By Jim Bickford
Contributing Writer
trackmic@juno.com

Melanie Benit broke the Chalmette High girls’ 300-meter hurdles record, while her teammates in the field events – both boys and girls – turned in the top performances at the Northshore Invitational track and field meet last Thursday in Slidell.

The best performance on the track came from senior Paul Sampson, who finished second in the 400-meter dash with a 53.38 second clocking.

Chalmette returns home this Thursday to host the High Flying Owls Invitational in the largest home track meet of the season as seven girls’ teams join the Lady Owls in competition – Dominican, Archbishop Chapelle, Archbishop Hannan, De La Salle, East Jefferson, Lusher Charter and Thomas Jefferson.

Five boys’ teams battle the Owls – Archbishop Hannan, East Jefferson, Lusher Charter, Thomas Jefferson and De La Salle as field events start at 3:30 p.m. and running at 6:30 p.m.

David Bienemy, a junior, scored Chalmette’s only first place at Northshore as he leaped 41-5.50 and teammate Andre Dorsey, also a junior, finished second at 41-1.50 in the triple jump.

Benit, a junior who competes in the pole vault and 1600-meter run as well, ran the school record of 55.81 seconds in the long hurdle race to finish fourth, breaking the mark of 55.90 set by Carley McInnis last year.

Torrie Smith, senior thrower, contributed the best performance by a Lady Owl with a second in the javelin (100-6) and a third in the shot put (30-7.50).

Jordan Hartney, a junior, finished behind Smith in the girls’ javelin with a personal best throw of 91-8 and she also won her heat of the 100 meter dash (13.79) and ran the anchor leg on the fourth place 400-meter relay (54.0 seconds) with Breyion Williams, Melissa Gabriel and Ariane Bienemy for their season best.

Dorsey was the only Chalmette athlete to score in three events, adding two fourths in the javelin (138-9) and high jump (5-10) to his runner-up triple leap finish, scoring 16 points. David Bienemy added a fourth in the long jump (19-5.50) to his first in the triple leap.

Several personal records were set in the meet – senior Chris Duplessis threw 46-3.50 in the shot put for third, sophomore Harley Straub vaulted 11 feet in the pole vault for a third as well, Vershione Toney ran her 400-meter PR of 1:07.76 for fourth, Keondra Lafrance leaped 14-2 in the long jump (sixth) and took a third in the triple jump (31-2, no PR) while Alexis Salazar vaulted seven feet in the pole vault for sixth place and a PR.

Chalmette’s girls and boys’ 800-meter relay teams turned in their top times of the season as the Lady Owls team of Toney, Cierra Thompson, Shanice Williams and Alex Schamaltz ran 1:56.15 for fifth and the Owls with James Banks, David Smith, Jermaine Brisco and anchor Donald Harris ran 1:35.82, finishing fourth.