Varsity Track and Field won against Fremont 88-33 on Wednesday, April 9. Varsity Girls Track and Field were able to win 84-43 against Fremont due to their high placements in many of the events such as Long Jump, Discus and the 200 meter run. In particular, MVHS secured all of the Top 5 placements in both Long Jump and Triple Jump. Some players such as Junior Gillie Ross, Sophomore Allie Rummelhoff and Senior Clara Fan were able to secure numerous high placements in various events leading to an overall increase in points.
While Varsity Boys Track and Field were not able secure first place in shot put, many of MVHS’s players secured high placements in the overall ranking, like 2nd place junior Graham Ischo and 4th place Ranvir Bhasin. Junior and shot putter Kingston Jourdan believes that the success achieved in this dual meet is due to the motivation that the team has every single day, no matter the condition.
“I feel like my team is always on it,” Jourdan said. “I don’t care if we don’t do good or if we have off days. No matter what, we’re always doing what we can. When we’re at practice, we’re putting in the work of people who really want it.”
Jourdan says that many of the problems faced in shot put are created by the lack of strength a player has along with their ability to maximize their entire body. However, in running events, junior and distance runner Soham Besetti notices that unexpected problems often come up during multiple minute long races because runners must adapt to issues that arise during the run. Besetti places importance on players being able to have quick-thinking and expect for the worst during a run. Besetti in particular fell behind during the latter half of the race due to the spontaneity of his problem.
“I didn’t feel like the first mile was strong, even though I beat the guy right in front of me,” Besetti said. “He followed me for the rest of the mile and then finally out-lapped me on the last lap. At that point I also felt a lot of lactic acid build-up, but I still think I had a pretty consistent pace.”
The encouragement Besetti received from his teammates as he was running helped alleviate the mental struggles he experienced, such as the lactic acid build-up creating pain in his legs. In a similar fashion, Junior and Jumper Ekundayo Davies notices how the smaller activities, such as clapping during the approach run, each of them takes part in is what truly makes the event satisfying for everyone.
“We all watch each other’s marks and make sure everybody has the proper approach,” Davies said. “During practice, I help clean up the little things, but everybody really does their part. So I can’t say that I’m part of the majority who can contribute.”
