District News

It has been more than four decades that Bernards High School athletes have been chasing the track record set back in 1983 by Paul Stogryn, Sean Tutton, Chris Blanchett and John Carlotti. This past June, to the jaw-dropping amazement of coaches, spectators, and the runners themselves, the chase has ended.

It was a historic year for the Bernards High School Men's Track and Field team on a few fronts.  They were repeat North 2, Group 2, State Sectional Champions for both winter and spring seasons. Additionally, the Distance Medley Relay Team (DMR) team was titled All-American in indoor (placing 6th nationally) and outdoor track (placing 4th nationally); the title of All-American was never previously attained by the BHS Men's Track and Field team. Their DMR  time of 9:55.83 was the 4th best time in New Jersey outdoor track history and 11th best time across in United States history.

John Richardson ran the 1200 leg with a time of  3:03.29; Cyrus Mehrrostami ran the 400 leg in 51.04; Mikey Dooley ran the 800 leg in 1:53.80; and the 1600 leg was anchored by Brody Watt  with a time of 4:07.71. Their total time beat the 1983 record of 10:00.9. 

With dedication and motivation, Coach Dave Szostak and Coach Dave Carmon spent countless hours helping the BHS boys achieve greatness. Coach Szostak shared that the previous 1983 record holders (dubbed “BHS Track legends” by Athletic Director Mike Hoppe) had reached out to share that they had been rooting for the team to break their ‘83 record. 

What a year it has been for BHS Track and a memorable feat that will not soon be forgotten. It is safe to say that in the years to come, Richardson, Mehrrostami, Dooley, and Watt will be following their alma mater and rooting for future track stars to beat out their very own 2025 record.