Track and field competed at Lewisville Relays on March 10. The meet began at 1 p.m. and athletes competed in over 15 events including relays, distance and a variety of field events.

Twelve schools, including Hebron, competed at this meet. The varsity girls placed 4th, junior varsity girls placed 3rd, varsity boys placed 3rd and junior varsity boys placed 2nd.

“Overall [this meet] went great,” head track and cross country coach Chance Edwards said. “We saw some good performances from athletes that hadn’t [competed] as much. We’ve been [working hard] and preparing these past couple of weeks for some of these upcoming [meets]. We’re getting to the end of the road for qualifiers for Texas [Distance] Relays, and when [athletes] come back from spring break, the meets get much larger and carry more weight.”

Top 10 varsity distance runner Ella Anding ran the 3200 meter race in 12:25, which is her personal record for the season. To prepare for this meet she said she has been working hard to stay consistent on her weekly mileage, and is making sure to do the workouts assigned by coach Edwards.

“I think I did pretty good,” Anding said. “I just came off of an overuse injury in my knee, so I was really happy with how I did. I was glad I got to run the 3200 for the first time.”

The team has been practicing six days a week to prepare and maintain fitness for this year’s track season. With such a variety in events, training varies for each athlete, however, organized practices give athletes opportunities to train and prepare for upcoming track meets.

“I’m very proud of myself for being committed for all four years because running is really hard,” top 10 varsity runner Lily Dunn said. “It takes a lot of dedication and commitment. You have to wake up early, know how to fuel your body and rest well. It’s a really big time commitment, so I’m just really proud of myself.”

The team accomplished many achievements at this meet. Many athletes hit personal records, like Leeah Boyd, who cleared 12 feet in pole vaulting, and Sara Gasca who placed 1st in the varsity girls 3200 meter race with a time of 11:53. Another notable mention is the varsity boys relay team, which placed 1st in the 4×400 meter relay with a time of 3:28.

“Every year we’ll have the [team] goal of championship,” Edwards said. “That’s not easy to pull off in track, but that’s going to be the big goal – to have as many kids moving along to the championship season as possible. There’s a lot of events, so we have a lot of opportunities.”

Now, athletes are preparing for the Texas Distance Relays meet March 17-18 at Carroll High School.

“[To prepare for upcoming meets], I’m continuing to follow the coaches’ plans,” Dunn said. “I’m making sure to enjoy spending time with my teammates, [as] we can all encourage each other as we go to district. I think a really important part of the sport is encouraging each other, building each other up and knowing what each other’s goals are.”