Eleanor Roosevelt has been banned from postseason team competition for participating in an unsanctioned meet. But few in the track community are feeling bad for the perennial powerhouse, especially after the transfer of sprinting prodigy Elan Hilaire to the Greenbelt school.
ER, which won the boy and girls state outdoor titles last year and swept both at the indoor state championships this year, welcomes Hilaire, a sophomore, from the Park School in Parkville, a suburb of Baltimore.
Hilaire demonstrated an impressive range in her freshman year at Park as she set a national record for 9th graders when she ran a 54.06 in the 400 meters at the Simplot Indoor in Oregon. The same month, she ran the 55 in 7.04 to win the high school race in the Colgate Women’s Games, despite being the lone freshman in the race. Earlier this year, Hilaire set a sophomore record in the 300, running 39.9, in winning at the Bishop Loughlin Games.
In March, Hilaire moved with her family to Prince George’s County. Her first meet for the Raiders came at the Peninsula Relays in Hampton, Va., where she won the 200 (24.51) and finished second in the 100 (11.92).
As a sprinter, Hilarie is the final piece in the puzzle for the loaded Raiders. In February, the ER girls won the 4A/3A title, with different Raider runners claiming first place in the 500, 800, 1600 and 32000. ER also swept the three relay races.
