St. Andrew’s track team makes strong showing at state, regional meets, qualifying 8 for nationals
by Lorne Chambers | Editor
In 2019 St. Andrew’s Parks & Playground (SAPP) started its track program with just a handful of enthusiastic young athletes. In 2020, just as the program was set to take a big step, the season was lost due to COVID-19. In the two years since, St. Andrew’s has made giant strides, recently turning heads at the USA Track & Field (USTF) Junior Olympic State track meet in June and at the USTF Junior Olympic Region 4 track meet last month, with eight athletes qualifying for the nationals.
“The team made me very proud this season,” says SAPP head track coach John Cusatis. “We had 75 kids join, twice as many as last season. This allowed us to be competitive as a team, not just as individuals. We were also able to successfully take on new events, such as the javelin and steeplechase.” He says that next year, he hopes to be able to add triple jump and pole vault.
According to Cusatis, Military Magnet Academy’s athletic director and track coaches supported the program fully, allowing them to use the school’s track, hurdles, and high jump pit, which helped St. Andrew’s place more athletes in those events.
At the state meet, held June 17-19 at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, St. Andrew’s boasted a total of 13 medalists, including seven State Champions. Additionally, 24 athletes, about one-third of the team qualified for the Region 4 Championship, which featured athletes from South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
At the Regional meet, St. Andrew’s racked up three medals and had eight athletes qualify for the National Championship in Sacramento, Calif., which was held late last month. Because of the logistical challenge of being on the other side of the country, only 11-year-old Payton Heyward made the trip to compete in shot put.. Heyward finished 17th in the nation at the event.
For the season, 10-year-old Sophia Bianchi was St. Andrew’s top point scorer. She dominated the State Championship, winning in the 100, 200, and 400-meter dashes, having to come from behind every time
“Like so many of her teammates, [Bianchi] has learned to think of herself as a winner and gained the confidence she needed to realize her potential,” says Cusatis. “She cut six seconds off her 400 time in the Region Championship because the competition was so strong.”
Bianchi’s sisters, Reese and Ellie, were also standouts this season, according to Cusatis, who also noted that Brooke Bowles (13-14 girls) had a great season, qualifying for Nationals in three different events (shot put, 1,500 and 3,000-meter), an unlikely combination that speaks to versatility and athleticism.
“We had a few athletes, like Brooke, who were successful in diverse events, and I intend to encourage them to try the pentathlon next season,” says Cusatis, whose own three children also advanced to Nationals in very different events. Giovanni Cusatis in the 1,500-meter, 3,000-meter, and the Steeplechase. Luciano Cusatis qualified in the discus, and Annabella Cusatis in hurdles and high jump.
Additionally, Joshua Simonis (11-12 boys) was a standout in hurdles and discus, advancing to Nationals in each. Cusatis also named siblings Charlie, Welsey, and Stella Hider as standouts who shined at the State Championship.
“I hate to lose these kids, but West Ashley High School will be gaining a lot of track stars in the coming years, such as Sophia, Brooke, Christopher Counts, Riley Lovorn, Gibbs Isom and others. WAHS’s other sports will benefit as well, as three of our kids are currently playing football for them,” says Cusatis.
According to Cusatis, in addition to Academic Magnet, St. Andrew’s plans to work closer with WAHS moving forward since most of the athletes will be heading there to continue their track and cross-country careers. It’s difficult to schedule practices there due to the high number of sports programs they offer.
While the track and field season has come to an end, Cusatis is looking forward to cross-country season this fall. “We already have 35 runners signed up, which should make us competitive in most age groups,” he says. The cross-country team trains at Charlestowne Landing and on the west end of the West Ashley Greenway.
“Our team could not have had such a successful season without the help of nine volunteer assistant coaches and the parental support we were able to count on. I’m also grateful to St. Andrews for supporting these programs,” says Cusatis.
