In 1977, former BJHS girls track runner and current sixth grade social studies teacher Chris Kile (then Chris Lyon) ran a 13.08-second 100-meter dash. Little did she know the record would remain for 42 years, until recently, when seventh grade girls track runner Fisayo Afonja broke it.

“I was shocked that it stood that long,” Kile said. “It is awesome that a student I had broke it on my last year of teaching. I am so excited that I know Fisayo, she is a terrific girl.”

Kile’s record was one of the longest-standing BJHS track records. Junior high track coach Brenda Shawley said she remembers that several track runners over the years who had been aspiring to break it.

“Records are made so that they can be broken by future athletes,” she said. “I am not at all surprised for that record to be broken, and Mrs. Kile is very happy knowing that Fisayo’s time is now the one to beat.”

Kile said she loved track, and ran in high school as well as in junior high. She was one of many junior high track runners to set a sprint record, and was one of few to have such a long-standing one.

“There have been many tremendous athletes that have gone through the Baldwin Junior High track and field program over the years,” Shawley said. “Mrs. Kile, along with other teammates, were among those athletes to have posted several sprint records when they were in seventh and eighth grade.”

At the same meet that Afonja broke Kile’s record, several other records were also broken. Afonja, running a 27.2, also broke a 200-meter sprint record of 27.9 seconds set in 2014 by seventh-grader Kayla Kurtz; in addition, seventh-grader Bailey Smith ran a 13:21 2-mile, beating the previous record 13:35 set in 2018 by Makenna Blanchat.