11 members of the Boys and Girls Varsity Outdoor Track team attended the NYSAIS Championships hosted by the Collegiate School at the Icahn Stadium this Wednesday. Several athletes, including Daniel Schlumberger (12), broke their personal records and even placed as high as fifth in their events. 

“Senior captain Daniel Schlumberger had an excellent day as he ran his personal best times in all of his events,” Boys Varsity Track coach Jon Eshoo said. Schlumberger ran three events in total: 100m, 200m, and 400m, Eshoo said. Schlumberger placed 12th in the 100m, 6th in the 200m, and 5th in the 400m.

Allysson Wright (11) was one of the other athletes who broke a personal record after jumping over 31 feet in the triple jump. Another athlete who performed well in the championships was Adande Nartey (10), who placed 6th in the long jump after a jump of 19½ feet.

In order to qualify for the championship, each athlete had to meet a specific time, Cullen said. 

For example, one of the qualifications for attending NYSAIS Championships is having a time less than or equal to 2:20 in the 800m at any official meet during the season, Eshoo said. All of the athletes have been training hard and trying their best throughout the season which has resulted in tremendous improvements, he said. 

To prepare for the meet, the team did a wide variety of workouts, both fitness and running, and made sure to hydrate as much as possible, Girls Varsity Track coach Meredith Cullen said. The team has been practicing in Van Cortlandt Park and the fitness center in order to prepare for the meet. 

The runners completed intervals and ladder workouts to make sure they were in the best shape possible before the championships, Schlumberger said. The workouts were physically taxing, but in the end helped the team reach their end goal of performing well in the race, he said.

The workouts and drills that each athlete does are based on which specific race they run, Wright said. For example, sprinters work on specific drills that will improve their short distance sprint times, while long distance runners do drills to work on their endurance, strength, and technique, she said.

One example of a workout that the track team does is repeats, during which the runners repeat certain distances, Ahana Nayar (11) said. 

In order to get faster times, runners work to improve both strength and speed. The team works on strength training in the weight room to do this, Eshoo said. Some workouts that are effective in gaining leg muscle and quadriceptive strength are squats and lunges, he said. 

The team worked extremely hard during their daily practices and made sure that they were in their best shape for the meet, Wright said. During every practice, every member of the team put in their all, and the end results reflected their efforts.

Despite not reaching the success other teams have had, the team is full of true fighters, Schlumberger said. Many of the runners have also had to do multiple events, which is very difficult and physically taxing, he said.

The NYSAIS Championships mark the end of the Varsity Track Team season. “On behalf of the coaching staff I can say that we all enjoyed the season a great deal,” Eshoo said. “The kids were great and we had a lot of fun.”