The 2023-2024 Bridgewater-Raritan High School girls’ track team is nearing its end for the spring season.
The team, which is guided by Coach Adam Pyle, has found success at many different meets this year. The girls exhibited relentless dedication and hard work to leave their mark on the team and the record books.
One highlight of the girls’ season came from the long jump event. Junior Liya Medallon recently set a new school record for long jump, jumping 17 feet and 10 inches.
This year, plenty of new opportunities were awarded to the girls, who expanded their team greatly, which made this season a memorable one. Perhaps the most notable race was Penn Relays, which took place from April 25-27 at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
The 4×100 team, consisting of senior Esther Guan, juniors Stacey Yang and Liya Medallon and freshman Jade Tofte competed. This was a unique meet because it took place in a collegiate athletic setting with people from all over the United States and even other countries. It was an opportunity to meet other runners from all parts of the world as well as compete against them.
Additionally, the Bridgewater-Raritan track team was the host to their own home meet. With other runners from Franklin High School and Somerville High School, the teams competed in distance sprinting events. The meet helped build group confidence and team bonding.
Junior Emily Dietzman reflected on her favorite experience of being on the team.
“[I love] the bond you get to build with everyone around you and the memories you get to make,” she said.
Interacting with people of different ages who compete in different events allows the girls to make new friends. These friendships and the close-knit team dynamic motivate the runners to keep going and stay consistent with their performances.
The team always plays the song “My Church” on the way back from every meet to commemorate former Coach Marton.
Coach Marton is credited to have coined the slogan “Pain is just a feeling,” which the girls wear on the back of their team shirts.
The team’s upcoming meets include the Somerset County Championship meet on May 14, the Skyland Conference Championship meet on May 21 and state sectional meet from May 31 through June 1.
The goals for the rest of the reason include qualifying for groups and Meet of Champions for individual and relay events. This includes the 4×100 team, which is only 1 second off from the school record.
The race, run by senior Esther Guan and juniors Stacey Yang, Emily Dietzman and Liya Medallon, will determine if the whole team can race at sectionals. The Meet of Champions is a prestigious meet that invites the fastest runners from schools across New Jersey.
