“Even though track is an individual sport, we still treat it like a team sport cheering our teammates on.” Sophomore Messiah Jenkins sums up the unique sport of track & field perfectly. He and his teammates don’t only care about their own personal achievements, they also lift up their teammates to meet higher standards, illustrating the DeMatha brotherhood.
Sophomore Timi Adefiyiju draws inspiration from the team’s distance runners. “They pushed me to be better.” DeMatha’s track team is very much about pushing each other to greatness. That level of team encouragement pays off frequently. Fellow sophomore Claude Nicolas reports, “This past weekend in New York [we were] running in the Hispanic Games and my relay got first pace in the Sophomore 4×2.”
Sophomore Jace Willis and senior Myles Dixon were among the most frequently mentioned by teammates talking about which of their teammates inspire them the most. The type of encouragement they provide is really needed as track is a very challenging sport.
Some students join because they want to push themselves. Sophomore Lucas Moisiuk says, “I saw other people were really fast and I wanted to do it because it looked really cool.”
“One thing that’s demanding about track that most people don’t realize is really the recovery and just taking time off,” Claude Nicolas said. You have to be highly motivated to run track and that can make it difficult to slow down and give your body the time to recover properly during the season. Messiah Jenkins also discussed the mental challenges the team faces to keep up with demanding course work as well as training. He says going to Academic Support and getting as much work done in class as possible has been key.
“Be sure to eat the right food,” Jace Willis advises those who are thinking about joining the team. “I know when I was a freshman I was eating too much random stuff.” He should know what it takes to succeed; he is a star member on the team.
Overall, the DeMatha track team is more than just times and medals, though they have plenty of those. At the Hispanic Games, the team’s top 4x200m relay took gold and became the first relay team in the nation to break 1:27 this winter.
The strong encouragement between teammates helps push each runner to improve both on and off the track. Whether it’s through motivation at practice, support during meets, or advice given to other teammates, the team creates a positive and hard-working environment. Track also teaches athletes important life lessons about personal balance, discipline, and perseverance, especially when managing schoolwork along with training.