Spartan runners have never been strangers to success as is evidenced by the record boards that can be seen in the sports lobby. This year, members of the indoor track team ran away with a new title as well as new records.
Every year, athletes that qualify travel to Haddonfield, New Jersey in order to compete against the best track teams in the country in different events. The girls representing WS at this year’s New Balance Indoor Nationals in the distance medley relay (DMR) were able to secure a victory with an impressive time of 11 minutes, 43.39 seconds, giving them the top time in the US and their second national championship in that event.
The DMR is a race with a team comprised of four members, each running a different distance. In this case senior Katie Kennedy ran the opening 1,200 meters; freshman Kiera Bothwell ran 400; sophomore Reagan Bustamante ran and 800; and senior Caroline Alcorta was in the anchor spot with the final 1,600 of the race.
In addition to winning the DMR, the girls 4×8 made it to the podium with a third place finish in the relay with a new state record.
Kennedy was excited about her team’s win in the DMR after coming off of a win in the event at Outdoor Nationals last year. As defending champions, it was imperative that the team keep up its momentum in order to have continued success in the event.
“Our coach made the workouts harder so we could manage it. Leading up to it we all set goals for each other and we were able to meet them,” said Kennedy.
Not only did the team achieve their previously set goals, they were able to break a Virginia record with their DMR time in addition to taking home the national title. In the previous indoor season, the team won second place in the indoor DMR.
The victory was especially sweet for Kennedy because she had to sit out most of the indoor season due to an injury from the cross country season. Although she was part of the national championship winning team, one of her best memories from the indoor season was helping the girls 4×8 win the state title.
”The best part was winning the 4×8 during states, because I was injured during cross country, so I didn’t get to start indoor until halfway through,” said Kennedy. “[The states 4×8] was my first race that I felt good about.”
Having to spend so much time on the sidelines this season was tough for Kennedy, who will be running for Virginia Tech next year, but it was also a valuable learning experience that she hopes to pass on to underclassmen.
“I’d say that track could easily be an individual sport,” she said. “I realized the team aspect of it a lot more because I was injured and had to sit back. The team aspect is really important.”