Undefeated Girls Track&Field

The Northwest Girls Track & Field team consists of many student-athletes who have worked diligently throughout the three years that the program has been running. The team has high hopes for the 2024 season, so far they have had lots of success in the outdoor season. The Northwest Girls Track and Field program focuses on “pursuing excellence” as they use the phrase for this season’s motto. Benjamin Duea, the head coach of the team stated, 

“I have seen our overall depth grow in our track & field program since our school opened up 3 years ago. That’s a credit to our girls and their commitment in the off-season and hard work throughout the season.” The athletes dedicate many aspects of their lives both inside and outside of the season, this is just one of the things that sets them apart from some other teams. Their motto, “pursuing excellence” reminds them to go above and beyond in all of their whereabouts. So far in the 2024 season, they have been undefeated. A big part of these accomplishments is their determination, grit, and competitiveness every day, Coach Duea said, 

“Within each event group, there is competition on a daily basis and at meets. This is great for athletes because it pushes them to be better.” This healthy competition between athletes pushes them to improve and positively reinforces their performance on race day. The team took a variety of talented athletes to South Dakota to compete in the Ruth Markse Invitational, they won with 139 points. They placed top three in many races and won the 4×1, 400, 300 hurdles, and 800-meter races. This was just one of the meets they had major success at. Sadie Maas, a senior at Northwest Highschool stated,” 

“Being able to step on the track and say that every person put their best effort into their race is very comforting and allows us to perform at a very high level.” The team full of talented runners contains lots of elements of accountability. Each athlete is encouraged to put their all into each race and leave everything out on the track. Another big aspect of the team’s success is the culture within the team, Sophie Miller, a senior at Northwest High School stated, 

“I think one of the most important parts of our program is how connected we are as a team, I feel like being so close has helped us the past few years and will this year as well.” Each athlete genuinely cares for one another, and this type of support isn’t always established within other teams. These achievements are made possible by many elements of the team and are rooted much deeper than just running.