The track and field teams of four Catholic high schools have joined forces to launch the first Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory Invitational Track Meet, in honor of the new archbishop of Atlanta. Intended as an annual event, the meet is scheduled for Wednesday, March 16, and will be hosted by St. Pius X High School in Atlanta. The participating schools are Blessed Trinity High School, Roswell; Marist High School, Atlanta; and Our Lady of Mercy High School, Fairburn.

The meet will include 10 track events and six field events. The opening ceremony will begin at 4:30 p.m., with the first race starting shortly after.

Among the top-ranked athletes competing will be: Caroline Vaughn, a junior at Blessed Trinity and Georgia state champion in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles; Casey Gramling, a senior at Blessed Trinity and state champion in the 1,600-meter run; Ena Leufroy, a senior and co-captain of the Marist women’s team, three-time state champion in the 1,600-meter run and two-time state champion in the 800-meter run; Jenna Weldon and Marie Miller, both from Marist, who placed sixth in the 4×400 meter relay in the state meet; Kristen Mecerod and Patrick O’Reilly, both seniors at St. Pius X and school record-holders in pole vault; and Ryan Schilling and Leigh Ann Burton, both from Our Lady of Mercy, who are school record-holders in the pole vault and hurdles, respectively.

“Getting the four high schools together for a meet is a great opportunity for these student/athletes to share in faith and competition as well as donate to the community,” said Michele Coco, women’s track and field coach of Blessed Trinity High School. “The fact that Archbishop Gregory supports us and the St. Vincent de Paul Society has volunteered to work with us touches me deeply.”

“The kids are all cleaning out their closets and basements and bringing in donations for the Society,” added Coco. “It is so inspiring to see their faces light up when they talk about giving some of their items away to help others.”

The admission for the track meet is $3 per person. All proceeds will go to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which offers a wide range of services to help people in need, regardless of their race or religion. The Society will also have a truck on-site to accept donations of food and clothing from spectators.

For more information on the Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory Invitational Track Meet or the St. Vincent de Paul Society, contact Martin Kraft, communications director, at (770) 986-4209 or mkraft@svdpatl.org, or visit the Society’s Web site at www.svdpatl.org.