Coral Gables Senior High’s track and field athletes kicked off their season on Feb. 20 after countless weeks of preparation. The meet took place at Southridge High School and Gables competed with over 30 different schools. The Cavaliers prepared to participate in events throughout the day as the meet lasted for almost 12 hours.
The team began their journey by gathering near the athletic training room and got on the bus at 9 a.m.. Rushing out of the bus, members of the 4×800-meter relay race sprinted to the starting line. By 10 a.m., the girls 4×800-meterteam were on the track putting their preseason work to the test. The girls had a fast start breaking away from multiple teams and finished sixth overall in the race. The boys started slow and progressed as they passed team after team achieving eighth overall. Both the boys and the girls earned points for Gables’ squad.
“This was my first ever race in high school and I was just looking to keep the pace of people running next to me. I was the third runner and ran the 800 in 2 minutes and 26 seconds. I’m looking to improve my second lap and not slow down when my legs feel heavy,” freshman Garrett Felix said.
The track meet continued with throwing and jumping events taking place for the next three hours. Jumpers like senior Jasmin Abu-Zaraybah were achieving personal records while earning their team more points. On the hand throwers like senior Veronica Trueba were out on the field competing in multiple throwing events. Treuba performed spectacularly for her season opener and earned first place in the javelin event with a distance of 29.34 meters. Other notable throwers included sophomore Adam Gold throwing for 31.01 meters achieving 17th in javelin and junior Mylo-Elijah Tshinkola throwing for 10.28 meters in shot put coming in 31st place.
“I think I had a solid performance for my first meet. There was a lot of competition at Southridge, and I was able to see many of my competitors’ distances for javelin. I’m looking forward to set personal records every meet and continue to improve my form and strength every day to achieve this goal,” sophomore Adam Gold said.
After the field events had concluded, the sprinters made their way to the track as the 110 meter hurdles and the 100 meter sprints were about to begin. Gables’ sprinting team was relatively new as last years varsity team was mainly comprised of seniors. New faces of Gables sprinting team made their debut such as sophomores Jacob West and Darius Bogan. Performing well for the season debut, the sprinters will continue to practice and improve throughout the season.
The meet continued with the one mile race as the girls lined up against intense competition. Seniors Lauren Puig and Yara Korse were able to finish 11th and 12th place overall both achieving miles under six minutes. On the boy’s side, senior Cooper Piedra had an exceptional race running a 4:49 and achieving a personal record.
The meet continued as the sun slowly began to set. Featuring the 4×100-meter relays, the 400 meter dash and the 800 meter dash. Gables’ athletes continued to compete against other schools, with runners senior Mason Wheeler and freshman Garrett Felix competing for Gables in these middle-distance events.
“To prepare for my 800 meter race I warmed up for about half a mile and then I did my dynamic stretches. Exercises like high knees and butt kicks are what I usually do to warm up for my race. I think my first lap was good because I kept up with the crowd and then I slowed down a little before passing people in my sprint at the end,” freshman Ethan Berkovits said.
Nearing the end of the meet, the 200 meter sprints began as races caught the attention of spectators in the stands. Every heat was a thrill featuring exciting races all the way to the finish line. Junior James Storr led Gables’ sprinters in the 200 meter sprints with a time of 23.77 seconds. After thrilling performances, the two mile race began as the girls performed excellently, achieving times under 13 minutes. Puig was also able to earn points for Gables’ team, coming in at eighth place.
“For me, the advantages of running at Southridge for my first meet were that I was able to find people to pace with at first instead of running by myself. I do think my one mile time and my two mile time were good times for my first track meet because I’ve practiced throughout January and February to prepare for these races,” freshman Dante Pruss said.
The meet finalized as the Gables team made their way back to the bus. Exhausted after a long day, the track and field athletes were thrilled to have had an exceptional season opener. Placing around the middle of the group against over 30 schools, Gables’ athletes were thrilled to be back in season running against intense competition. The Cavalier track and field team continues to practice every week training to improve for their upcoming meets, looking forward to these weekly meets as their performances continue to see growth.
