The boys’ track is hitting its stride, with seven athletes moving on from the state sectionals to the Group 2 Championship: Kenneth Allaway, Tommy Jendryka, Christian Drew, Ian Shaw, Cole Szabo, John Aymil, and Caiden Blaise. 

Kenneth Allaway, Tommy Jendryka, Ian Shaw, and Cole Szabo ran an impressive 4×800 relay, placing third. Captains Kenneth Allaway and Tommy Jendryka also qualified in their events – Kenneth with a personal best in the 800 and Tommy in the 1600 and 3200. Christian Drew won the javelin after running in both hurdle races, and John Aymil placed sixth in the shot put. Caiden Blaise placed second in the triple jump. As only a sophomore, Caiden has a very bright future on the track team.

With a new head coach and distance coach this season, the team is still working to adapt to new styles. Senior captain Tommy Jendryka noted that “they definitely put a lot of effort into trying to make us better and have great goals for us, but are still working on the administrative stuff because they’re kind of new to things.” The new distance coach, Coach Mikko, is a former collegiate runner and sets the team up for success with specific workouts and training. The 4×800 team is excited for Groups and eager to qualify for the New Jersey Meet of Champions.

So far this year, a large portion of the team’s main contributors have been seniors. The captain’s leadership kept the team motivated and in line – but, regarding next season, Tommy notes, “the underclassmen have a lot of talent, but are going to need to step things up and take it seriously.” Two freshmen distance runners, Jackson Idle and Tyler D’Avi, have had very successful seasons and will likely play a large role on the team in the coming years. Both Tyler and Jackson have already broken 5 minutes in the 1600m, and are gaining great experience training with the senior distance runners – Ian, Kenneth, and Tommy.

This group of seniors has a clear bond, and their friendship emphasizes the importance of team camaraderie. The team will become much smaller after the county championships, as the only athletes continuing their seasons will be the ones who qualified for groups. With the team’s hard work and passion for the sport, they will undoubtedly have a strong finish to the season.