
Riley Choi ’28
Jan 24, 2025
Last weekend, the Blue Storm boys and girls indoor track teams competed in the “Back To Work” indoor meet in the Hale Field House. Both teams realized the payoff for their diligent training and placed well in their respective events. Notably, Ryan Du Plessis ’25 broke the school’s 800m record set in 2005 by Griffin Burns ’06. Other achievements were Ella Blanco ’26 and her first-place finish in the mile—cementing her as second on the school’s Top Ten list—and the girls’ 4x400 relay team, consisting of Anne Sehon ’25, Addy Arnsparger ’27, Maddie Chu ’27, and Teresa Nyarko ’28 placing third, placing them in the third-place spot on the Top Ten list.
The meet’s timing, which took place immediately after the winter holidays, posed an added challenge for the athletes. “My first meet back from break did not meet my expectations,” said Bauhinia Chen ’26. “I had a hard time adjusting because of a combination of jet lag, cold weather, and being out-of-shape.”
Nevertheless, the team overcame the challenges thanks to their perseverance and determination. “I kept up with the workouts coach gave us, and I’m glad I saw their results in the last meet!” said Chu. “Coming back from break was naturally a big adjustment, getting back to the routine of school and practice but we adapted well,” said Imangali Zhakan ’26.
Practices were designed to ready the athletes. “This week we focused on starts and speed for our sprinters, and dealing with discomfort for our distance kids. Our throwers have been making huge headway as they focus on technique and strength. Our jumpers and pole vaulters have been working on consistency with their steps,” explained head coach Betsy Cunningham. Bella Levina ’25, a pole vaulter and hurdler, said, “We usually practice everyday. We have Monday–like, events day–where distance runners go for easier runs; Tuesday, which is our hard workout; and then the rest of the week, when we just kind of prepare. Some people do hurdles, some people triple or long jump.” Du Plessis added, “We each have a nice training group with three or four people with the same level so that you can train with and push each other.”
Storm athletes headed into the meet with high expectations. Chen commented, “Compared to past years, I definitely think the team spirit has gotten stronger, reinforced by the greater rigor of practice and attention from coaches.” Levina echoed the sentiment. “I think our team’s goal was just to be prepared for anything and just to have fun. I think that’s one of the most important things to remember. Like, no matter what you do or how fast you run, one of the best things you can be is a good teammate.”
Cunningham approached the training regimen more practically. “I would like for the team to focus on individual PR's next Friday at our last home meet. At MAPL's, we focus more on team points rather than individual PR's. Oftentimes, the strategy is different depending on the preferred outcome, so you might have a slower time, but win more points as opposed to coming in further back in the race with a PR and fewer points. Throwers and jumpers will also be more strategic as they look toward MAPLs.” Du Plessis stated, “I wanted to get the 800m record, because the 800 is my main event, and I really wanted that record.”
Many runners met their goals. Charlie Xu ’26 commented, “The team has performed amazingly this season with dominance shown across all events and multiple records broken. Shoutout to Ryan [Du Plessis] who will most likely end the season with 5 school records.” Cunningham concluded, “The team is doing great so far this season. We have broken school records almost every meet, we are getting stronger and faster with each practice, and we are looking forward to our championship season starting with MAPLs on Feb. 7.”