Boys’ Track Finds Success Against Tough Competition
The boys’ track team prevailed at the Greater Boston Track Club Invitational this Sunday. The event is an open meet held at Harvard University’s Gordon Indoor Track Facility, with athletes representing prep schools such as Phillips Academy Andover, Deerfield Academy, St. Paul’s School and Governor’s Academy. In addition, there were many collegiate teams like Purdue University, Brandeis University and Franklin Pierce University, as well as club athletes.
The meet did not tally team scores, but it provided an opportunity for the Exeter athletes to compete and gain race experience. It was the second or third meet for many of the runners, but Exeter athletes raced well among the collegiate and post-collegiate competition, with impressive performances from the younger runners.
Prep Will Coogan raced the mile in a tight heat with two Andover runners that went unsettled to the finish line. He ended up setting a new prep record in the mile with a time of 4:42.42. Meanwhile, prep Jinwoo Kang broke a thirty nine year old prep record in the 600 meter dash with a time of 1:35.14.
Senior and co-captain Atticus Stonestrom appreciated Coogan’s resilience and the preps’ potential, saying, “At meets like this, it’s pretty easy to lose sight of competition and just chase times, but Will wasn’t willing to settle for anything short of giving his all.” He explained that seeing new runners already achieve “such great success” was the highlight of the day.
In addition, senior and co-captain Marvin Bennett ran a couple of notable sprint races. Bennett was the top high school runner in the 200 meter event with a time of 23.38 seconds, placing third overall competing against collegians and post-collegians. In the 400 meter event, Bennett finished with a lightning-fast time of 51.53 seconds, placing third.
“Whether it’s boys or girls, sprint or distance events, everyone always cheers on their teammates. We have a strong culture of support and unity that is integral to our success on the track.”
Stonestrom attributed the team’s success to the diverse abilities of each runner. “Track is a special sport, I think, because every meet has about a dozen or so events that the team might compete in,” he said. “As a result, everyone has an opportunity not only to compete for themselves but also to cheer on the rest of the team.”
Senior and co-Captain Garrett Pitt credited the team’s achievements this weekend to the boys’ unrelenting support for each other. “I think track does a great job of voicing our support for each other,” he said. “Whether it’s boys or girls, sprint or distance events, everyone always cheers on their teammates. We have a strong culture of support and unity that is integral to our success on the track.”
The team is proud of its success, but the boys also know that they still have room for improvement. The team’s next meet is away against Andover on Feb. 8. With an incredibly long break between meets, Big Red now has a substanital amount of time to build up its endurance, perfect its form and mentally prepare to compete against its rivals.