This past weekend was a weekend full of ups and downs for both the Girls and Boys Varsity Track Squads as they competed in the Founders League Championships. The Girls and Boys both had excellent seasons in which many records were set. The boys ended their season with a respectable 5-2 record against some of the best competition in New England. One of the highlights of the season was when team member Nick DeChello ’08 set a new school record for the javelin beating the mark held by William Stewart in 2003. Another highlight of the year was the thumping of Deerfield by an overwhelming score of 94-51. The Girls side had one of the best seasons in the history of Girls Track and Field finishing with an undefeated record of 6-0. Two of their best moments of the year were narrow victories over highly competitive Founders’ League rivals, such as Hotchkiss and Loomis Chaffee. Both the Girls and the Boys teams had great expectations going into the all-important Founders’ League Championships.

Boys Varsity Track & Field

With the Boys team having one of its best seasons in recent memory, thoughts of winning the Founders’ Championships were filling the team members’ minds. But, it was not meant to be for the Wild Boars. In a tough day for the team, Choate only managed to finish in 6th place out of 8 teams, not quite meeting their personal goals. This was a tough result for the team, since many members went into the championships nursing injuries. Even with the slight disappointment, the team had many different individuals who competed to the best of their abilities and had great showings during the meet. The 4X100 meter team of Co-Captain Tyren Bynum ’07, Andrew Lee ’09, Uchenna Nwogu ’08, and Jae Nam ’07 finished in second place overall with a blistering time of 44.77 seconds. Another highlight was the impressive showing in the mid-distance races by Dan Cannata ’08, who finished in second in the 400m dash, and Matt Vivero ’07, who also finished in second place in the 800m dash. The team did not stop there as several runners also had major success in the long distance races. Chris Krokus ’08 and Dae Ro Lee ’07 finished in fourth and fifth place respectively in the 1500m run. Finally in the 3000 meter run, Andy Holden finished strong with a 5th place finish. Also Ron Coleman ‘07 tied for third place in the high jump, with a height of 5 feet and 8 inches. Other solid performances were put in by Dechello in the javelin, Daryl Wells ’07 and Co-Captain Steve Kwizera ’07 in the Discus throw, and Channing Tookes ’07 in the Pole Vault. It was an impressive showing for some of the runners, but not as high of a finish as they had hoped.

Girls Varsity Track & Field

The Girls Track and Field team was coming off an impressive undefeated season and looked to win the Founders’ League Championships. However, they finished second to a tough Hotchkiss team whom they had beaten earlier in the season by the score of 86-74. The team finished with a total of 120 points which put them only 12 behind the Bear Cats. Many of the girls had impressive races. Nikki Collins ’09 finished in third place in the 100m run and right behind her was Hannah Judd ’09, coming in 5th. In 800m run, Choate took both third and fourth place with strong finishes by Kelsey Cameron ’07 and Kelly McDonough ’08. Cameron also finished in third place in the 1500 m run, followed by Mary Hawkins ’09 who finished in fourth place. One of the two first place finishes by the entire team came from freshmen star Caroline Bazinet, whose cross-country prowess helped her take the 300m run. The other 1st place finish came from Yaneve Forge ’07 who finished in 1st place in the shot-put and barely beat her teammate Julianna Fernandez ’08, who finished in second. Other impressive performances at the meet came from the 4X100 team who finished in second place, and from Caroline Davis ’07 who had two second place finishes and one third place finish in three different events. The team put in a solid performance that was just inches short from being Founders’ League Champions.

Overall, it was a great year for both the Girls and Boys track teams, but it did not finish the way they had wished. The season is not quite over for those who have qualified for New England’s, but for most the season has been completed. It was one of the best combined years the Track and Field program has had in recent years. Co-Captain Kwizera summed up his thoughts on the present and future of Choate Track and Field. “Personally, having been on Choate Track and Field since my freshman year, I can say that this was the best season we have ever had. I am not just talking about our solid record. I am also talking about the team morale and atmosphere as well. No one complained and made excuses and everyone worked hard during practice. All these things are essential for a team to have a great season. I am excited for the future of Choate Track and Field, especially since we have a new track. I expect many athletes to want to be a part of it in the future. I know Choate will soon become a Track and Field powerhouse as long as good leadership is maintained by the captains and as long as they make sure that the ‘team’ environment is the main focus of Track and Field.”