With a mix of seasoned veterans and rising stars, the girls track and field team is gearing up for another standout season
From standing on the State podium at IU Bloomington’s track to committing to the Hoosiers earlier this year, senior Emma Gardner’s track career is just getting started. Since her freshman year, Gardner has made three trips to both the state and national meets in the shot put and discus. Along the way, she has shattered records, not just at Greenwood but across Johnson County. And her success story, is far from finished.
“Approaching my final high school season, I’m hoping to just keep improving. I want to break both the school records again and place higher up on the podium at State. A lot of the people who beat me in previous years have graduated so I think I have a good chance. I think placing at State last year grew my confidence a ton. I struggle a lot with believing in myself so seeing results last year was really good for me. I want to also be able to stay confident within myself and my abilities. I know that in college I will be back to how it was my freshman year competing against people that are four years older than me so staying confident is something I have to be good at going into that season,” Gardner said.
Junior Lily Rollings saw her second year competing at the cross country State meet, but is hungry for a trip to the track state finals. As a sophomore, Rollings claimed GHS most valuable runner and was only milliseconds away from breaking the school record in the mile with her 5:10 effort on her home track.
“My individual goals for this season is to be a good leader, go sub five minutes in the mile, and attempt to make it to State in at least one event. Last year, I was just off the mark with a fourth place finish in the 3200, so this year, I am putting in the work to qualify. This will help me with long-term aspirations for running in college because my times will be improved and give me more experience in bigger meets,” Rollings said.
As the distance squad continues to build momentum, the sprinting side of the team is also seeing fresh talent step up.
“Coming into high school, what excites me most is just going up against some new and better competition than middle school. I hold the 100m and 200m record at the middle school, so I am hoping to break those same records at the high school level. On a team level, I am really hoping to contribute more speed and power to our 4×1 relay this year. Especially, I hope that I can help get some good places for the team,” freshman Jocelyn Query said.
The girls distance team has been defined by its youth over the past four seasons, graduating only three seniors during that time. With a steady influx of freshmen, the team continues to grow even younger.
“Coming onto the team has been a pretty good transition so far. The team atmosphere is great, and although the workouts can be difficult sometimes, the older girls are always showing up to cheer the younger girls on and they are really great. We also have a lot more freedom than we did in middle school, so as far as runs go, we can go wherever we want,” freshman Lucy Galbrith said.
The girls first outdoor track meet will take place on April 8 at 5:30 p.m. vs. Roncalli and Mt. Vernon at home.
