Track Season Recap
Another year, and another successful season of track and field for the boys and girls varsity teams. From sending multiple runners to states to winning relays at huge multi-school meets, the spring track and field season was a ton of fun.
The team faced many head to head meets and invitationals, doing well to outrun opponents. Paly excelled in the distance races, which included individuals like Mateo Fesslmeier (‘22), Elizabeth Fetter (‘23), Grant Morgenfeld (‘24), Eoin O’Connell (‘23), and other remarkable athletes who also competed in the fall helping Paly cross country team to win CCS.
The Paly sprint team was also prominent with twins Franklin and Lincoln Tutor (‘23), along with throwing team with Tobey Lau(‘23), Terra Majors (‘23), and Vainga Mahe (‘23). Overall the team was extremely successful, finishing
The boys team successfully took down rival school Los Gatos during the head to head meet on March 3 with a final score of 67-52. Morgenfield set a personal best mile time at 4:19 in that race, and the boys varsity 4×100 meter team ran a 44.78 to claim first place against the Wildcats as well. Morgenfield also qualified for the state meet in Fresno.
A memorable moment for the Boys DMR team at the Stanford invitational, which included Mateo Fesslmeier running the 1200m, JT Bard running the 400m, Jimmy Miller running the 800m, and Grant Morgenfeld finishing it off with the 1600m. The boys were seeded low in the order, but went on an incredible run. They started the race strong, gaining a decent lead on their competition, and they went on to win her heart by over 30 seconds. This put them in the top three teams, and placed Paly alongside some of the best teams in the state.
“My favorite part of the season so far was racing at the Stanford Invitational. It was a breakthrough performance for me against some really talented competition, and of course it’s always a ton of fun to compete in front of my family and friends,” said Hillary Studdert (‘23).
Studdert, star of the women’s track team also qualified for the states meet in the 800m, breaking numerous records to qualify. They will be racing in Fresno on Friday, May 27. This is an incredible accomplishment for both the runners and will be a chance for Paly to race next to other great students.
What makes the track team all the more fun and incredible is ther community they have built. Everyone on the team shares passion for the sport but also love the group they have created while on the team.
“The team energy and culture was always positive, and I loved every single moment of it,” Fetter said.
Cameron Phillips, a junior at Paly enjoyed his time being part of the track team community.
“As a new comer I did not know what to expect but was greeted with such great and welcoming community, and am really excited for it to start up again next year,” Phillips said.
With a large part of the track team departing next year, it is unsure what their season has in store. But what is for certain is that the track team will be all smiles and fun when next year come around due to the amazing team relationships these students have built.