The boys’ track and field team expects to make their mark at collective upcoming meets, building up to a win at Conference. Rather than excelling as individual athletes, the team is focusing on coming together to result in success.
“At frosh-soph Conference champions the past two years, our team got super close to getting first, so this year we’re all hoping we can improve on our scores,” Dan Marshalla, junior and varsity hurdler, said.
Like Marshalla, all athletes on the team expect better times and scores from last year. The team is excited to come back and win Conference to redeem themselves back from a loss from the previous season.
Along with improving times, goals also include becoming more flexible throughout events, and competing well through all varieties of events, Marshalla said. This helps Randal Dunbar, boys’ track coach, to make the best possible rosters for meets until the perfect combination helps finalize a win for a meet.
With the combination of passion and flexibility that the track team has, the boys are enthusiastic toward a great season. But the boys struggle to come together as a team instead of individual athletes, Nick Mandal, senior and varstiy mid distance runner, said.
“I feel that our team’s strengths lie in our top individuals and their performances,” Mandal said. “Our weakness is coming together and working as a team.”
At the first meet at Maine South on February 19, however, the team had their first chance to address strengths and weaknesses while scoping our their competition.
“Our individuals performed really well. For instance, Brian Griffith, sophomore and Mark Spatz, senior, ran well in the 800, Kyle Griffith, sophomore, and Patrick Burns, freshman, ran well in the 1600, and Alec Rowell, junior, and Jake Stevens, sophomore, performed well in the pole vault,” Mandal said. “Our weaknesses were exposed. We did not beat Maine South and narrowly defeated Elk Grove.”