Harwood girls shine at South Burlington track meet

April 13, 2024 | By Jake Pitman 

Harwood Track Coach Jake Pitman with relay team members (left to right) Heidi Haraldsen, Julia Cisz, Celia Wing and Adleigh Franke. Courtesy photo

The Harwood Girls 4x800m Relay Team began the season exceeding expectations. There were some unknowns entering the April 10 meet at South Burlington High School with two new athletes competing in the relay for Harwood. 

Junior Adleigh Franke and freshman Julia Cisz had never competed in an 800m race before at the high school level. They were particularly impressive during their relay legs, as they provided very solid middle-leg relay times to keep the team in position to win. 

Veteran track star junior Heidi Haraldsen led us with a quick first leg while Celia Wing, another junior team leader anchored the relay to hold the lead and bring home the win. The relay team took first place with a time of 11:18.71. 

Celia Wing and Julia Cisz shined again in the 3000m event with Celia taking first place in 12:34.64 and Julia behind her for second place in 12:58. 

Celia is gearing up for an exciting track season, providing clear evidence for this with an impressive win in the 3000m. Julia's overall performance at South Burlington is a very encouraging sign for her talent and success in distance running heading into the future. 

In the 800m, Adleigh Franke took second place for Harwood in 3:05.20. This was Adleigh's second 800m race in high school – the first came just an hour before in the relay. She displayed excellent drive and determination during her first high school track races, which surely stems from her experience as a member of the Harwood Varsity Soccer team. She's another student-athlete whom I am excited to see progress and improve throughout the season.

Finally, Harwood claimed 4th place in shot put by Heidi Haraldsen who threw 7.27m. 

Heidi is truly one of the most dedicated Harwood athletes across all of her chosen sports. She nearly walked into the shot circle with men's shot put until she decided she better double-check with the official. It was no surprise that she threw her personal record shortly after with the lighter shot! 

Jake Pitman is Harwood’s head Track and Field Coach.