Watertown’s Mange Camara closed out his high school track career by showing he can compete with the best high school runners in the nation.
Camara, a senior, was joined by several other athletes at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C., this weekend. He ran his best event, the 400 meters, at the meet and also competed in a relay.
On Friday, Camara won his heat in the 400 with a time of 47.73 seconds. This time put him in second place in the Emerging Elite Division, with the winner competing in another heat. The Nationals are split into two divisions, the Emerging Elite and the Championship, the top level.
The sprinter, who will be running at Northeastern University next year, already won the 400 at the All-State Meet, the Div. 4 meet, as well as winning the 300 meters at the Indoor All-State Meet, the New England Championships and the Div. 5 meet.
Later on Friday, the boys sprint medley relay of Camara, senior Nathan Follett, junior Karim Monroe, and and freshman Max Juscen finished in a time of 3:50.56. The time was 39th best in the Emerging Elite competition. The team competed as Shamrock TC, because schools can’t compete under their name during nationals.
On Saturday, Watertown high jumper Abbi Peterson competed in the Emerging Elite category. The senior jumped 5-feet-3-inches, which was 25th best in the event. The jump was an inch higher than at the All-State Meet, where Peterson finished 11th.