The 2016 Track and Field team’s regular season has come to a conclusion, however, nine North Harford athletes headed to the State meet at Morgan State University on Friday, May 27. The elite group included three male athletes, a record breaking pole vaulter, and a team of record breaking runners.
Senior Casey Welsh attended states every year since she was a freshman. This year Welsh ran in the 4×8 mile relay and the 2 mile.
Prior to the race, Welsh said, “I’m really excited and it’s my senior year so it’s really special.” Welsh also says that States is also a really crazy time because officials there are a lot more strict and “you are pretty much on your own but it’s also a really fun and exciting time.”
Juniors Courtney Klapka and Valerie Taylor are running in the 4×8 mile alongside Welsh and fellow senior Alyssa Baca. In Klapka and Taylor’s freshman year they broke the school’s record for this relay with a time of 10 min and 4 sec.
When asked about her support system Klapka responds, “The seniors are our biggest supporters; they really help us see our goals and achieve them.” Taylor added “The whole team is pretty supportive towards each other.”
Joining them this year is senior Kassie Dieter. This was the first time Dieter has ever attended States where she competed in discus.
“I feel pretty good about going to States actually I feel honored to go because not a lot of people get to,” states Dieter on attending the competition. Dieter’s biggest motivation for doing well in States was that it was her senior year and she wanted to “leave it all out there” and “really do the best I can do.”
This year North Harford has four pole vaulters going to states. Three out of the four are freshmen and the fourth is a regional champion. Freshman Cassidy Chandler was surprised and excited about getting to attend States and she said she couldn’t have got there without the “help and support from coaches and family.”
Junior Robert Pekarek also went to States for Pole Vaulting and is a regional champion. He has attended States before and just this year came in 3rd at the 2016 indoor track and field competition. Pekarek has broken the record for a junior pole vaulting 11 feet and 11 inches, the old record was 11 feet 6 inches.
Pekarek also states that he is very proud of his teammates Mike Reaves and Blake Dekozlowski for being freshman and being two out of the 40 male athletes on the team to make it to states. Pekarek says that his biggest challenges is staying healthy because being a pole vaulter you are prone to shoulder injuries.