The varsity track team has achieved unacknowledged success and they’re just past the halfway point of their season. The team is currently undefeated in the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) and they have seen great  improvement and have more potential compared to previous years. The team is striving to win an MCAL title and to send as many players to the state championships as possible. However, the team also finds it important to win a more unique award; the Sportsmanship Award. 

The team is led by fourth-year head coach Nicole Graydon, who is very excited to see this year’s seniors succeed, as she has coached them throughout their entire high school careers. Her athletes have progressed a ton since the COVID-19 cancellations in 2020.

“We’ve had some strong seniors in the past, but now it’s the kids who’ve been really stuck into it for a while. Kids who’ve gotten the chance to train [are] all coming together as one. I think that’s why we’re so strong. The culture [has] finally filled back up [since] COVID,” Graydon said. 

Graydon also spoke of her excitement regarding past events, such as the Stanford Invitational and the Arcadia Invitational. These meets were extremely difficult to qualify for, but Redwood was able to send a plethora of athletes to these competitions. 

“We got a bunch of athletes into the Stanford meet… and Arcadia, which is the biggest meet in the country. Both boys’ distance medley relays (DMR) and the 4×100 [relay team] got into Arcadia. [Blake Martin] and [Daegan Cutter] got in for the [3200 meter] and the DMR is in the Invitational heat which is the most prestigious thing now,” Graydon said. 

One of the two athletes who individually qualified for the Arcadia meet was senior Daegan Cutter, who recently ran a nine-minute flat two mile and is now ranked 11th in the entire nation. Another star of the team is sophomore Antonio Bayon, who believes that while the team has significantly improved, it still has certain strengths and weaknesses. 

“Probably our sprinting and our jumping [are the best] this year, while our throwing is kind of bad,” Bayon said. 

Bayon tried his best to qualify for state competitions himself, but the intense qualification standards have currently held him back. However, qualification standards aren’t the only things that hold track and field athletes back. The recent inclement weather has also taken a toll on Redwood’s athletes. Graydon explained her worries that the rain brings to the team’s well-being. 

“You can’t hurdle, you can’t throw, you can’t pole vault. All of that stuff just becomes too dangerous in the rain. You can do soccer drills and not have [the athletes] sprint [which] they’re not going to get hurt [from]. [When] you’re sprinting, your muscles are cold, and there’s a risk 

of injury… So you have to balance that,” Graydon said.

Sophomore Kellen Smith, who is currently injured, also believes that the weather has affected the season. 

“It has definitely affected [the team] – practices especially, but they have been able to reschedule most meets…and there have been injuries,” Smith said.

 With Redwood closing in on its final meets, Graydon is looking for more than just a title banner.

“The goal we have this year, though, is to try and win the sportsmanship vote. When sportsmanship votes [come in] at the end of the year, we were good people and we were really good at track,” Graydon said. 

As the track season comes to a close, the key to success for the teams to reach their final goal is not to just compete at the highest level and beat surrounding teams. It is also to complete the season with a level of respect and sportsmanship and to obtain a feat the Redwood track team hasn’t achieved in some time.