Unionville Track Dominates Field in New York

On February 2, the high school varsity track team traveled to Armory, New York to compete in the Varsity Classic, going against over 80 different high schools. Emotions ran high during the long ride: freshman Layla Mustain said that “a lot of people were excited, rather than nervous,” showing that the team’s intent was to stay focused rather than overwhelmed. The enthusiasm reflects the team’s effort throughout the season to compete at a very demanding level and hold themselves to higher standards. Ultimately, this excitement translated into some strong performances across the board.

Freshman Jillian Cooper placed eleventh in the 1600 meter run with a time of 5:33, setting a new personal record by three seconds. Cooper explained, “When I finished my race I was very relieved to be done. I was also very happy that I got my goal time and was proud of how I ran the race.” To continue the streak, freshman Ryan Blazko placed sixth in the boys’ 1600 meter run, followed by junior William Turner, who placed seventh, placing Unionville high on the leaderboards. Despite the constant pressure, the team continued to deliver: junior Ethan Childs recorded a long jump of nineteen feet and zero inches, landing him fifteenth out of 44 athletes. Next came senior Vincent DeMarco in the 400 meter dash--placing thirty-fifth out of 170 racers, with a time of 53.96 seconds.

Support from others is one of the greatest feelings an athlete can experience. Junior Oliver Wu notes his “sister came to watch the meet…and I think it made me run faster.” Wu ran two events, supported by his sister, and beat 20 opponents in the 55 meter hurdles and over 100 opponents in the 200 meter dash.

During the last event of the night, the high school’s relay teams proved its dominance once again. The boys’ distance medley placed eighth with an impressive time of 11:12, beating out half of the competition. The boys also took second place in the 4x400 meter relay in 3:36. The girls’ distance medley relay performed excellently as well running a speedy 12:34 earned their spot in second. One of the most memorable moments of the meet came when Mustain, senior Natalie Quinlan, junior Emily Chapman, and senior Madeline Bovard beat the school record with a time of 4:10 in their 4x400 meter relay.

Coaches are the backbone of any team. Steven Hameed, or Coach Seif, the new sprinting and jumping coach this season, expresses how “[the] dedication is on a different level. Having to go to school and then deal with me and my whistle for two hours, I'm pretty sure I get on their nerves." Seif further explains the team's coachability: "It can be hard to...learn from a new coach in such a short period of time, but they trust me and I appreciate that.” As the sprinting coach, he trained the girls’ relay team and wanted the girls to “run and have fun.” Coaches like these, who motivate rather than pressure athletes, encourage the kids to join sports programs. In Cooper’s words, “My coach inspires me by giving me motivation to strive to work hard and reach my goals.”

The high school track teams have been having a monumental season, with many personal records and records beaten at their meets. The New York meet is another milestone in their dedicated season full of hard work.