The indoor track season began with a bang in late November, and the team tried their best in every aspect of the sport all the way, down to the last race on Jan. 16.

The indoor track team is made up of a diverse group of students, mixing cross country athletes and spring track stars with soccer players and people simply trying to keep in shape between sports seasons. Practices are vital for getting comfortable on the team, as well as for being prepared for meets. “I was nervous about doing it in the beginning because I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the first few practices went really fun and made me feel more prepared,” freshman Helena Hansen said.

The Patriots had a strong start to their season this year, with the boys winning their heat in the 4×200. “One of my favorite meets was definitely the first one because of how well we did,” Sophomore Sean Kim said.

This season had a talented team full of new members with lots of energy and ambition. One of the new members of the team recalled the start of the season to be “really hopeful and [that] there was an exciting vibe among everyone on the time,” Hansen said.

Like every sport, indoor track had its ups and downs this year, but the athletes pushed through and maintained their hard work all throughout the season. “We had a decent 4×200 that could’ve made states, but our first leg Osagie Aimiuwu qualified for states in the high jump and it interfered with the 4×200 so he couldn’t run,” Kim said.

Even with these complications, the team wasn’t discouraged and still kept their spirits up. Senior Julien Bastin had a great start to his season, but suffered an injury for three weeks and didn’t get a chance to run. He still supported his teammates and was proud of everyone’s performances. “My favorite meet was the first one; there was a lot of anticipation leading up to it and it was really fun. I didn’t get to run in any after that, but overall I think the team had a pretty ok season,” Bastin said.

It was also a super successful season for individuals on the team. Senior John Riker was the only distance runner who went to states and had an excellent performance there. He placed eighth in the 3200-meter and not only broke the school record, but the team current coach, Chris Boyd’s record as well.

In a final reflection Kim said, “Overall the season has been a great season. I’m really excited about what the team has in store for next year.”