Alex Schimmel ’22 raced across the finish line with a time of 24.8 seconds for a second place finish in the 200-Meter Dash. Despite Schimmel’s successful race, Andover Boys Track & Field secured only 39 points in its second tri-meet of the season, falling to Deerfield with 76 points and Taft with 66.
Despite a long bus ride to Taft and the team’s ultimate loss, Andover maintained high energy and a positive attitude throughout, according to Sebastian Zhu ’20.
“It was our first away meet – three hours away – and as everyone got on the bus, you could tell that it was a long ride, but everyone was ready to go. As the meet was going on, you could hear everyone cheering, and you could see people standing up on the bleachers cheering for people,” Zhu said.
Despite lacking many of its upperclassmen members due to ACT testing on Saturday, the large Andover roster allowed it to maintain a strong presence in a wide variety of events, according to Zach Moynihan ’21.
“I think a lot of people stood out at the meet, because the last meet was one in which a lot of people were doing events that they don’t usually do. So to be able to step up in those uncomfortable situations was what really stuck out to me,” said Moynihan.
After focusing on the relay throughout practice in the week preceding the meet, Andover’s 4×100-Meter Relay A team of Josh Thomas ’19, Will Godbout ’20, Moynihan, and Alex Oder ’21 gave a strong performance on Saturday, placing third with a time of 47.0 seconds.
Schimmel said, “We focused on relay preparation especially because the meet before we had some complications with the relay. Especially with me stepping out, we had Will stepping in for second leg of the 4×100-Meter we practiced to ensure the success of our team during the meet.”
Despite having to sit out the 4×100-Meter relay because of an injury, Schimmel still stood out as a tough competitor on Saturday, according to Alex Meyer ’20.
“I think one person that really stood out is Alex Schimmel…He ran the 400-Meter Open for the first time, and he ran a really good time. He got second place at the meet. He’s a really talented runner, but also it was impressive to just see him out of his element a little bit and how he adapted well for the race,” said Meyer.
Although Andover did not come out victorious with a win at the trimeet, those on the team have not allowed the loss to affect their mindset, according to Meyer.
Meyer said,”I know we had a lot of good seniors last year who aren’t here anymore, but we also have a really strong talented group for distance. I know we have amazing people like Alex Fleury [’20], Zach Moynihan, and Ayana Alemayehu [’21]. We really have a mass of talent that I think we can really work with for the rest of the season.”
Andover will return to Phillips Exeter Academy next Wednesday to compete against St. Paul’s & Exeter.
