Winter and Spring Varsity Track (2023-2024)
By ALEX LIM and SOPHIE ZHU ‘26
This past winter, Exeter’s varsity track and field team has broken a tremendous number of school and personal records, and has performed at a national level. The strong community within track and field was truly amazing to witness, and was extremely encouraging for all the athletes on the team. The hard work and preparation truly showed at some of the most significant meets of the season, as the athletes delivered insanely low times and fast sprints.
For example, on Sunday, Jan. 21, the Exeter boys varsity track team traveled to Harvard University to compete in the Greater Boston Track Club (GBTC) Invitational meet. This meet was a great success, with upper Jaylen Bennett breaking the school record in the 600m with a time of 1 minute and 22 seconds. In addition, many personal records were broken, including senior Jack Hutchins in the mile, with a time of 4 minutes and 26 seconds.
On Feb. 3, the Track and Field team showed a strong performance at the NHIAA (New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association) meet. Though the team had already attended several NHIAA meets, the meet provided the last opportunity for team members to qualify — or even re-qualify — for the National High School Track and Field meets being held in early March, setting it apart from past ones.
The team won the boys’ 4x800 relay, and Exonians secured wins in several individual events: Clara Kanb in the girls’ 600 meter, Jack Hutchins in the Boy’s 1500 meter, Eli Cross in the girls’ 1500 meter, and Janelle Bobb in the girls’ Shot Put.
With much anticipation, Feb. 14 had finally arrived — the Exeter Andover meet. The team headed down to Andover to compete, having prepared for this day throughout the entire season. Unfortunately, the girls’ team lost with a score of 70-38. However, the boys’ team secured a win with a score of 71-38.
Finally, on March 8-10, 11 members of the boys’ and girls’ indoor track teams participated in the Nike Indoor Nationals at the Armory Track. With impressive times and new PRs, the team performed amazingly, and received tons of positive feedback.
“The whole track community came together and just wanted to witness history,” remarked upper Jaylen Bennett. “I was able to run against a lot of new competitors and also meet new people as well.”
One athlete who stood out was senior Byron Grievous, finishing with two podium finishes and All-American times.
“Knowing that Coach Newbould and my teammates were all cheering me on back home really helped,” Grievous said, “Thinking about all the support systems and people who have supported me to get to the point where I am today.”
“While I run I usually am pretty focused on the race. I knew that this was a big competition and very important so before the race I knew I needed to switch into a different gear. I knew my friends and family were watching me so I knew that I wanted them to be happy and make them proud,” Bennett said.
By the end of the season, the indoor track team had achieved many milestones, and created a strong community. At the end of the season, Captain and senior Anna Kim also remarked on her pride in the team and their efforts. “As a captain and teammate, it’s been very rewarding to see everyone’s progress over the past few months, and I’m proud of how we’ve grown as a team both on and off the track.”
Moving into the spring outdoor track and field season, on April 27, Big Red’s varsity track and field team competed at the highly competitive Black Bear Invitational at CoeBrown Northwood Academy in New Hampshire. It marked the climax of six weeks’ worth of strenuous training, and the atmosphere was electric.
Senior Byron Gevious, with a time of 8:56.5 in the 3200m, not only set a blazing meet record but also set the tone for the team’s success. He, along with seniors Austin Desisto and Max Lacombe, and upper Pearce Covert, set a meet record in the 4x800 with a time of 8:06.19. Uppers Sam Benochi, Tate Kelly, Steph Handte, and Gianna Phipps triumphed in the girls’ 4x400, and uppers Jannah Maguire, Melani Dowling, and Tenley Nelson, and lower Ashley Ting, claimed victory in the girls’ 4x800. Nelson also secured the first position in the 800m.
Nelson said about the energy at the meet, “At such a big meet, it’s really helpful to look around and see familiar faces. I think that we all did a great job of supporting each other and cheering our teammates on, which made the whole experience really fun!”
With their sights set on more victories, the track team is gearing up to compete at Interschols, E/A, and will close out the season at the prestigious Nike Outdoor Nationals on the Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.
