By Kayla Cohen ’21, Sports Editor

Regardless of how cold it may be, Newark Academy’s Winter Track team can be found out on the track. As the only winter team to practice outside, this team is composed of the bravest students one can find at NA. Although small compared to other teams, Newark Academy’s Winter Track program is rapidly expanding this season. From 2015 until 2018, Winter Track was a part-time team, only practicing three times a week. Now, the Winter Track team is gearing up—both metaphorically and physically—to compete in some of the largest meets in New Jersey. Captain Peter Swope ‘20 comments, “The Winter Track program has grown every year, and this year we’re hoping to have our biggest team yet and expect a great winter season.”

This season, over 20 athletes have joined the Winter Track program. Although this number is small for a typical track team, this is almost double the number of runners the team had in 2018. And with many relay meets and events during the winter season, this larger number will help NA score in more events. In addition, Winter Track is typically dominated by distance runners, who want to stay in shape between cross country and track season. However, this year, many new and returning sprinters are running, which will help the team in the 55 meter dash and 4×400 meter relay. The 4×400 meter relay is usually considered a sprinting event, but in past years, due to low numbers, distance runners have competed in that relay. Now, with more sprinters, distance runners will be able to focus on the longer events, such as the mile run. 

Sprinter Tiffany Agkpo ‘21 has joined the winter team, and together with sprinters Selah Dungey ‘22 and Amaani Jetley ‘22, the girls’ team is likely to have a strong sprinter group. But the distance program won’t be lacking either with captains Peter Swope ‘20 and Kira Lu ‘20, as well as Jackson Powers ‘20, Molly Cantillon ‘21, and Kavya Nivarthy ‘21. All of these athletes had remarkable cross country seasons and hope to continue their success into the winter. Powers broke the Branch Brook Park NA school record this fall with the time of 16:35.7 and hopes to break more school records this coming winter and spring. In the long track season ahead, Powers will be training to compete in the 2 mile race instead of the 800m. He will still be running the 1 mile, one of his strongest events. 

On the jumping side, high jumper Selah Dungey is looking to have another strong winter season. Last year, in the group meet, the second most competitive meet of the season, Dungey managed to jump 5’2’’, placing first in the Non-Public B group and qualifying for the Meet of Champions. Dungey did not fail in the spring either: she managed to jump 5’3’’, breaking the school high jump record. Outside of NA, Dungey has jumped 5’5’’ and hopes to match or break this PR this season and crush her own school record. Dungey says, “During the winter season, I’m hoping to make Meet of Champions again and place top 5 as some of the competitive high jumpers from last year have already graduated.”

Even with a small team, NA’s bravest are hoping to earn the Winter Track team its strongest season in school history!