Track championships have come and gone, and there is a lot of news to report! The season had its ups and downs, but there were many great races. The championships were on the 9^th,  10^th,  and 12^th of May, amidst all of the AP exams, adding some extra stress to the runners. While practice was over for those who did not qualify for the meet, the top runners who did qualify had been training hard for their events in the last two weeks leading up to the meet.

Said Laura Monaghan, one of the top runners on the team, “I’m excited but nervous for championships this week.  I’m running the 4×800, 800, 1 mile, and possibly 4×400.  I want to break 5:30 in the mile, but it might be hard, especially dealing with my recent injury.  As Steve Prefontaine said, “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift” so I’m going to try my best!” Laura specializes in the distance races, including the 1 mile and the 800.  She ended up going a personal best in the 800, advancing to the finals, and was incredibly happy with her performance. Unfortunately she fell ill during Saturday’s meet and could not complete the rest of her events. The team also had high hopes for Summer Legambi, a sophomore. Summer’s best event is the 2 mile, which is also the most difficult. She did very well, with a 4^th place finish in the 2 mile. She went a personal best, breaking her season long goal of 12 minutes. Other distance runners include sophomore Annie Kozak and senior Rachel Reed. Oona Peacock is one of the best hurdlers and jumpers on the team, and Mr. Klein expected big results from her at championships! She especially excelled in the 300 hurdles, another very strenuous race.

The team had a fantastic first two days, being in third place at the start of Thursday’s meet. Unfortunately NDP did not finish in third place, but they still did a great job with some great races, and we are very proud of them!