On April 18th, Irvington’s Track and Field team competed against Washington and Kennedy High School at TAK Fudenna Stadium. The athletes from Washington placed first in the majority of the long-distance events, while Irvington competitors did better in sprinting and field events.

The meet began with the regular 4-by-100 meter relay. The Irvington girl’s freshman and sophomore relay was off to a promising start, especially since they had broken the school’s freshman-sophomore record the previous week. Due to an unfortunate fall, the girl’s relay team fell behind. The whole team, thus, picked up the pace and made up for this initial loss in points. The next few events went by quickly.

Preparation for meets varies from event to event, but the majority of training comes through daily drills and practices. During the day of the event itself, athletes are anxious for their events.

“My thoughts right before the race generally are just thinking about the race. I can feel a lot of energy pent up inside me.” sprinter Serafina Lin-Show (10) said.“Everyone around me is feeling the same way, so we’re all in it together.”  

The season has brought about many changes to both the team as a whole and to each individual.

“I started out track season not very fast,” long-distance runner Ellie Branch (9) said. “But as the season has progressed, I could feel myself getting stronger physically and mentally as well.”

In addition to mental strength, track and field also reflected personal growth.

“Since the beginning of the season, I felt like I couldn’t do anything,” Varsity hurdler Quan Duong (11) said. “But as I got more [personal records], I realized I was capable of a lot,”

Due to a decrease in number of track meets this season, each opportunity to compete is more impactful on the team’s placing within the league. There are only four meets, three of which have already passed. Thus, the captains are rallying their fellow athletes to work harder.

“For the last few weeks we have left together, we all need to step up our game for the coaches who have been working so hard to get us in the best shape possible,” said Katherine Ong (12), captain and four-year track athlete. “That means we need to ask questions on how to improve, focus on our workouts, and encourage our teammates to push harder.”