As the temperature drops and most sports move inside for practice, one team braves the bitter cold and continues to practice outside.  That team is the Winter Track and Field team!  Every day at 3 o’clock the team is out on the track fighting Mother Nature.

The Winter Track program has undergone some major changes with the departure of head Boys coach and distance coach, Mr. Kelly.  Mr. Arnold, the previous ead Girls coach and sprinting coach, has taken Mr. Kelly’s place.  New coach Mrs. Murphy will now serve as head Girls coach and sprinting coach.  The two new assistant coaches are Mr. Meyer and previous pioneer athlete Ms. Prufer.  Coach Robert is still the jumping, pole-vault, and throwing coach.  Despite all these changes, the team seems ready compete.

Track can essentially be broken down into three categories, sprinting, distance running, and field events.  Sprinting tends to include most of the athletes, in both the Boys and Girls teams.  It includes the 55m, 55m hurdles, the 200m, the 400m and the 600m races.  Distance runners, although fewer in number, run just as many events, the 800m, the 1000m, the 1600m, and the 3200m.  Field events are made up of shot put, high jump, and in some meets pole vault.

Veteran seniors Chris Aresco, Michael Closs, Joe Flanagan, Billy Gilroy, Ashim Gudwani, Joe Kelly, and Nick Xu lead the Boys team.  Veteran seniors Jocelyn Andreae, Ally Hartenstein, Jackie Pluvoise, and Isabella Wilson lead the Girls team.  As the season goes on it will be these seniors who will be leading the team through the warm ups, the practices, and the meets.

As the season grows colder the Winter Track Team will continue to brave the weather.  The final goal for the end of the season for every athlete is to do their best at the sectional and group meets at the end of the season.    The team looks forward to an exciting season!