This year, track’s third as a team sport, was quite successful for both the team and individuals alike. Both the boys and the girls teams had success, with the boys finishing in the top half of all of the invitationals they competed in and the girls placing 3rd in two of their invitational meets. Certain individuals also saw great successes, including school records being placed by Cedric Brenneman (‘19), Eva Sargent (‘20), and the relay team of Aaron Yeakey (‘21), Evan Brown (‘19), Andrew Smucker (‘20), and Seth Valdez (‘20). Additionally, Cedric Brenneman qualified for the regional meet on May 23, so stay tuned for a possible state qualification!
Even though the boys and girls compete separately and are in different races, there was still a great sense of team bonding and community between the two sections. Sam Ostergren (‘20) commented on the team dynamic this year, reflecting that “both sides did a really good job at cheering each other on and pushing each other to get better.” This extra confidence from teammates helped runners like Sam push themselves to be their best.
There were also some particular moments throughout the season that really stood out. Outside of the record-breaking races and sectional performances, there were personal stories from this season that are inspiring. One of these comes from Emma Thomas (‘20), who missed out on some of this season due to injury. Despite not being able to compete in the beginning of the season, when Emma came back she experienced her most memorable moment of track so far. She was high jumping for the first time after the injury, and with “jumping over the bar [she] felt a moment of relief,” showing her that she really was back.
Looking ahead, there is great promise for a successful program in the future. The team is only losing a few seniors and will still be strong next season, especially with the many frosh who this year filled varsity roles and quickly learned good running technique. There are plans for a new track to be built on campus as a part of the athletic complex project, which will give track even more opportunities to practice and hone their skills. Every single person in track and field reached personal records throughout the season, starting a trend that coach Benji Hurst expects to continue into the future. This year’s success shows that there are many good things in store for Bethany track.