As their season winds down, the HHS winter track team can take time to reflect on their various accomplishments over the past months. At the NJSIAA Sectional Championships, the team placed fourth out of fifteen teams, lagging only behind South, East, and North Brunswick. This exceptional performance allowed them to qualify for the group championship, which will then determine their eligibility for the Meet of Champions. Junior Kirstyn Schechter ended the meet with a vast array of achievements, including third in 55 meter dash, first in the 55 meter hurdles, and third in the high jump. The girl’s relay team finished second in the 4×400 meter, while the boys finished fifth in their own relay. As for the the field events, senior Brielle Kelly won girl’s shot put, junior Vaughn Colva came in second in the boy’s shot put, and senior Brendan Sheehan and freshman Brian O’Sullivan came in second and fourth, respectively, in boy’s pole vault. 

Earning 26 points, the girl’s team narrowly won the NJSIAA Group 4 Meet, while the boys came in 18th in their own division. Schechter won the high jump, and the girl’s relay team came in eighth out of twenty-two teams. As for the boys, Colva was the highest placing individual, coming in third in boy’s shot put. Many of the same names found success at the Meet of Champions; Schechter came in third in the 55 meter hurdle finals, and Kelly placed second in girl’s shot put. On the boy’s side, Sheehan came in third for pole vault.

This season saw various records broken by HHS’s elite athletes. Sheehan and Schechter both surpassed previous school records for pole vault, and junior Neev Agarwal set the record for the high jump. Schechter also boasts all-time records in the 55 meter dash and 55 meter hurdles. 

Despite the massive accomplishments several members of the team accrued throughout the season, they’re already looking to their future as the spring track season looms ahead. For the final season of the school year, the team is excited to continue their streak of success while also making the most of the time they have with their teammates. As sophomore Asher Dutta put it, “I enjoy being part of a team and being able to run with my friends. It is also fun trying to beat my personal records as well as others but it is also difficult.” Hopefully, with this mindset, the HHS track team will be able to look back on their season with contentment and pride.