By Delia Aguilar and Taliyah Cooper
As the winter sports season winds down, track athletes hope their hard work through the winter carries over to the spring.
Many athletes consider winter track a warm-up season for the upcoming spring season.
“Indoor is definitely like a building part of it, so I think outdoor, if we get some more people, we should have a pretty solid team,” said senior Rafaela Drake.
Last year, Drake placed first overall in the winter track and field state championship, Drake and several others hope to make another run at states this year.
Senior Eli Pope highlights the main goal of the season. “The goal for the winter is really getting better and stronger for the springtime,” Pope said.
Junior Elizabeth Healy, a distance runner on the team, hopes the momentum they build this winter will produce great results in the spring.
“We have a lot of progress to be made,” she said. “But it’s one long season we can work through.”
During the team’s meet at the JDL Invitational on Jan. 20, a handful of runners broke personal and school records. Elodie Page, Tai Cox, and Sam Ostrovsky all reached PRs in the 1000m. Justin Lawrence and Khaniel McIntosh both reached personal records in their events.
Several Pirates have already qualified for the 2024 Winter state meet, which will be held on February 9 in Winston-Salem.
Drake, who placed first overall in the triple jump in last year’s state championship and recently set a new school record, will defend her title. Additionally, senior Elizabeth Healy has qualified for the 500 and 1600m and Senior Zaneta Hudson will race in the 55m hurdles.
On the men’s side, Junior Phillip Blum and Junior Conner Tyrell have qualified for the 3200m. Blum currently holds the school record.
Tyrrell is excited to compete against a teammate at the highest level.
“I feel really good, it was one of my goals this year to go to states,” Tyrrell said. “I think me and Philip can really push it.”
