Sports

Andover Track & Field Competes Fiercely at GBTC and Home Meet Against Five Schools

This past weekend, select members of both Boys and Girls Track & Field competed at the Greater Boston Track Club (GBTC) Invitational Meet. The event was held at Harvard’s Gordon Indoor Track facility and featured New England’s top youth athletes — entered through club and high school teams — and Masters competitors, aged 40 and over. On Wednesday, Track & Field hosted Governor’s, Marianapolis Prep (Marianapolis), Landmark, Wilbraham & Monson (Wilbraham), and Montrose. Andover Boys won against their competition. 

In the GBTC Invitational, Girls Track & Field sprinter Caitlin Ly ’27 cited the meet as a tune-up to future high-level competitions. The Gordon Indoor Track, having banked curves, changes the angle at which athletes apply force. Athletes thus minimize their effort spent turning and ultimately run faster times, which Ly noted in the form of numerous personal records (PRs). 

Ly said, “The significance of this meet was really to get back into some good competition, especially after coming back from our winter break. Going to and competing at the Harvard track was also a great experience for everyone who came to get a chance to run on a banked track, which led to some really good PRs. [It] overall was a very high-energy day which made me and the team excited for the rest of our season.” 

Ly also mentioned long jumper Michelle Onyeka ’27’s performance at the meet. Onyeka jumped over 18 feet, setting a new school record in her respective event, Girls Long Jump. Her accomplishment, achieved early in the Indoor Track season, is a testament to her ability to improve. 

“[Onyeka] jumped over 18 feet, I believe, which got her the first place win, a class record, and a very impressive school record. I also know that this is her first season competing in long jump, so that just goes to show how incredible this accomplishment is. It is also just the beginning of the season and I can’t wait to see her improve and PR in the upcoming meets,” said Ly. 

At the GBTC Invitational and Wednesday’s home meet, Boys Track & Field Co-Captain Jakob Kuelps ’25 praised his teammates’ collective effort to cheer on one another. Such a sense of belonging among Track & Field, he noted, is one of the team’s key advantages over other programs.

Kuelps said, “One of the strengths of our team was coming together and supporting our teammates. It sounds kind of cheesy, but I think it was really impactful and powerful to see at GBTC on Sunday and against other prep schools [on Wednesday]. The team came together to support their teammate and I think that was our number one strength, obviously other than being dominant on the track, which was also the headline today. Both boys and girls took the win over the other prep schools, so I think that is one of our greatest strengths.”

He continued, “Having that sense of community and really caring for our people and wanting the best for our teammates is something that I can speak highly of for this program.” 

According to Tyler Baty ’27, Arashi Hunter ’25 ran a superb relay performance as the Boys 4×400-Meter final leg on Wednesday, closing a gap between his competitors near the race’s end. Baty also commented on Track & Field Head Coach Keri Lambert’s ability to form strong relay teams, shown especially in the Boys 4×400-Meter and Girls 4×200-Meter. 

“He had a great leg in his 4×400-Meter, especially with the other teams we were competing against and their strong first and second legs. Arashi was able to close that gap, which is just really hard to do, especially when you’re in the predicament of being the last leg. And I would also like to shout out the Girls 4×200-Meter. Coach Lambert is always making great combos in teams that break records, do great things, and make history for the school. Today, you just saw it come all together… It was just a great performance all around,” said Baty. 

Boys and Girls Track & Field will compete this Wednesday against North Reading High School and Austin Preparatory School. On Friday and Saturday, certain athletes will travel to Boston University to compete at the Terrier Invitational.