Ethan Shi ’28
Jan 30, 2026
On Thursday, January 22, the Mercersburg track team traveled to Episcopal High School to compete in the Winter Invitational indoor meet. The team turned in a strong performance, with three Mercersburg athletes winning their events. Chris Carbone ’26 placed first in the 1600m, Iman Zhakan ‘26 placed first in the 500m, earning him third place in Mercersburg’s all-time top 10, and Rayna Allen ’27 won the high jump, placing her tenth in Mercersburg history.
Teresa Nyarko ‘28 said, “The team did really well in the relay; we had solid handoffs, very fast splits from everyone. A big highlight was how smoothly our exchanges were, as well as our relay using other runners to help us secure fast times.”
One ongoing challenge for the team this season has been facilities. With the indoor track unavailable due to the dining hall renovation, athletes have been forced to train outdoors. “The team has been doing really well given the circumstances without access to the indoor track,” said head coach Betsy Cunningham. “The kids have great attitudes, and they’ve been working hard. One change is not having access to all of our field events, so we are not able to pole vault this season.”
The meet at Episcopal was fully indoors. Arnav Rao ‘26 said, “We were in such a crowded area. It’s so hard to warm up, and we have to go outside in the freezing cold.”
Coach Cunningham added, “Competing indoors is really fun because you are continuously surrounded by athletes jumping, throwing, or running. For new athletes, it can be a challenge learning where to check in, getting hip numbers, showing up at the correct starting lines, etc. However, so far, the athletes have been doing a magnificent job when we compete.”
Overall, the athletes did a great job, with several accomplishing their personal bests. Nyarko said, “I practiced my handoffs, worked on my speed, and focused on pacing so I wouldn’t burn out too early. I definitely stayed more focused and made sure to run smart, because I knew the team would benefit from me performing my best.”
“Chris hammered a great mile and won against 13 schools, which was fun to watch. Iman also crushed it and won the 500M,” said Coach Cunningham. Aside from that, some of the players supported the team by also competing in unfamiliar events when needed. Grant Wilkinson ‘26 and Felipe Romeu Pepe Santos ‘27 stepped up to run the 4x800 unexpectedly, contributing significantly to the team totals.
One defining aspect of the meet was how every event was treated like a relay. Teresa Nyarko said, “It was intense but motivating. It made me feel responsible for the team, which pushed me to stay focused, cheer, and give my all in every event.”
After the exciting performance at Episcopal, the track team is moving on to face bigger challenges. Assistant coach Nikki Walker said, “We need to keep working on fitness and speciality events. Our next big meet is the MAPL championship - so it will be a big test.”