Boys’ Track Wins E/a, Girls’ Fall Close Behind

This Wednesday, the boys’ and girls’ track squads made the trip down to Andover to compete in this year’s Winter Track Exeter/Andover meet. The boys’ team dominated Andover, leaving with a win for both the Varsity and JV squads. The girls’ team, however, came just within range of a win, but the Andover squad just barely edged them out.Leading up to the meet, the winter track team has had a great season. Both the girls and boys teams have seen their fair share of wins, and the runners have all improved immensely. Upper Marcus Polk commented on the season so far. “I think we’ve been doing really well this season,” he said. “At all the high school meets, we usually run really hard, do well, and get some PRs.”In the winter season, track does not exclusively compete in high school meets. At the collegiate level meets, the competition is normally much fiercer, so the runners have used those meets to train, and to improve their times.In addition, the athletes have done a great job of coming together throughout the season. “I think that this season has been really good, because I think that we’ve really grown as a team. We aren’t really divided by Varsity and JV. Upper classmen and lower classmen talk to each other a lot, there’s not really a separation there,” Polk said.Prep Jack Farrell agreed with Polk’s sentiment. “This is my first time ever running track and I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but it's been a great experience. We all work hard every day, but we also have a lot of fun together and I've gotten to know a lot of new people on the team better as the season has gone on.”At Andover, both the boys and girls performed tremendously. “The meet went well, and the men’s team and the boys JV team won. Everyone had a lot of great performances, and we had a bunch of PRs on the team,” Polk said. “I think that we worked really hard for this win, and I’m really proud of the team.”The girls, although they suffered a tough loss, had a great meet, and all the runners performed well individually. “The girls lost, but they ran really well. It’s not like they got blown out of the water, they put up a really good performance. It was just a really tight meet.” Polk added.There were, however, a few runners that stood out. In particular, lower Jacie Lemos had a fantastic race, and outdid herself as a lowerclassman on the team. Senior John Kennealy also ran an impressive race in the 4x4 relay, putting up a great time for the boys. Kennealy finished first in the 600 race with a time of 1:19.4—his score adding to the boys’ eventual win.

This spring, the team hopes to continue on the same path, and maintain the momentum from the winter season. “This spring, we’re getting some kids back who couldn’t run in the winter, and we’re losing some kids who can’t run in the spring. But I really hope that we can stay tight as a team, and maintain our strength through next term,” Polk said.Regardless of the results of this meet, the team has had a fantastic season, and all of the runners have gained skill and speed over the course of it. “Everyone's improved this season, and I know members on the team have broken several school records. I may not be breaking school records any time soon, but I know I've become a much stronger runner this season,” Farrell said.