The team practices three times a week: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for two hours.
“We start practice with stretching and motivating one another. Then we take laps, work out our abs, do push-ups, planks, and work on our strides. After that we do balance exercises, jumps, and flexibility,” said sophomore Justin Castro.
The team consists of twelve boys and eighteen girls. Three of the thirty students are sophomores, two are juniors, and the other twenty-five are freshman.
So far there have been two meets, both at Farrell High School. The first meet included freshmen and seniors, and the second meet was just for freshman.
In the first and second meets freshmen Leila Grant came in first-place in the 400-meter and 200-meter runs, respectively.
“I wasn’t expecting to be first out of the six runners. I was actually highly surprised. Victory was wonderful because people recognize me for winning” said Grant.
In the second meet, freshman Alex Castro of McCown came in first place in the 200- meter race.
“When I was preparing, I knew that I would do well, but I didn’t feel that I was going to win. When I won first place, I was really happy and proud of myself,” said Alex Castro.
Coaches Cosentino and Lee have been working to build the new team.
Coach Anthony Cosentino has been running track for nineteen years and coaching for seven of those nineteen years.
Coach Daniel Lee ran track for five years at both Farrell High School and Seton Hall University.
“I wanted the team to be dedicated, responsible, cooperative, and hard working. And the team has exceeded my expectations. The track program will improve over the years, and I hope we have a better turnout next year, especially from athletes participating in other sports,” said coach Consentino.
For its first year, the team is doing very well. With two dedicated coaches and eager runners, the team is sure to have a bright future.
Our runners will compete in the Staten Island Champs Meet and the Under the Lights Invitational at Farrell High School. Dates and times of both meets are yet to be announced.
