Sophie Fleysher, ‘20

April 2019

On a cold and windy February day, the first back from winter break, students from all grades showed up to the newly renovated track in East River Park to begin yet another Track and Field season, coached by Mr. Miller, the health teacher, and Ms. Schultz, one of the gym teachers. One of the most popular sports at BHSEC, track is a place where people of all skill level and experience come to try to seriously compete, to generally get better at running, or to just have a place where they are expected to work out and stay in shape.

Going into the season, it was clear that more was expected of the athletes this time around than in previous years, with a more rigorous attendance policy for both practices and meets. This didn’t put a damper on the athletes, though. 54 girls and 21 boys joined the team this year, including a record number of freshmen, all ready for some difficult, but quite rewarding, practices.

With so many returners, many participants knew what to expect, but others did not know the kind of work that they would be doing at least four times a week (but hopefully every day!) for the next two months. The team had to push themselves from the second practice, where Mr. Miller enthusiastically announced that everyone would be running timed trials and completing full throws and jumps in that same day. 

The weeks went by quickly, and before the team knew it, meet time was upon them. It was a great start to the season for the girls, with Sophie Fleysher (Y1) and Zainab Yaqub (Y1) setting personal records (PRs) in the 100 meter dash, Fleysher also setting a PR in the 200 meter. Eliya Ahmad (Y2), Vanessa Leung (Y2), and Bella Drucker (Y1), did the same in the 800 meter. At the boys’ first meet the following week, Zachary Lee (Y2) set a PR for his long jump.

The team’s first major competition was the PSAL Season Opener, where they faced teams from all 5 boroughs. There were many successes there, from the distance and field fronts. Sligo Farrell (9th) placed 2nd in the Freshman 1600 meter race, a mere .67 seconds away from the top. Evan Farley (Y1) beat his PR in the Varsity 1600 meter, also setting a new record for BHSEC, with a time of 4:55.66. Megan O’Gorman (Y1) got 7th place out of 34 participants in the Shot Put, also beating her PR, throwing the 8.8 lb ball 24 ft 9 in. 

A little over half of the season has gone by, and the team is pushing along in high spirits. The times are decreasing, the jumps are getting longer, and the throws farther. When asked to reflect on the season thus far, Farley said that “the boys distance team is building off an excellent season of Cross Country to reach new heights previously thought unattainable thanks to the dedicated work of our small but speedy squad.” His comment not only shows the athletic ability and determination of the distance squad, but also the commitment of the team as a whole to each other. Runners support each other from the sidelines at meets, offer lots of advice in regards to proper form, and encourage each other when practices get difficult, which is often.

The team is in great shape going into the last few weeks of the season. A lot of athletes have the same excitement as they did heading into the very first day of practice, which is a good sign. Their hard work is clearly paying off and it is always great to see the satisfaction when someone is able to completely finish a hard workout.

As for the rest of the season, both boys and girls will be having weekly meets, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, respectively. As for large championships, the Manhattan Borough Championship will be on May 19, and the City Championship will be on May 26. To keep up to date with meet days, locations, and results, see BHSEC Outdoor Track’s page on the PSAL website, psal.org.