The BQCHSAA Sophomore City Championship meet was held last week at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The track and field team at St. John’s Prep had a successful meet and thrived in the men’s 4000-meter run. In a field of 57 runners, they had five runners place in the top 25.

First place was won by St. John’s Prep’s Gabriel Vazquez, who finished the event with a time of 14 minutes, 12 seconds. Vazquez finished an astounding 49 seconds ahead of the second place runner and helped the team place second in the event overall. That is why Gabriel Vazquez is this week’s athlete of the week.

When asked about Vazquez’s performance, St. Johns’ Coach Timothy Tuohy said, “He did exactly what he was supposed to do. He set the pace for both the race and his teammates, who were all able to finish in the top 25.”

The team’s next meet is the Brooklyn/Queens Varsity Championship to be held on Oct. 31. There, Vazquez is hoping to break the school’s record of 13:34 in the 4000-meter run. His best time in the event is 13:42, and at this pace Vazquez should have no problem beating the record.