DA Track Athletes Make School History, Set Records at 1A State 2023 Track & Field Championships

Denver Academy juniors DJ Harris and Bodin Bichon made school history at the Colorado Track & Field 1A State Meet in May 2023. With a time of 11.15 seconds in the 100-meter dash, junior DJ Harris shattered the previous state record set in 2019 and claimed first place. DJ also placed first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.7 seconds, coming close to the state record set in 2014. Bodin Bichon claimed third place in the 400-meter dash, achieving a new personal best of 51.84 seconds. 

DJ has been at DA since sixth grade and qualified for the High School 1A Colorado Track & Field State Championships in the long jump last year as a sophomore. This is Bodin Bichon’s first year at DA and on the school’s High School Track & Field Team. A ceremony celebrating the athletes was held at DA’s annual Yearbook Signing and BBQ on Monday, May 22.

As stated by DA’s Athletic Director Elijah Bonner, “This story goes far beyond mere athletic achievements. What makes this triumphant moment extraordinary is the backdrop against which it unfolded. Both DJ and Bodin have experienced the unprecedented challenges and heartaches of the global pandemic that plagued us all in 2020. In the face of adversity, they persevered, refusing to let their dreams of becoming track athletes and state champions disappear.” 

With this victory, DJ becomes the second Colorado State Track & Field champion in his family. DJ’s mother, Stephanie Newson, won first place in the 5A Colorado State Track & Field girls' long jump competition in 1998! DJ’s grandparents, Leonard and Sally Newson, also have a history as track and field champions having both been on the track and field teams at Western Illinois University and earning the honor of becoming All-American athletes. Leonard Newson has been coaching his grandson since DJ started running at the age of 6.

Recently, Denver’s Channel 7 interviewed DJ and his family about their track and field experiences. Click here to check it out.

Go, Mustangs!

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