Track Dominates in Season Opener

Even as huge gusts of wind swept across the fields and clouds loomed over campus this Saturday, nothing could stop Big Red Track and Field from storming the grass and dominating both St. Paul’s School and Governor’s Academy in their first meet of the season.This spring season, the team has a total of eight meets, six of which feature more than one opponent, and so in the eyes of many, this weekend would set the standard for Exeter’s performance. But all fears of a lackluster performance were set aside, as Big Red showed both conviction and power during the rout of the other two academies.“Exeter performed incredibly well for the first meet, and the participants set personal records in most of their events,” senior Lloyd Campbell said. “Some were close to breaking their personal records but it is still early in the season.”Upper Warren Charleston reiterated Campbell’s feelings about the first meet. “We really destroyed both St. Paul’s and Governor’s Academy,” he said. “ We swept the opponents in the 200 and 100 meter sprints. In the triple jump, both boys and girls won, and our 4 by 4 team defeated the two schools by 100 meters, while our 4 by 1 team got first and third in that particular event.”Lower Chudi Ikpeazu added, “Exeter performed well despite the unfavorable weather. There was a lot of wind that affected the throws, runs and jumps.”Because of the fantastic outcome, team members are looking towards another successful season, much like last year, when Track and Field went undefeated.“The season is looking fantastic. Last year, we were a great team, but we depended a lot on our distance squad, which is always going to perform strong,” Charleston said. “This year that division is also great, but we also have strong sprinters and depth, so we are a lot more balanced and looking to win a lot of races.”Campbell also shared a favorable view of the upcoming months. “The season looks really positive for boys and girls, and I am excited,” he said.Even though Big Red commanded their first meet, the team has been focused on eliminating arrogance and working towards further improvement. “We have a strong team this year, but St. Paul’s still does not have a track, since it is under snow, so they came to our track in their first practice all season,” Charleston said. “Because of that, we cannot become overly confident to the point where it may lessen our performance. We need to keep steady and work hard so that we can hope for an even better season than last year.”Since they have a week to prepare for their next performance in a contest between Hyde, Pingree and Hebron, the athletes are toiling to wipe away any imperfections.“The team should continue to bring the Big Red spirit to each of the meets so we can grow together as a team,” Ikpeazu said.Charleston added, “We need to increase the amount of people we have in each event. The members of triple jump and high jump are lacking, and not as many guys do hurdle events, so we need to look to better our overall talent when going into future meets.”But no matter the slight improvements that can be made, Big Red’s track team is confident that the season will be great and a fun one too.