The Orono girls and boys track team finally got their cleats on the ground. The team is filled with young talent along with strong returning runners.
With the unpredictable weather, the team has had to stay on their toes all season. “We had a lot of meet cancellations earlier in the season,” said junior Stephanie Knight. “We have had to play the rest of the season a lot by ear.”
Captains for the team girls team are Carly Chelstrom, Cora McCusky, Hannah Deters and Erin Briggs. The boys team are coached by Gabe Van Dyck, Paul Brauchle, Noah Grothe and Cory Malchow.
Both the girls and boys long distance teams are filled with strong, new freshmen. “We are a lot better than last year and we push each other through the tough workouts,” said junior Madison Martini.
The sprinters came off the delayed season full speed ahead. The girls team broke a 4×8 relay record. 4×8 relay consists of four team members running 800 meters of the track and passing a baton off to a teammates at the end of their 800 dash. The record-breaking team was made up of juniors Stephanie Knight and Lydia Winkles along with freshmen Sara Harrison and Taylor Eckerline.
The sprinting part of the team is filled with young talent coming forward and giving the team a bright future for years to come. “We have a lot of fresh meat this year,” said Knight.
Sections begin with the preliminary rounds on May 28 and qualifying rounds on May 30. The top two runners for each event make it to state. Runners can also make it to state if they beat a qualifying time in their event if they are not in the up two runners.
Madi Arends is the Layout Editor for The Spartan Speaks
