Daija Lampkin of Middletown won the 55-, 200- and 400-meter dashes at the DIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships last Saturday.
Middletown’s Daija Lampkin was the star of the girls sprints at the DIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday, sweeping the 55-, 200- and 400-meter dashes at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Md.
Afterward, the junior revealed the secret to her dominance.
“I put in so much work,” Lampkin said. “I’ll do double practices and stay up all night to finish my homework, because I know I can be better and I have the potential. I just put in the work so I could come to this day and enjoy it.”
First, Lampkin blazed the 55 in 7.04 seconds to miss the state record set by Christiana’s Danielle Bailey in 2001 by just .03 of a second. Then she ran the anchor leg on the Cavaliers’ 4×200 relay, which posted the fastest time but was disqualified due to an exchange zone violation.
“My team was upset, but I’m still proud of them,” she said.
Then Lampkin cleared a mental hurdle and smashed her best time in the 400 with a 56.42, missing the state record set by Delcastle’s Tamara Stoner in 1990 by .23 of a second.
“I had a breakdown before the 400, but that turned out to be my best race today,” Lampkin said. “I didn’t want to run it, but I just went out and ran it my hardest and I [set a personal record] by a whole second.”
Then it was time to fly in the 200, as Lampkin rolled home in 25.22.
“I love the 200,” she said. “So far, that’s my best race. I love the feeling, because the way you run around the curves, it just feels like you’re flying.”
Lampkin has established herself as one of the nation’s top high school sprinters throughout the indoor season. She swept the 55 (7.03) and 200 (24.20) at the prestigious Ocean Breeze Invitational in Staten Island, N.Y., on Jan. 30, and is expected to be among the contenders at the New Balance Nationals Indoor, to be held March 11-13 at The Armory in New York City.
Sernyak to Villanova
Hayden Sernyak, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound senior from Salesianum, has committed to play football at Villanova as a walk-on. Sallies coach Bill DiNardo said Sernyak, who projects as a tight end, could have a bright future.
“I think he’s at the tip of the iceberg right now,” DiNardo said. “He’s a big kid, and the growth he has shown in the past year has been unbelievable. If he keeps working, I think he’s someone who can contribute at the college level.”
Alexis Bedford of Newark, shown here at last year’s DIAA Swimming and Diving Championships, set a meet record in 1-meter diving at the Blue Hen Conference meet last Saturday.
Rounding it up
— Newark junior Alexis Bedford of Newark won the girls 1-meter diving title at Saturday’s Blue Hen Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, setting a meet record with 212.55 points. Glasgow sophomore Tyheir Williams won the boys diving with 176.65 points.
— Easton (Md.) ended the Cape Henlopen girls swimming team’s winning streak at 51 dual meets with a 56-38 victory last Thursday. The Vikings’ last loss had been Jan. 24, 2012, against Stephen Decatur (Md.). Cape maintains a 45-meet in-state winning streak, dating back to a Dec. 15, 2011, loss to Sussex Tech. The Vikings are gearing up for the DIAA Swimming and Diving Championships on Feb. 27. Cape finished a program-best fifth in the team standings last season.
— Logan Handy is lighting up the scoreboard for the Laurel girls basketball team, averaging 33.6 points per game. The freshman scored 41 of the Bulldogs’ 43 points last Thursday, but Marquette signee Altia Anderson answered with 32 in the Blue Raiders’ 69-43 victory. Laurel was 6-7 going into Tuesday night’s home game against Delmar.
— Some of Delaware’s top senior athletes continue to make their college destinations official. Among those signing in the past week were Dover’s Caroline Cashion (Holy Cross soccer) and Katie Ford (Wesley soccer); Padua’s Molly Bobjak (Kutztown field hockey), Sarah Brush (Catholic soccer), Sophia Elliott (Delaware crew), Maia Lee (Newberry field hockey), Abigail McGowan (Washington College field hockey) and Jordan Sobolesky (Elizabethtown track); and A.I. du Pont’s Giovanna Neel (Utica lacrosse) and Julia Lee (Neumann field hockey). Also, former St. Elizabeth goalkeeper Justin Bajek, who plays for the Philadelphia Union Academy team, signed with Maryland.
— The Junior Tennithon, which raises funds for the Delaware Tennis Foundation, will hold its 20th annual event from 6:30 p.m. to midnight March 5 at DuPont Country Club. For information on participating, donating, volunteering or sponsoring the event, go to www.detennisfoundation.org.
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ