The Oakdale Boys Track and Field team won the state championship meet at the PG Sports Complex in Landover, Maryland on Monday, February 17th.

The team now has won their second straight state titles, which brings the total to 5 over the past decade. The most significant athlete on the team, Senior Kyle Lund, scored an essential 40 points at the meet, placing first in all four of his events: the 4×800 meter relay, the 1600 meter run, the 800 meter run, and the 4×400 meter run. Most impressive was his 1:52 clocking in the 800 meter run, shattering the meet record by over 3 seconds. This effort also awarded him the third fastest official time in the nation.

Other big performances were Sophomore Samuel Starrs winning pole vault, Senior Nick Rohwer placing fourth in the shot put, Senior Collin Dempsey placing second in the 1600 meter run and fourth in the 3200 meter run, and Senior Jonah Childress placing fourth in the 300. All of these athletes helped in scoring a total of 84 points, the fourth most ever at a Maryland indoor state meet and the most of any school in the 2A division.

The team agrees that they perform at a higher level when they are pushed. Coming into the meet, the boys were expecting stiff competition from Milford Mill, a team that dropped down to the 2A division from 3A this year. They were strong in the sprints, and placed first and second in the 55 meter dash as well as first and eighth in the 300 meter dash. They also scored some points in the 4×200 meter relay by coming in third and the 4×400 meter relay by coming in second. 

However, Oakdale’s flurry of points in most events as well as gut punches from the 800 and 1600 meter runs proved to be too much for Milford Mill as well as every other team.

One of the biggest moments of the meet was the 1-2 punch of Lund and Dempsey scoring first and second, respectively, in the 1600m. 

“It was a surreal moment,” said Dempsey when asked about the race. “There’s nothing better than getting first and second with your teammate and to do it at the State meet makes it even more special.”

When all was said and done, the Oakdale boys had beaten every other team by at least 21.5 points, a considerable margin at a state meet. When compared to the South Carroll girls who won the 2A state title by just half a point over Harford Tech, the margin of victory seems even more conclusive.

Among many of the Oakdale athletes, Senior Lee Goodson was one that stood out as a major improver from last season. He placed 9th at the outdoor state meet in the 800 meter last year, and finished in third place at the indoor meet this year. 

“Going 1:57 indoors was definitely a big confidence booster to me. I feel that I can go faster outdoors knowing that I can run that time on an indoor track” responded Lee when asked about his success this season.

So what’s next for the Oakdale boys? “Doing the same thing for outdoor” was the response that Coach Lillard gave to that question. It’s clear that the Oakdale boys don’t plan on slowing down, as they transition into the more exciting outdoor season.