SALISBURY – It’s great to have athletes who come in first, but the ones who place second through sixth can be the ones that make the difference in track and field meets.

Cambridge-South Dorchester High School’s boys’ and girls’ teams used their well distributed talent on April 12 at Parkside to beat the home team, Wicomico, Crisfield, Washington and Holly Grove.

The Lady Vikings racked up 161 points with their performances in the running, jumping and throwing events, coming out ahead of 2A schools WiHi and Parkside, whose athletes compiled 136 and 96 respectively. Crisfield (1A) earned 57, Holly Grove Christian, a private school in Westover, scored 45, and Washington (1A) placed sixth with 23.

Among the men, it was a tighter contest, as C-SD scored 157 and second-place WiHi 149. Parkside scored 105.67, Washington 69.33, and Crisfield 54. Holly Grove boys did not score.

Points in this meet were awarded down to sixth place in each event. First got 10, followed by 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1.

What this means is that a team with talent throughout, from experienced veterans to talented freshmen, can pile up valuable points while not always taking first place.

Parkside, for instance, earned top honors in girls’ pole vault, as their first- and fifth-place finishes garnered 12 points. But Lady Vikings Destiny Frantum, Niveyshka Torres and Sarah Condon came in second, third and fourth, handing their team 18 points.

The same layered talent was on display in the boys’ 800 meter run, with a bit of a twist. Head Coach Lois Narr asked Matt Koletsky, Connor McCroy and Trevor Goodwin for a gift – a 1-2-3 finish.

Gentlemen of the track as they are, the boys came through for their coach, earning 24 points for the Vikings and a 3.62 second personal record for Connor in the process.

In other notable performances,

Junior Tajh Molock had a large day indeed, taking first in the long jump with a mark of 18’ 5.25”; second in the 100 meters in 11.10 for a personal record (PR, as the athletes say); and first in the 200 meters in 23.10, another PR.

Senior pole vaulters Ian Mason and Zhihong Pang finished first and second, both at 10’ 6”, with Ian edging his teammate by reaching the height in fewer attempts.

Sophomore ZaVion Whittington is new to the team, but he hasn’t wasted time making his mark – the 10th grader placed second in the difficult triple jump, with a mark of 37’ 1”.

Connor McCroy, another sophomore, tore through the 1,600 meters (just under a mile) in 4:52 seconds for the win. A “sub-5 16,” in runners’ slang, is considered a real accomplishment.

Trevor Goodwin is celebrating his final season of track and field at C-SD with a series of wins, this time in the 3,200 meters, in 10:50.

The Vikings looked quite strong in the 110-meter hurdles, as senior Jacob Newcomer placed second in 15.70, Avery Woolford fourth in 18.00, and Ian Mason sixth in 18.50 – all marks were PRs.

Among the girls, freshman speedster Ronke Oyerinde was second in both the 100 and 200 meters, notching PRs of 12.40 and 26.50.

Janee’ Quailes continued her habit of running races with everyone behind her, as she won the 400 – that is, one lap around the track - in 1:03.00.

Sophomore Carrie Price won the 3,200 in 15:00, while her friend Leah Krotee sped through the 300-meter hurdles in 54.10 for the win.

QuaNiah Quinones represented well in the field, as she flew for a 1.5” PR in the long jump, ending with a best mark of 14’ 10.5” and second place.

The Vikings will be on the road today at Stephen Decatur, where they will also compete against Parkside and WiHi again, as well as James M. Bennett, Salisbury Christian and Arcadia from Accomack County, Va.