Rutgers Prep Track and Field Is Fast Out of the Blocks

Rutgers Prep launched its first formal track and field team during the 2025–2026 school year, giving students who train with outside clubs the opportunity to represent RPS at selected major meets during the indoor and outdoor seasons.

The team quickly made its presence felt. At the indoor Prep B Championships, five RPS girls combined for a fourth-place finish. Kara Vandal ’26 won the 55-meter hurdles, while Cienna Dandridge ’28, Layla Rasool ’29, and Suhailah Abdullah ’28 also scored points. Vandal, Dandridge, and Rasool later earned medals at the NJSIAA Group Championships and advanced to the indoor Meet of Champions.

The spring season brought more firsts. The girls placed fifth at the Somerset County Championships with only seven competitors and fourth at the Prep B Championships. Vandal won the high jump, long jump, and 100-meter hurdles at Preps, while Dandridge won the 200 meters. Vandal, Dandridge, Abdullah, and Sandra O’Neill ’27 also won the 4x100 relay and qualified for Nike Nationals.

At the NJSIAA Group Championships, Vandal won the high jump with a personal-best 5 feet, 4 inches and added two more medals. Dandridge placed third in the 200 meters, and Rasool finished sixth in the 1600.

The season concluded with Argonauts on the national stage. Rasool competed in three freshman events at Nike Outdoor Nationals, while Vandal entered the elite high jump, hurdles, and long jump at Adidas Track Nationals.

Congratulations to all our athletes on an outstanding debut!