Under a bright blue sky, eight high school track teams gathered together for the Duneland Athletic Conference Boy’s Track & Field Invitational. Lake Central High School played host to the meet.
“We're happy all the coaches are here and friends. It’s a great competition. It’s one of the best track meets in NW Indiana. It’s a pretty friendly competition,” said Lake Central Head Coach Jeff Rhody.
This event is a great opportunity for student athletes to strive for their own personal best records as well as get a good feel of the competition before the upcoming sectionals and regionals.
“We’re hoping to get some personal records,” said Jaivon Gordon, athlete for Portage High School.
For the coaches, being able to all come together for one large meet is an important step in preparing their athletes.
“There’s some good competition here. The weather’s great. We can get our kids ready for sectionals. Every event is going to have some good athletes. It’s a good preview for regionals, said Lucas Snyder, Michigan City Head Coach.
The student athletes stretched and warmed-up as the event began. Some listened to music and closed their eyes to clear their heads and prepare. Each student has their own method for preparing to compete.
“I’ve been laying on the field taking a nap. I need to relax before a race,” said La Porte athlete Sean Wilson.
For many, they have been training since November. As the season begins to wrap up, seeing the results of their hard work is rewarding.
“We’re with these guys every day and at this time, you really get to see guys watch their hard work pay off. They mentally and physically push themselves push themselves to the edge,” said Michael Enghofer Sprints Coach at Valparaiso High School.
Today’s meet was a friendly competition, but some students were ready to lead their own teams to victory.
“We’re hoping to move up in the DAC,” said La Porte athlete Kobe Hayward.
“We’re hoping to win the whole thing,” said Portage athlete Tylee Swopes.
Every team at today’s meet did extremely well with Merrillville High School taking first place. With this win, they remain undefeated this season. Congratulations to all the runners and good luck in the upcoming sectionals!