It may be cold outside, but the indoor track season is heating up. 

The indoor track season kicks off next Friday at UI. It is the beginning of a two-week qualifying period to make Hoosier State Relays, Indiana’s most prestigious indoor meet. This year, Hoosier State Relays was revamped with a new location at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and ran on a brand new track. This breaks the 75-year tradition of the meet being run at Indiana University. A new Nike sponsorship makes all the more reason for schools around the state to compete. 

GHS sent multiple runners to Hoosier State relays in 2023, including national-meet-bound sprinter Will Riley, junior.

“Hoosier State Relays was just as competitive as any other meet I have ever raced at. It was a great chance to get my mind right to compete at meets even later in the season,” Riley said.

The high level of competition showcased at UI meets can be an accurate judge of where athletes will stand for the final IHSAA state tournament in May.

“I have been vaulting every week at UI after school to get in good shape to make indoor and outdoor State,” junior Braden Hafen said.

Indoor Track is not just for the top athletes. It gives new members of the team a chance to compete and have a pre-season before the outdoor season kicks off.

“It was not easy transitioning from middle school meets to high school meets, but indoor track helped me get used to the feel of competing again,” sophomore Zach Penn said.

The indoor season lets team members build chemistry since the majority of indoor events are relay races.

“Last indoor season was the first time I had ever gotten to run in a relay. It was a fun experience because I competed as hard as I could to not let my teammates down,” Penn said.

Some groups are lucky enough to venture into the indoor season with established team chemistry.

“I am excited to get to run more with the team from cross country. We have been working all of the winter since cross country to beat the other teams,” sophomore Luis Giner Perez said.