Personal records and new friendships: Uni’s track team sets goals for outdoor season

With Uni’s track and field team wrapping up their indoor season last week, a group of athletes were asked about what they wanted to get out of the rest of the season as the team moves to outdoor action.

When asked about their individual goals, almost all the athletes’ answers involved setting new personal records (PRs), which refer to an athlete’s best performance in a particular event. 

“I want to set some PRs and improve on how I did at state last season,” said junior Kate Ahmari, who plans to compete in the 3200 meter and 1600 meter runs this season. 

Junior John Brownridge, who joined the team this year, wants to “set a PR in the 200 [meter dash] and cut my time down by a second.” 

Seniors Cadi Hu and Madeleine Keenan also wanted to “set some PRs,” with Hu looking to add all-state honors and the school record in the 300 meter hurdles to her list of individual goals. 

In contrast to their individual goals, almost all of the athletes’ team goals were centered around building relationships with their teammates during the remainder of the season.

Senior Zhaohan Sun said that his biggest team goal was to “connect with his classmates before we have to never see each other again,” citing “the community aspect” as one of the main reasons he decided to join the team. 

Freshman Ana Olson said she wants “everyone to cheer for each other,” and Bonnie Weaver, also a freshman, looks forward to “good team spirit.”

Sophomore Henry Wang simply wants “everyone to get to know each other better.” 

Uni’s first outdoor meet takes place on Thursday, April 7th, at Paxton Buckley Loda High School. Focused on both self-improvement and team bonding, the team should have lots of good things coming their way in the near future.