Team WAR track and field team had some high-level performances in the Southern Maryland Invitational.

The Nansemond River High School track and field team went to compete in the Southern Maryland Classic last weekend and had some great individual performances as they prepare for championship season.

The 4×200 team featuring seniors Kori Carter, Tre’Breh Scott-McKoy, Lauryn Freeman and Brene’ Donaldson took first place. They ran a time of 1:39.97, breaking the 1:40 mark with a meet record.

“I knew this group would run fast, but I didn’t think they would run this fast,” Coach Marco McKoy said. “Those girls did well.”

The hurdlers also competed at a high level last weekend. Carter took first in the 55-meter hurdles with her season-high time of 7.93. Freeman finished third with a personal record of 8.00, and Scott-McKoy finished fifth a time of 8.10, which was a season high. Donaldson ran a personal record of 7.11 in the 55-meter dash, placing second.

On the boys’ side, senior Kevin Johnson came out and ran a 35.30 in the 300-meter dash placing third. McKoy knew coming into the meet that Johnson was going to run fast and had the ability to run even faster.

“We had a good weekend up there,” McKoy said. “We were able to put up some fast times up there. It was a good experience for some of our young athletes as well. It’s something you can’t take for granted, but I’m happy with the performances. So, we are just going to go from there and continue to keep getting better.”

Team WAR has stuck with its plan to gradually progress over the season with plans to be hitting its stride as a team during February. Most of the team is senior-heavy, and the seniors have been in the program for years now and know what to expect. The younger athletes in the program are taking advantage of their time learning from the seniors.

McKoy personally feels like he has settled in well as the head coach of the program. The on-the-track things came naturally, as he played a hand in helping develop the program over the past couple of years. However, taking on more duties off the track has been a good transition for him.

Nansemond River will have a couple more meets to close out January before heading into the postseason.