“We have seen a lot of growth, not only among our juniors and seniors, but also among our freshmen and sophomores,” reflected indoor track coach George “Doc” McFarland. “The team numbered twenty-four boys and girls, and all experienced a level of better times/distances throughout the season.” 

Along with Coach Henry Oestreich and Coach Lloyd Hill, the indoor track team has weathered another exciting yet challenging winter season, with notable meets at the 10th Annual Ocean Breeze Invitational and also at the Delaware Valley Girls Track Coaches Association Meet #6–the latter held at the Jane and David Ott Center on the University of Pennsylvania campus.  

From day one, the team faced a major difficulty that far surpassed reconditioning after the long fall sports break: the weather. This winter brought many major weather events compared to the last few years, including two big snowstorms and persistent below-freezing temperatures, often making track practices very difficult. “Since we practiced outside, there were some days when we had to move our workout inside due to snow and cold temperatures,” commented junior Jonas Ma. “This limited the efficiency and benefit of the drills we did. However, even when the weather was bad, we continued to put in all the work we could while inside.” 

Despite the harsh weather conditions, the team persevered and ended the season with many personal records and significant time drops. As a sprinter with a determined spirit in the face of adversity, junior MJ Oh commented, “Motivation comes and goes in waves, but discipline remains constant. Remaining disciplined, even when motivation is gone, is arguably very important and something that I aimed to focus on this season.” 

Furthermore, the team’s determination was reflected during the many races in which they competed. “Improvements on any level are always exciting to see,” noted Coach McFarland. “Julie Zhu, for instance, dropped her time in the 400- and 800-meters by increments of one to two seconds when she ran those events.” Doc also praised senior Idara Umoh, who met the provisional standard for the Meet of Champions, “which was a very high standard given the number of girls competing.” Additionally, he saw improvement from senior Joey Cuozzo in the 800-meter and one-mile races as well as Jonas Ma in the 60- and 200-meter dashes. 

Throughout this tough winter indoor track season, the team demonstrated impressive growth and resilience with numerous personal records and strong performances in key events. All athletes showed significant improvement, building a small, yet mighty team, thereby laying a strong foundation for future achievements. 

As sophomore Caleb Yuen shared, the value of joining a running team extends far beyond the competition itself: “To anyone interested in indoor track or running in general, I would highly recommend doing it, not only for the amazing times you have, but the great people you’ll meet along the way.”

Coming off an exceptional season last year, the Knights indoor track team prepares to meet a mingling of fresh challenges and favorable new assets that await them in the upcoming 2024 season. 

Last year, the team beheld the once-in-many-years occurrence of an athlete qualifying for the state championship, then the national championship, and finally the prestigious Millrose Games, as CJ Simbiri ’24 finished his senior season excelling in the triple jump. In addition, several senior girls qualified for the Meet of Champs, a rigorous culmination of the best athletes from the five-county area. “So many profited from the meets,” adds Senior Coach, Dr. George McFarland. 

Now, despite the loss of several stars, the team has received a boost of younger runners which has doubled its size from last year’s squad, bringing its total to approximately twenty-one boys and nine girls. Added to this, Coach McFarland and Coach Hill will have the assistance of Coach Henry Oestreich. While Coach McFarland will handle training in mid-to-long distance events, Coach Hill and Coach Oestreich will specialize in assisting athletes in throwing and sprinting, respectively. Coach McFarland comments that having an additional coach helps because indoor track is often “a lot of commitment timewise on the road and at the meets,” which tend to run for over four hours at fairly distant locations.

 Most striking, however, will be the opportunity the Knights will have to run at one of the nation’s state-of-the-art tracks which has just been completed on the University of Pennsylvania’s campus. Featuring adjustable banked curves and an up-to-date timing system, access to this track is a one-of-a-kind privilege. “I can't think of many places you could go in the country where you have access to that type of track,” Coach McFarland exclaims. 

Despite coming in the wake of last year’s dazzling array of talent, this year’s team has its own line-up of promising runners. Senior Joey Cuozzo will be entering his fourth year running the 800 meters, in which he has shown considerable strength in the past. “I’m just hoping to work on it more and get a lot faster and practice a lot harder,” Joey states. Two other high-performing boys who will be returning this year are juniors Jonas Ma and MJ Oh. Jonas has shown serious aptitude in sprinting while MJ, also a sprinter, hopes to regain his speed, as his previous season was eclipsed by injuries. “It was a good opportunity for me to focus on helping others,” MJ admits. Now, with fresh vigor, he declares, “I hope to be able to qualify for the Meet of Champs.”

Ready for the new challenges and excitement this season will bring, Coach McFarland states, “I think it's the goal that we get athletes on the track, and they get experience there, being a lot of younger runners.”