May 17, 2024
By Emily Reed
Editor-in-chief
The girls track and field team won its 11th consecutive league championship at the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference Championship on April 29 at Emerson High School and held a 6-1 record as of May 12.
Senior Michelle Bysina, who has been on varsity since her freshman year, said she was excited to compete in leagues during her final season on the team.
“It felt amazing to win another league championship. It comes with the feeling of accomplishment and relief,” Bysina said. “That’s where you can test your limits and try your hardest and win your event and see others succeed as well.”
Bysina, who competes in high hurdles, high jump and pole vault, said this season she has worked on getting higher in the air and focused on the mental aspect of the sport.
“For me, every meet is a challenging mind game, and you just have to overcome your own thoughts. The only real challenge is yourself,” Bysina said.
Junior Gianna Scardino, who joined varsity last year and competes in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter distance events, said her objectives for the season are to set personal records and stay positive even when she does not meet her goals.
“It felt amazing to win another league championship. It comes with the feeling of accomplishment and relief.”
Specifically, Scardino said she hopes to break six minutes in the mile event and 13 minutes in the two-mile event. She said she plans to accomplish this goal by remaining focused during her events.
“It is important to have self-confidence when I’m running and trusting my coaches while I race,” Scardino said.
She said she strives to create a welcoming environment for the 55 underclassmen on the team, which consists of a total of 87 athletes.
“My goal is setting a good example and being a leader for everyone on my team,” Scardino said. “I let them know they can talk to me about anything and everything.”
Freshman Taylor Paglio, who races in the 800-, 1,600- and the 3,200-meter events, said she enjoys competing in her events.
“I specialize in distance and love it because I have always loved running and staying active,” Paglio said.
She said she wants to continue improving her time, breaking 2 minutes, 50 seconds in the 800-meter race. She said she works toward this goal during practices, which take place six times a week.
“We prepare for the meets by getting in the right mindset for the meets. We do dynamic stretching and getting warm,” Paglio said.
She said she has enjoyed being surrounded by her teammates and coaches.
“[When the season ends,] I will miss the team bonding and the adrenaline I get on meet day,” said Paglio.
