With warm weather approaching, outdoor track season is right around the corner. 

The track team has had practices in the winter in order to be prepared for their early meets. 

“In December and January, we had practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the SAC because of the cold weather. In mid-February, we start going every day in preparation for our first indoor meet on March 1,” senior Stuart Luhigo said. 

Training outside of practice is an important piece to the team’s success.

“Some of the pole vaulters have been going to the University of Indianapolis to practice vaulting because of the bad winter weather. All of us have made great improvements, and we expect to PR this outdoor season,” junior Brayden Hafen said.

Some track athletes are already looking forward to iconic meets later in the outdoor season. 

“One meet I am looking forward to is the Cougar Chase. It is a meet at Greenfield Central, and it is one of the biggest meets of the year. It is tradition to get our picture taken by the huge cougar statue that is right next to the track,” Luhigo said. 

The incoming freshman class has experience that could help bring the team to the next level. 

“Last season, we had a lot of 8th graders that made the State track meet. I ran in the 4×800 meter relay, and we placed Top 15 in the state. Hopefully, that experience will help us going into high school track,” freshman Jack Siminski said. 

Freshmen will not be the only newcomers on the track team. Foreign exchange students are also trying out the sport.

“This is my first time doing track. I have joined the cross country and swimming teams this year, and I have really enjoyed them, so I am excited to try out another sport,” junior Sebastian Cronblad said. 

Adjusting to a packed schedule will be a challenge for new runners.

“It will definitely be hard to adjust to the high school track schedule. There are a lot more meets in high school compared to middle school. Each meet also has a lot more teams,” Siminski said.

The first outdoor meet for the Woodmen is April 2 at home against Roncalli and Mt. Vernon.