Spring is finally here, and so is the start of an exciting season for the Track & Field team! In just three years, there are over fifty athletes in this program competing in various events.
The leadership team revealed that a major difference between this year and last year is the size of the team. Senior Harleen Sandhu shared, “This year, we have a lot of young people, and it shows that we have room to improve individually and as a team in the next four years.” Senior Arun Patel noticed that there is a well-balanced amount of athletes training for the different events. Also, more coaches are joining the program to work with athletes in their individual events. Junior Sophia Zhou explained, “My freshman year was our track team’s first varsity year, and as a smaller team, we feel like we’re really setting a precedent, so this year, knowing that so many other people are interested in track as well is a good feeling to hear because we’re starting something at PDS.”
Most team members practice after school in the athletic center, but some go to 6:30 a.m. practices at the Hun School for the benefit of training on a track. According to Sandhu, since PDS never really had a track team, there was no need for building one. Zhou also mentioned that there would be environmental issues on how many surfaces have to be permeable. However, with the team increasing, a track now seems essential for training on a higher level. While having a track on campus would benefit all runners, the team has made the best out of the morning practices. Senior Emily McCann admitted, “I think it’s pretty hard to wake up and get adjusted to [morning practices], but once you get to school, you feel more awake, and you feel proud of yourself.” Senior Tom Poljevka shared, “Morning practices are very fun; they’re dark and cold, but you get a lot of stuff done—a lot of stuff you can’t get done in regular practice—so it’s really cool to get that option.”
The team’s hard work paid off when they went to compete in the Prep A and B Championship on April 6. The girl’s shuttle hurdle team and the boy’s high jump team won for both Prep A and B schools, setting school records. Patel commented, “I think we did really well. We placed pretty solid—high among pretty much all the prep schools in the state.” Sandhu added, “I think we’ve improved tremendously. I’m really proud of our team, and I think we’re doing really well. It’s going to continue throughout the rest of the season.”
Despite being a young team, Track & Field has shown a lot of potential through the results of their first meet. With the coach and leadership team’s help, it really is, as Zhou and Poljevka put it, “Unbeatable!”
