West Orange Youth Earn Medals At Bermuda Cross Country Challenge

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of a Patch West Orange community member. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Emilie Danser of Edison Middle School and Ava Neretic of West Orange High School both placed amongst Bermudian runners in the Bermuda XC Challenge on December 2 at Botanical Gardens in St. George’s Parish, Bermuda.

Sixth grader Danser won the silver medal for the Youth Under 12 Age Group and tenth grader Neretic won the bronze medal for the 14-16 Women Age Group. Also running in the High School Division was West Orange High School students Henry Pfiefer, Sahli Negassi and brothers Adom Halie-Selassie and Noam Halie-Selassie.

The Bermuda Challenges are designed to provide competition, camaraderie and culture for U.S. student-athletes. In total there were 153 runners to include those from the island as well as New York, New Jersey, Colorado and the District of Columbia.

“As the National Meet Director for the Bermuda XC Challenge, I naturally want all of the U.S. student-athletes to compete well and also have a great social and cultural experience on the island. But it was a special honor to have two of our own from West Orange to place this year,” says National Meet Director Jason Lamont Jackson, who is also the West Orange High School Track Coach.

Jackson launched the inaugural Bermuda Cross Country, and Track and Field Challenges in 2022 in tandem with three-time U.S. Olympian Hazel Clark, who also serves as director of sports at the Bermuda Tourism Authority. In 2024, the Bermuda Challenges will add Fall and Summer sports to include Basketball, Volleyball, Lacrosse, Field Hockey, Swimming and Soccer.

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