The Trinity indoor track team is back. Last seen in 2019 with about twenty participants, the team has now grown to over thirty students.
While the club took a break for a few years, Coach Stanton made an effort to successfully bring it back this year.
She noted that, as the head outdoor track coach, she believed it was important to give her athletes the opportunity to compete during the winter months. She didn’t want her team to lose their competitiveness and fall behind the other area schools with indoor programs.
Lauren Bliss, a sophomore on the team, said, “It [the indoor track team] helps us stay in shape and also prepares us for our spring sports.”
Bliss and other players appreciate the extra practice and conditioning.
Along with the athletic benefits, indoor track has also strengthened relationships between players and created a friendly environment.
Ben Papson, a senior on the team, said, “The team is growing together and becoming a lot closer, which is great because it makes the team a much more welcoming place.”
The team consists of four seniors: Andrew Durig, Nakyra Paith, Papson and Nick Stiehler. The coaches have not yet chosen captains for this season but will be deciding shortly.
The team practices on Mondays and Wednesdays with Coach Rizor at the middle school and Tuesday and Thursday at the high school. Stanton and Papson encourage players to be willing to try different events and take advantage of learning opportunities.
The end goal for the team is to make it to States, which is at Penn State this year.
Unlike most sports, all of their meets are invitationals, meaning that they compete against multiple schools at once. Because of the way the sport is set up, most meets will host around sixty teams! Therefore, their first meet of the season is Saturday, January 6, 2024 at Edinboro University.
Stanton said, “The thing that I love most about track is that it offers something for everyone. If you don’t like to run far, you can sprint; if you don’t like to sprint, you can throw. There really is an event for everyone!”
As mentioned, Stanton assures students that everyone will have a place on the team. Anyone interested in joining can see Stanton by emailing her at astanton@trinityhillers.net.
Since the season just began, Trinity is looking forward to what the indoor track team will accomplish.
