The track and field team had a very successful season this year, with the boys team breaking the school record for the 4×800 meter relay with a time of 7:50 at the Penn Relays. Both the girls and boys teams also scored high in Counties and Regions.
“I’d say overall, this year’s track and field season was one of the best in recent years,” said junior Nicholas Regan. “We had a wide variety of athletes doing multiple events and scoring a wide range of points for us. Our coaches have definitely set the bar high for future track and field seasons.”
Senior captain Ishan Dey agrees that this season has been an improvement from previous ones.
“Our track team wasn’t very good in comparison to the rest of the county when I was a freshman and sophomore – one or two athletes accounted for most of our points,” said Dey. “We have much more depth now and we recently finished fourth in the county and third in the region, [which is] the highest we’ve finished in outdoor track since I’ve been at WJ.”
The team had its 4×2, 4×4 and 4×8 qualify for states along with two boys in the mile and 2-mile, and three boys in the 800.
Head coach Tom Martin is happy with the team’s progress this year, but would like to see the team be more competitive in field events.
The team’s overall success this year could not have been possible without the encouragement and leadership Martin, the assistant coaches and the team captains.
“We had a ton of guys and girls lead us throughout the season, but for the boys seniors Sean O’Leary, Martin Dally and Ishan Dey were prime leaders, and for the girls, seniors Jenna Willett, Jennifer Spencer and junior Camille Bouvet,” said Regan.
The team will face large challenges next year as many of its good runners are graduating seniors.
“The team will lose its two highest point scorers in Martin [Dally] and Sean [O’Leary], so they will need to figure out how to replace them,” said Dey.
However, this does not dampen the team’s expectations for next year.
“Next year, I expect us to dominate cross country again, and also try to break our own school records, even though we are losing impact seniors,” said Bouvet.
Regan is also very optimistic about next year’s perspectives for the team.
“I think the coaches have high expectations next year since we have a bunch of talented underclassmen who are ready to step up and give us an opportunity to perform well,” said Regan.
With new records, a great run in states and many more accomplishments, the team has a fantastic season to look back on.
“Overall, I am extremely satisfied with this season,” said Bouvet. “I tear up when I think about the seniors who are leaving, and how much I’m going to miss them. When I think about my junior year and all the good times I’ve had, track is the image that comes to mind. There is just nothing that compares.”