It is well known that LM track and field is one of the most dominant sports here at LM. Every year we are sending a multitude of runners to nationals. This year, there are nine runners on the girls’ winter track team going to New Balance Nationals, which took place from March 13 to March 16 in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Many girls on the team found success at the new track at the University of Pennsylvania. Most girls qualified for nationals at the facility during states. After qualifying, the girls continued to train until competing in Boston for nationals. In Boston, there were successes in both track and field events. In the field events, Viola Wilent ’27 had huge success at the pole vault this season. The sophomore jumped twelve feet six inches, breaking her own previous school record of twelve feet three inches, marking the second time she broke a school record. The first time was when she broke the freshman school record of nine feet. This jump cemented Wilent as the third best pole vaulter in the class of 2027 across the country. 

In relays, LM also excelled. The 4×200 meter relay consisted of two sophomores and two seniors. Janell Mordi ’25 and Bryce Murray ’25 teamed up with Flora Schlechter ’27 and Paige Evans ’27 to take sixth place at states and thirtieth at nationals in this event. This marked the first ever relay medal that LM girl’s track team has been awarded at states. This dynamic quartet also managed to break their own school record with a time of 1:42.8. Those same team members also competed in the sprint medley relay, taking tenth place at nationals and destroying the previous LM record. The last notable relay from LM was the 4×400 at states, consisting of Mordi, Camille Cohen, Flora Schlechter, and Evans. The impressive 4x400m relay placed tenth at states and qualified for nationals with an indoor record breaking time of 4:02.18

Individually, there were many star runners from LM. Evans qualified for New Balance Nationals in four events: the 400 meter, 800 meter, and the two relays mentioned above. During the 400 meter race, Evans broke her previous school record with a time of 56.9 seconds. This time is also the fourth fastest time in the state. On a national level, she is the 23rd best sophomore in the 400 meter race. Mordi was another runner who excelled at nationals. She qualified in the 60 meter hurdles, 200 meter dash, and the two relays already discussed. Mordi excelled in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 9.04. This same time placed her ninth in the state. Two freshmen also qualified for the freshman division at nationals. Kianna Else ’28 qualified in the 60 meter dash and Emma Richman ’28 qualified in the 1600 meters. LM track is looking forward to a promising future, as many of the runners who qualified for nationals are underclassmen. Coach Sean Capkin had stated, “While we had awesome seniors this year, so many of the girls on our team are sophomores, which means they still have two more years to grow and get better.” This team has excelled every year and is looking for a constant incline in success. 

Not only did LM do noticeably well, they also saw many high level athletes in attendance at the meet, including Olympic gold medalist Quincy Wilson. “It was a very humbling experience, but it was really cool to see the different levels that the sport has,” Schlechter had to comment. Considering all of the success LM had, there were still better teams, which just proves that there is room for improvement in this highly athletic team. Cohen said, “It was crazy seeing all of the other runners who were running college-type times at our age.” Overall, LM girls’ winter track had great success at New Balance Nationals. From a wide range of grade levels, theteam was able to compete at an extremely high level and bring many medals home. ​​The team succeeded in a variety of events such as field events, individual competitions, and relays.