It’s just running. . . Running is a physically, technically, and mentally tasking sport and it takes athletes months to build the stamina and speed required for competition.  The track team is strong, but here are some standouts this indoor season.

Ani Boghossian-James: 

55 Meter dash, 55 Meter hurdles, 4×200 Meter relay

Ani Boghossian-James, a senior, has been running on the track team for two and a half years. She is currently the fastest sprinter on the indoor team. This season, her goals are to place well at states. She is feeling confident about her goals and has been working hard all season to achieve them. She is currently ranked 19th in the state for the 55 Meter hurdles.

James recommends track to anyone who doesn’t know what sport they want to do, but she said, “Know your stamina and use online resources. They will definitely help a lot in improving your skills.”

Morgan Mathews

Shot Put, 55 Meter dash, 55 Meter hurdles, 300 Meter dash, 4×200 Meter relay

Morgan Mathews, junior, is a jack of all trades this season. She has participated in multiple different events ranging from sprint races to relays and even shot put. Mathews’ goal for this season is to qualify for states.

“I’m kind of nervous about it, but I think if I keep training hard I can qualify,” said Mathews. She says that track is a great sport and that you should definitely try it out. “There’s a place for everyone, if you don’t want to run a lot, do a field event, and vice versa.”

Rachel Hall

800 Meter run, 1600 Meter run

Sophomore Rachel Hall has been running cross country since she was 7 years old; however, she just started track two years ago. She is very passionate about the sport and loves to do it. This season, her goals were to get in shape for the outdoor track season and to take time off of her mile time. Hall prefers to run long distance as opposed to sprints.

This season, she has run the 800 Meter run, the 1600 Meter run, and has been in the 4×800 Meter relay. If you want to run track, Hall says, “It’s a really great experience and you meet so many great people.”

Katie Gallagher

High Jump, 55 Meter hurdles, 300 Meter dash, 4×200 Meter Relay

Katie Gallagher, a senior, went into this indoor season with big goals. Gallagher is a sprinter, hurdler, and high jumper who hopes to place in the top three in states. Although she is nervous for states, she has been training and improving a lot this season. Gallagher says that weightlifting has definitely helped a lot by strengthening her skills in high jump. She is currently ranked 12th in the state for high jump. 

She has been doing outdoor track for four years and indoor track for two years and she enjoys it. Gallagher suggests track as a sport because as she said, “There is a place for everyone, there are so many events and you can do anything.”

Khelsa Connolly

500 Meter dash, 800 Meter run, 4×800 Meter relay

Khelsa Connolly, a junior on the track team, is one of Linganore’s best female cross country runners. This season, her goals were to improve her times in the 800 Meter run. Her main reason for doing indoor track was to prepare for the competition in outdoor track and to improve her times and techniques.

Connolly said, “I love the competition and it helps me push to get better times. The people are also really great.” Connolly is a mid-distance and distance runner and she is looking forward to where the rest of her high school career will take her.

Jack DuBro

55 Meter dash, 4×200 Meter relay

Jack DuBro, a senior, is one of Linganore’s best sprinters. DuBro has been working hard this indoor season to improve his technique and speed in the 55 Meter dash and the 4×200 Meter relay. He is feeling confident about states this year and hopes to win at regional championships.

DuBro said his favorite event is the 55 Meter dash and his favorite part about track is the team. “I enjoy working as a team to be the best we can be,” said DuBro.

Bryce Witmer

55 Meter hurdles, 300 Meter dash, 800 Meter run

Bryce Witmer, Class of 2019, has been working very hard this season on his events. Over the indoor season, he has improved a lot on his hurdles and hopes to improve his time in the 800 Meter run. “I want to do well in the 800 so I can run in the 4×800 relay in states,” said Witmer.

This season, Witmer has been preparing for the outdoor track season and focusing his energy on the 55 Meter hurdles. He has been on the track team for three years and is looking forward to the next few seasons.

Clay Buckman

300 Meter dash, 500 Meter run, 800 Meter run, 4×400 Meter relay, 4×800 Meter relay

Clay Buckman, a senior, has competed in many different events this season. He is feeling confident about states this year. “I’m excited about states, we have a really good team this year and I think we are going to do really well,” said Buckman.

He recommends track because, as he said, the people are really great and it’s a fun and rewarding sport.

Will Cioffi

300 Meter dash, 500 Meter dash, 800 Meter run, 1600 Meter run, 4×400 Meter relay, 4×800 Meter relay

Will Cioffi, a junior, is competing in his second year of track. He is a mid-distance runner and has entered multiple events this season. This season, Cioffi’s goals are to improve his times on the 800 Meter run.

“The 800 is my favorite event, I love to run it and I’m hoping to get under 2 minutes this season,” said Cioffi. He is looking forward to the outdoor season and says he loves track because of the running and the great people.

Michael Belmaggio

1600 Meter run, 3200 Meter run

Michael Belmaggio, junior, is one of Linganore’s top distance runners. During the cross country season, he placed second in the state of Maryland, so he went into the indoor track season strong. His goals for this season are to qualify for New Balance Nationals for the two-mile race. Belmaggio is currently ranked 26th in the state for the mile and 14th for the 2 mile. His mile time is 4 minutes and 33 seconds. 

He is also excited to break the Linganore mile and two-mile record in the outdoor season. Before every race, Belmaggio prepares by just relaxing and focusing on the race. When it comes to tips for running track and performing your best, Belmaggio said, “Worry about yourself and your times because it’s not worth stressing over someone else.”