The Rough Riders track and field team did Catasauqua proud after bringing home multiple medals from the District XI Class 2A Track and Field Championships on May 13 and 15 at Whitehall High School.

Catty hurdlers, Florenni DeJesus and Josiah Lafond took third place and second place, respectively, in the 300 meter hurdles on rainy Day 1 of the meet.

DeJesus’ time was 48.95.

“At first I thought it was gonna be horrible, but as I went through it, I really liked it, and the rain really helped cool me down. I was just scared I was gonna slip, but it went perfectly,” DeJesus said. “I felt so proud of myself and so thankful for my coaches and my teammates cheering me on. Usually, you want to start off really fast, and then you want to glide the 200. Once you’re at the last 100, that’s when you want to slingshot and go really hard.”

Lafond recorded a time of 41.75.

“I’m one of those guys who actually likes to run in poor conditions,” Lafond said. “I had a very good start, actually. My strategy was to get to the first hurdle before anybody else. I was in fourth place when we started the last 100, and my second-to-last or third-to-last hurdle was when I really started having to push if I wanted to make it into states. It felt great, a relief.”

Also on Day 1, Manny Bolmer placed fourth in long jump with a distance of 21-6.25.

“I listened to my coach because he said it looked like I was reaching for the board, so I took a little bit longer and then I just popped up,” said Bolmer. “It’s only my second year doing track and not many get to go to states at all, so I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

DeJesus and Lafond will join Bolmer at the state meet.

Clear skies christened Day 2 of the district meet when Julia Harth won the silver medal in 100 meter hurdles with a time of 17.40 and qualified for the state meet, and Lafond won the bronze medal in 110 meter hurdles with a time of 16.13.

Hailey Jenkins won two individual silver medals to get to states- one in the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.24 and one in the 200 meter dash with a time of 25.81.

Hamaad Jenkins was the boys 200 meter dash bronze medalist with a time of 22.41 and will also compete at the state meet.

“I had a different dedication this summer to be on the podium and go to states,” Jenkins said. “Last year, it was at Blue Mountain, so you couldn’t really get your hometown crowd there, but this year at Whitehall, you had all Catty supporting us, so I knew I was going to do it for them...I knew I got it right away, so I had a smile on my face.”

In the girls 4x100 meter relay, Harth, DeJesus, Kayla Davis, and Jenkins took second place with a time of 50.62.

In the boys 4x100 meter relay, Bolmer, Frankie Pujols, Jeremiah Cofie, and Hamaad Jenkins came in third with a time of 43.58, setting a new school record.

“By the time Jeremiah got [the baton], he held down the Notre Dame kid, so we were in a good position when I got it,” said Jenkins, the anchor.

Cofie, who ran third, said the handoff from Pujols was perfect.

“We practiced a lot, and put a lot of hard work and dedication into it, so I’m proud of everybody on the relay team for doing their part,” Cofie said.

Bolmer led off for the Rough Riders.

“In the blocks, I was thinking to get a good start and run as hard as I can because it might be the last time for the year that I can run,” said Bolmer. “The team in front of us had a faster time, so I tried to get closer to him and then that boosted our time, so once I got there, Frankie and I had a perfect handoff.”

Pujols used the second lap to stay with the leaders.

“I was eager,” said Pujols. “I knew [Manny] was coming in hot, so I was trying to get out fast and I was hoping we’d get a state qualifying time.”

In the last relay of the district meet, Cadeo Estronza, Pujols, Lafond, and Jenkins placed fourth in the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:27.79.

Estronza dropped out of the 800 meter run in order to give the Rough Rider relay the best chance to clinch a berth at states.

“I started on the blocks really well, it felt very smooth, I got to a comfortable pace, and stayed with the people in front of me, and set myself up for success against Nativity,” Estronza said.

Pujols said the handoff from Estronza was perfect.

“He was coming in hot, and I knew he was getting me a lead for the second leg,” said Pujols. “I had to keep myself in the same lane, so going around, I was trying to keep my composure and get a good lead.”

Lafond ran the third leg, determined to stay near the front.

“I was focused on sticking with them,” Lafond said. “I came out pretty good and the baton handoff was perfect as well. Towards the 200, they started to get ahead of me, so I slowed down a little bit, and then the last 100, I gave it everything I got to start catching up.”

Jenkins wanted no man to be left behind when it came to medaling and qualifying for states, so the Catty junior closed a decent-sized gap and passed the Bethlehem Catholic anchor to assure a place on the podium for the Rough Riders.

“I’d rather be chasing people than being chased because you have no self-awareness, but with people ahead, you know what move to make at the right time,” Jenkins said. “I just kept going. I didn’t want him to catch me. I didn’t want to hear any footsteps, so I gave it all I got.”

All three of Catty’s relay teams will compete at the PIAA Class 2A State Track and Field Championships this weekend at Shippensburg University.