The outdoor track team has earned mixed results to begin the season, with the girls earning two victories in three games while the boys have been held winless. Still, coach Michel-le Meranda has seen improvement in this team.
“I think the team is communicating better than in previous years and seasons,” she mentioned.
“If they have family commitments or school commitments they have been very proactive at communicating that with us.”
The team is led by captains Rolando Mejia, Damien Josaphat, Gabriel Garcia, Emma Spignese-Smolinsky, Leyla Rodriguez, and Thora Henry. Meranda complimented their leadership this season, stating, “They’ve been really great at directing newer athletes on the warm-up routine, making sure they’re focused and completing the workouts, but also providing guidance and reassurance.” She also mentioned that when she is late or unavailable for practice, the captains step right into her shoes and “get everyone going.”
Mejia cited offseason training as a reason for some of the team’s success, noting that it keeps them “in shape” and ensures they “are prepared for anything” they must do. Spignese-Smolinsky agreed, voicing, “Offseason practices are extremely important if you want to have a chance against other teams.”
The team is quite young this season, with plenty of freshmen competing compared to previous years. Meranda is not upset about this, however, believing that the team needs those athletes “with three to four years to build upon their skills and see great improvement.” She is already excited about the “great potential” in those aspiring students.
If they need to work on anything, it is the depth of the team. Meranda explained that although Malden has some strong athletes, they are often the “only ones on our team to score points overall.” Once the entire roster is able to compete at a high level, the team should be able to compete with the “strong throwers” and “stacked rosters” from other schools.
One great thing about the team is that they are tight-knit. “If you come to our practices, you’ll see the team having a good time, laughing, bonding over TikTok videos, but also encouraging and motivating each other to improve,” Meranda said. All good teams are fun and connected while holding each other accountable at the same time.
While the outdoor track team may not have had an explosive start to the season, they have shown some promising results. The boys will seek their first victory on May 4 against Chelsea while the girls look to improve to 3-1.
