Bang! The starting gun fires as anticipation explodes onto the track with electric energy. This season, the Poly track and field team has been rewriting their own limits and beating their personal records through immense commitment.
Prep League Prelims on Wednesday, Apr. 16 saw a slew of notable performances: senior TJ McElrath took first place in both the 100 meter dash (11.13 seconds) and 200 meter dash (22.57 seconds), junior Catherine McFarlane placed first in the long jump (17-0), junior Warren Peng came in second place in the long jump (18-7) and sophomore Brad Hall placed second in discus (85-8) and third in shot put (35-7).
Freshman Kalea Plotnick explained, “Our team shows up to practice early everyday and attends long runs on our own time. We grind through the most intense and difficult workouts because we know that is how we will improve.”
Much of the team’s success can be attributed to the support of Head Coach Dwayne Miller as well as coaches Jamie Bell, Lena Etoka and Farid Hernandez. Their consistent encouragement, guidance and belief in every player have played a crucial role in helping the team reach new heights and achieve their full potential.
McElrath noted, “The coaches are willing to work with people over summer to get faster, better at their work; they’re also willing to work with people if need be on the weekends. This year, specifically, I’ve seen the coaches put even more effort than last year in developing this program.”
Despite being smaller than the other Prep League teams, the Panthers have shown no sign of slowing down. Instead, they continue to deliver strong results with resilience and spirit.
Miller emphasized, “We wish we had more student athletes to compete with some of the larger schools. But even with small numbers, the kids still come out and work hard to perform at their best.”
Junior Mariana Gomez said, “The encouragement and dedication of my teammates play a huge role. We all motivate each other to keep going, even on the hard days. Staying positive during hard workouts and training your body to experience discomfort also help our team achieve success.”
Looking ahead, many of the runners are intensively training for upcoming CIF Prelims and are ready to compete at a high level to represent their team with pride.
Junior Matteo Mazzie shared, “I’ve been working on maintaining my aerobic base by doing daily runs while gradually building my comfort and exposure to speed through interval and tempo workouts. Being comfortable with going at a faster pace will be crucial to placing well at CIF.”
This track and field season has been marked by resilience, unity and a persistent drive for improvement. Now, the team is determined to continue their momentum until the finish line.