Hard Work Paying Off For Spartans Track And Field

The prep work that generally goes into a solid showing on the track was on full display Wednesday at .

The Spartan boys and girls track teams went up against the respective squads of Richards and Donovan high schools and notched a slew of first-place finishes at the three-team meet that took place in the Fieldhouse.

Perez Ford took top honors in the shot put (52 feet), 400-meter run (52.99 seconds) and 55-meter dash (6.31 seconds). D.J. Vasquez also put his best foot forward with the top finish in the triple jump (43 feet, 2 inches) and third place showing in the long jump (19 feet, 5 inches).

"We're a little bit behind where I think we should be, but the kids are all working hard," said boys coach Scott Harper. "I told them, 'I think we got better today, but nobody is guaranteed tomorrow. That means we have to compete like there's no tomorrow.'"

The Lady Spartans, meanwhile, had strong showings by finishing first in the 4x800 and 4x400-meter runs and by sweeping the field in the 200-meter dash. Individally, Monica Lupo took home a pair of first-place finishes in the 800-meter run and high jump.

"I thought the girls came in practicing hard and came out and really tried their best," girls coach Adam Rio said. "That's really what we were looking for today."