Runners make their marks at indoor state, national championships
Monroe-Woodbury. The Boys Winter Track and Field team recently competed against some of the best athletes in New York and the U.S.
| 15 Mar 2023 | 03:21
The 2023 National Champion 4xMile Team of (l-r) John Urciouli, Gavin Catherwood, Collin Gilstrap and Collin Catherwood. (
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Over the past two weekends, members of the Monroe-Woodbury Boys Winter Track and Field team competed against some of the best athletes in NYS and the United States.
On March 4, the team traveled to Staten Island for the NYSPHSAA Championships at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex. Ten athletes competed in six events against the best of the best from all areas of New York.
Junior Kyle German jumped a personal best distance of 44-6 1/2 in the triple jump, earning sixth place in both the public high school and federation competitions. German later finished 18th in the long jump.
Seniors Collin Gilstrap and Collin Catherwood competed in the 3200-meter run. Entering the race with the top time in the state, Gilstrap ran an aggressive last half-mile to pull away from the competition and win the state championship 8:58.66. Gilstrap joins 1986 alumnus John Trautmann as the only M-W athletes to win an indoor state championship in the 3200m. Catherwood finished in sixth place in the public school competition in 9:20.07.
Sophomores Jaden Medrano, Nick Almeida, Max Weeks, and Ronaldo Rodriguez Perez joined forces to compete in the 4x400m relay. The team finished 11th overall in a new sophomore school record time of 3:28.66.
Senior Aakash Yarlagadda made his state-level debut finishing 23rd in the shot put.
Catherwood and Gilstrap joined senior John Urciuoli and sophomore Gavin Catherwood in the 4x800m relay finishing in 7:53.49, less than a second behind the Federation Champions from St. Anthony’s High School. Since St. Anthony’s is a private school, M-W was awarded the NYS Public School State title, becoming the first Crusader Winter Track and Field relay team to win a state championship.
National championships
On March 10 through 12, M-W athletes competed against some of the best high school indoor track and field athletes from around the country at the Nike Indoor National High School Track and Field Championships held at The Armory in Washington Heights, NY. Monroe-Woodbury proudly sent 10 qualifying athletes to compete in three championship relays and a handful of Emerging Elite events.
On Friday, Collin Catherwood, John Urciuoli, Collin Gilstrap and Ronaldo Rodriguez Perez finished second in the distance medley relay by .13 seconds. In the race, Catherwood ran the 1200m in 3:11.66, Rodriguez Perez the 400m in 51.47, Urciuoli the 800m in 1:57.20, and Gilstrap the 1600m in 4:08.74. Their time of 10:09.06 set a new M-W school record.
On Saturday, Collin Catherwood, Urciuoli and Gilstrap were joined by Gavin Catherwood in the 4xMile relay. M-W finished first in 17:30.76, winning the first National Relay Championship in school history while setting new school and Section IX records, and #4 all-time best for the state of New York.
On Sunday, 4xMile competed in the 4x800m relay. They finished in third in 7:51.01, setting another school record.
In the Emerging Elite division, junior Kyle German finished seventh in the triple jump; senior Rohan Sonakya was 28th in the weight throw; and sophomores Jaden Medrano, Nick Almeida, Max Weeks, and Ronaldo Rodriguez Perez finished eighth in the 4x400m relay.