[ot-caption title=”Ryan Welch (right) is handing the baton to Michael Kennedy (left) during a recent home meet. (Via Ms. Teriane) ” url=”https://pcpawprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/track.png”]

In the past four years of high school, the Pine Crest Track and Field Team has become one of the school’s hottest and most competitive sports offered to students, drawing all kinds of athletes from numerous sports. Over 50 PC student-athletes compete in  numerous running events, which include the individual 100m sprints, 200m sprints, 400m sprints, 800m runs, 1600m runs, and 3200m runs, to the team events, comprised of the 4×100, 4×400, and 4×800 relays. Other athletes compete in the long jump, triple jump, pole vault, hurdles, and throwing which consists of the discus throw, shot put, and javelin.

Head Coach Paul Baur, now ending his fourth year of coaching at Pine Crest, is very excited for this season, and is looking to improve on past results. “We have a lot of returning talent that we will need. Our best events are the long distance runs, such as the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m runs. I think we have a chance to complete our goals of repeating another girl district win, place top three in state for girls’, finish top two in district for guys, and place top ten in the state for guys. With the hard work and effort each member of the team has put in, I am ready to see our team excel.”

The boys’ team has been doing very well so far this season and are looking forward to continuing their success from last year’s fourth place finish in districts and sixth place at states. This year, the team is looking to fulfill Coach Baur’s goal of finishing top two in the district. Senior Joseph Cabral, Junior Ryan Welch, and Sophomore Michael Kennedy are amongst the talented veterans that will help carry the boys’ team throughout the season.

I got a chance to go in depth with Michael Kennedy, a member of the boys’ team. “As competitors, we’re looking to win districts and compete at the regional level. At the state level, we’re going to send some individual athletes to defend the 4x800m and 800m titles. I myself have been doing track since seventh grade and the reason I started was because my friends were doing the sport and they told me it would be fun and worthwhile. Since then it has become something much more than I would have imagined. We practice six days a week, and the way we practice is through intervals, where we’ll run sets and anywhere from 300m to 1600m, varying sets and paces. So far we have had four meets and there is much to look forward too. Upcoming out of town meets go all the way up to Orlando and Tallahassee; at these meets I am looking to beat my own best times and even school records!”

The girls’ team are also top competitors statewide. The past four years, the girls’ team has won districts and will try to continue the streak thanks to stars such as Julia Montgomery, Tsion Yared, Nyla Lindo, and Taylor Logue. Montgomery is the defending state champion for the 1600m run and she is looking to continue her reign this year. The girls’ team has looked great so far and has really been practicing hard throughout the last couple weeks so they can achieve their personal and team goals.

Pine Crest is hosting their next home meet on Thursday, April 2^nd, and we encourage students and faculty to come out and support your Panthers! Type One wishes the track and field teams good luck, and hope they finish the season strong and achieve their goals.