By Molly Bell
With a team
roster nearly triple the size or more of the other DHS sports teams, the girls’
indoor track team has had a consistently talented roster of hurdlers,
sprinters, throwers, pole vaulters, and distance runners. The 2012-2013 season
is no exception, and with a stacked senior class, the girls have high hopes for
another successful season. Led by senior captains Grace Loh, Sophie Long,
Lizzie Heaney, and Eleanor Smith, they are a team to watch out for in the FCIAC
conference as well as Class L.
At the
beginning of the season, many sports team set postseason goals for themselves. According
to captain Grace Loh, “We got second
in both FCIACs and states during indoor last year so we're looking to better
those results. We also won FCIACs in outdoor last year so we're hoping to carry
that through to this season”. In a controversial decision two days after the
Class L meet, the CIAC stripped the team of its class L title due to a scoring
error which made opposing team Windsor the state champion by just one point.
This heartbreaking loss has fueled the athletes to work harder to capture the
Class L title they rightfully deserve.
The team also took 2nd place in the
highly competitive FCIAC conference, however, they are striving to win first
place. The girls are the reigning FCIAC East champions, with a terrific
performance in which they beat arch-rival New Canaan by a whopping 97 points.
This year, indoor track has lots of upperclassmen and underclassmen talent.
Sophomore Anne Johnston, coming off a record-breaking cross country season, is
one of the team’s top distance runners ready to succeed in her second season of
indoor track. Freshman standout Maddie Schneider is back and ready for the
season after training with “F Track” (Fall Track). An extremely talented
athlete, this hurdler, sprinter, and pole vaulter is coming off her first
season in which she won the pole vault in the outdoor FCIAC championships,
clearing 10 ft.
For the upperclassmen, Senior Grace Loh placed an
excellent 24thh place at the State Open cross country championships.
A strong 2 mile runner, she also set a personal best with a 5:07 mile at the
outdoor track State Opens. She is eager to improve in her final indoor track
season for the Blue Wave. Junior Catherine Lacy, one of the many incredibly
talented Blue Wave “trackies”, was a triple winner in the FCIAC East
championships, winning the high jump, long jump, and 45 meter dash. Captain
Eleanor Smith is also talented in the long jump, high jump, and pole vault,
contributing to the great Darien success in these events. Captain Lizzie Heaney
has been sprinting for the Blue Wave since freshman year and steadily improved
each season. Junior thrower Taylor McDonald has also shown improvement in the
shot put and comes in as one of Darien’s best throwers.
One of the greatest runners on the team, Captain
Sophie Long runs mainly the 600 meter, and sometimes the 300 as well as the 4
by 400 and 4 by 800 relays. She is also in her fourth indoor and outdoor track season.
When asked about the upcoming season, she remarked, “We have a very strong team
returning because we lost only a couple of seniors from last year. We lost
States by a point last year and are hoping to regain the title after a couple
of years of coming in second. We have a lot of talented kids and are hoping
everyone has a strong season!” All in all, the 2012- 2013 Girls’ Indoor Track
team is a talented team and a strong contender for the FCIAC and Class L
championships. Come by and watch the girls in action on Friday December 14 at
4:00 P.M. at the New Haven Invitational for the varsity runners and Saturday
December 15 at 9:30 A.M. at the Reindeer Relays in Wilton.
Caption: Senior captains (from left to
right) Grace Loh, Lizzie Heaney, Sophie Long, and Eleanor Smith with coach
Steve Norris.
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