Winter Track Battles To 2nd and 3rd Place
On Sunday morning, boys’ and girls’ winter track competed at the University of New Hampshire. The boys’ team battled hard and ultimately took second with 50 points, just short of Merrimack Valley’s 53 points. The girls’ team also fought hard and placed third, scoring 35 points.
Both teams have been training hard, and it showed as Exeter performed extremely well in their first meet of the season. Senior Max Larnerd placed first overall in the 1000 meter, and lower Issay Matsumoto placed third in the 600 meter. “It was the first meet of the season, so nobody was in peak condition, but strong performances by Max and Issay pulled us into second place,” lower Atticus Stonestrom said.
Along with Matsumoto and Larnerd, senior Max Rerkpattanapipat placed fourth in the 300 meter and took first in the long jump. The boys’ shotput squad also did well, with upper Chudi Ikpeazu taking first, and upper Mykel Miller taking a close second.
"There were times at the beginning when things seemed rushed and hectic but I think we all really pulled it together."
When asked about the girls’ team performance, senior captain Joey Bolden said, “Overall I would say it was a great day. There were times at the beginning when things seemed rushed and hectic but I think we all really pulled it together. We were able to finish our races and accept our positions, times and distances and get back into the zone for our next event.”
Bolden also commended the team’s unity. “We continued to cheer on our teammates and keep the positivity flowing which really brought up the team's morale and led us to the girl's placing third and the boy's placing second overall. This is my last year running winter track at Exeter and I can honestly say I can't imagine a better group of people to run with.”
The girls’ team did well, as Bolden said. Specifically, performances by lower Grace Pratt in the 300 meter and long jump, Bolden in the 55 meter hurdles and lower Margaret Coogan and senior co-captain Michaela Morris in the 1000 and 1500 meter. The team came together, supported their teammates, kept a positive attitude and ultimately took third.
Both the boys’ and girls’ teams performed tremendously last weekend, and are off to a great start this season. “We’re a very capable team this year, and I think we are going to have a great season,” lower Chudi Obiofuma said. On Saturday the team will compete at Governors Academy and on Sunday there will be an NHIAA meet at UNH.