With Track and Field season right around the corner, athletes continue their ongoing training which began in earnest last November. 

“I have high expectations for this season and since we are in another district, I have been pushing my athletes harder, and pushing them to be stronger athletes,”said Mr. D’Andre Mickens, Head Coach.

Coach Mickens also mentioned how last year the team made it regionals, and that this year the goal is for the whole team to make it to states.

In track, there are different categories: short distance, long distance, hurdles, and field events. Each category has a different coach. Coach Mickens specializes in short distance and field events. Ms. Camille Wildnburg teaches hurdles, and Mr. Andrew Shaheen along with Mr. Cotter Lamb coach distance. 

Sophomore Marcella Orlandini has been part of the Track and Field team since her freshman year. Along with club swimming, she also participates in triathlons, and is part of the short distance team. She mentions on how it was hard balancing her club swimming with track going on the same time last year and felt she devoted her time to club instead of running. This year she says it will be different as she plans to do a better job at balancing. She doesn’t want to let her coaches or teammates down. 

She has been training with Coach Mickens since the fall, practicing two times a week. She feel she has an advantage since she started earlier and since preseason for track starts in December. The events she is looking forward to doing this year is the 800, 4 by 8, and 4 by 4. She is very much looking forward to tryouts.

“I’ve seen a lot of freshmen with future potential and I am excited to meet my new teammates” said Marcella. 

Her best PR so far in track is the 800 meter run, she ran a 2:40 and is looking forward to increase her speed.