter.                                                                             

At the Cliff Back Invitational, Murphy earned first place in the 1,600 meter. 

Petrucco earned 1st in the 400 meter, third in the 55 meter and Megan McCann ’23 of Madison earned first in the high jump at 4’10’ in the Bill Reid Memorial.

At the Union County meet, Murphy finished second in the 1,600-meter race and in the 3,200-meter race and OKS came in fourth place out of 20 teams entered. 

At the NJCTC meet, OKS finished in fourth place overall and first in the small school category. Here, Petrucco earned first place in the 300-meter race, Murphy earned first in the 3,200 meter while McCann finished first in the high jump.

Several OKS athletes also earned personal bests in the NJSIAA Non-Public A Group Championship and qualified and competed in the Meet of Champions on Saturday, March 5. Oak Knoll finished at the Meet of Champions in third place overall out of 18 schools who competed and Petrucco earned second place in the 400-meter race. 

Also, at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, Murphy set a new school record (10:46.20) in the 3,200-meter run while setting the new school record of (4:14.42) in the 4×400 relay race. Students on the relay team included Janet Pearce ’22 of Morristown, McManus, McCann, and Petrucco.

“Track and field is a team sport, but it’s also an individual one,” said Mickey Cassu, Oak Knoll’s Head Track & Field Coach. “The success of our winter season is a combination of girls who have been with the team for four years who have worked hard, seen success as well as new girls who joined track this past year who saw their success and thrived off it.  

“We were lucky to be injury-free and while it was a cold winter, we were able to train hard because we had a limited amount of snow and rain days. We were ready to race and put our best efforts forward. We couldn’t be prouder of all the track and field athletes,” he said. 

For more information about how all of Oak Knoll’s winter sports teams finished their seasons, see here.