In the first meet to be held on MVHS’s own track field since its recent renovation, the Matadors competed against Cupertino High School on Mar. 14. Although the competition was close and both teams ran impressive races, the points accumulated at the end of the day confirmed that Cupertino High School won the day’s event.

Despite CHS’s early wins in the 4 x 100-meter relays, Distance coach Mattieu Paquet stayed in high spirits.

“In terms of points, we’re pretty close across the board. I think we’re already doing well. It’s our first home meet, and everyone’s excited… It’s a nice day. People are all fired up. The seniors have been waiting for this for a while, and everyone else is just feeding off that energy,” he said.

Paquet’s optimism seemed justified when runners began placing well in hurdles and distance races, events which have long been considered strong points for the team. “The girls’ distance won 24 out of 25 possible points,” Head coach Kirk Flatow boasted.

However, the Cupertino Pioneers kept a solid lead in many of the other heats, including the 1600 meter event, leaving MV runners feeling frustrated.

“I’m pissed… I should have won that race,” said sophomore Rohan Choudry. Starting out in the lead, Choudry stayed consistently among the front three runners throughout the race and finished second.

“[I prepared by] coming to practice and working my hardest,” he said.

Regardless of their loss, the Matadors couldn’t deny their delight in hosting a home game.

“For the first time, everything’s purple. For the first time, I don’t have to drive twenty minutes to another school,” said senior Eric Ma. “It’s nice. It’s really nice.”

In addition, Coach Flatow stressed the team’s determination to continue to improve. “Sure, [Cupertino High School] had faster athletes for the day. But the thing about track is that you can get too wrapped up in the points and placing. The real essence of track and field, like the essence of life, is to continue to improve. Cupertino may have been faster for this event, but if we continue to improve, then we can beat them next time.”

The Matadors’ next league meet is against Wilcox High School on Mar. 21 at home.