Despite Issues with Cage, Winter Track Dominates

Record: 3-0 (BOYS); 2-1 (GIRLS) Winter track team had a stellar season this year,competing in many collegiate-level meets and dominatingagainst other prep schools. The athletes finishedout the season with four wins and zero losses onthe boys’ side and three wins and one loss on the girls’.Big Red ended the year with decisive performanceat the Exeter/Andover meet, with the girls winning61-43, boys 72-32, and the JV team trouncing theiropponents 81-22.Exeter overcame setbacks throughout the winter,including the Thompson Cage, track’s practice location,being unusable for about a month. Nevertheless,the season was a success, the athletes winning meetsand setting records galore.“With the cage being inaccessible, we had to bevery creative in developing practices,” coach AKIkwuakor said.Some of the athletes thought that losing the cagewas a blessing in disguise, encouraging the team tomove past the difficulties and become stronger, better,and faster.“Despite the cage flooding after Nemo, we werestill able to beat Andover during our E/a competition,”upper Asile Patin said. “I think that the best part of thatteam was being able to overcome not having a cage forthe end of the season, because we learned to go hardand train despite any obstacles. This was definitelyan incredible season for a lot of our athletes. ShanaeDixon, Veronica Scott, and many more hall of famed--we even had the prep record for shot put broken.”In addition to meets with other prep schools suchas Governor's Academy and Phillips Andover, someBig Red athletes were selected to run at HarvardUniversity, Dartmouth College, Southern Maine University,and the University of New Hampshire.“We have a lot more competitions in the indoorseason,” Ikwuakor said. “There is a busy schedule.We are able to go against some top-tier schools andcolleges, something we can’t do in the outdoor season.It’s a really good atmosphere for the students, becausethey are able to see experienced, established athletesfrom all levels.”“Our season got off to a strong sta rt with outstandingperformances at a collegiate level meet atDartmouth,” senior and co-captain Alex Yang said.“From then on, everyone stepped up to secure pointsat each of our league meets up at UNH.”Despite the many high-level meets, both captainsmaintained that E/a was the highlight of the season.“It’s always a battle when we get to E/a, but everyonetook care of what we needed to and pulled outthe win,” senior co-captain Haley Baker said. Amongthe record breakers for that day was Baker, who set anew school best for 50 meter hurdles.“E/a, although an easy win for the team, was byfar the season highlight,” Yang agreed. “Exeter wasrelentless in its waves of sprinters, distance runners,throwers and jumpers who continually defeated theiropponents with class, spirit and talent.”The winter track season differs from the springnot only because it is held indoors, but because manyof the athletes who join the team in the winter are notfocused primarily on track, joining for the winter butleaving for other sports in the spring.“Winter season is one of those seasons where wehave some strong athletes, but we also lose a lot ofstrong athletes,” Ikwuakor said. “Some of our strongestathletes from indoor aren’t mainly track athletes.For example, Tucker Lemos ‘15 is a lacrosse playerthat we lost [in the spring, along with] Conrad Diao‘15, Elias Robinson ‘14, Helen Hultin ‘14 and ElsaChinburg ‘15. So, if such individuals are able to comeback and continue [next] season, I think once againwe will be very successful.”With one of the largest groups of athletes oncampus, the winter track team gives a wide range ofstudents the opportunity to get to know each other andwork together all throughout the term.“We have so many new kids, in all grades that Iwouldn’t have gotten to know otherwise,” Baker said.“Exeter track has a great tradition of being a big groupand having a lot of hard workers. Everyone put in a lotof work and got a lot better throughout the season.”The new members of the team proved themselvesand showed their talent. Even after losing many talentedseniors, it looks like Big Red will be able tomaintain the strength of winter track.“A lot of lowerclassmen are amazing at track, sothe legacy that the seniors are leaving will definitelycontinue,” Patin said. “Next year, they will not bedisappointed.”The seniors and the captains ended their timeon winter track with a fantastic season. Even thoughmany are sad to leave, they know that the team willtriumph, even without them.“We had a big team this year and a lot of underclassmenstepped up into leadership positions, whichultimately made this team so cohesive,” Yang said. “Itis an honor to have led such a driven group of youngathletes my final year at Exeter, and I’m glad that thelast season the Cage will likely go through, given itscurrent condition, is one that we are all proud to havecalled ours.”