The Girls 110-meter hurdles blasts off to a lightning start.
On Wednesday, Outdoor Track & Field held its final home meet of the season against Concord Academy, Cushing Academy, Montrose, and the Cambridge School of Weston (Cambridge). Spirits were high going into the meet and the favorable weather further enhanced the positive energy. Putting its best foot forward, the team surpassed its opponents in collective points on both the Boys and Girls side.
Sean Kim ’26 competed in both the 400-Meter Race—placing first in 52.14 seconds—and the 4×400-Meter Relay. Reflecting on the final score, Kim attested to the all-around strength of the program.
“I don’t think there was one event where we were particularly weak. I think most events I saw, it was pretty much Andover was in the top three in each spot. Team morale was really great the whole time. I know everyone was always cheering each other on. I thought that was really cool,” said Kim.
Particularly, though, Brady Nelson ’27 noted Anya Budzinski ’26’s determined performances in the 800-Meters and 4×400-Meter Relay. Nelson described how, following a grueling race in the 800-Meters, Budzinski took the 4×400-Meter Relay.
Nelson said, “[Anya] had a really tough race during the 800, but, while being super lactic, I saw how she battled through, and she went for 4×400 as well. And that’s stepping up, and she’s being a big team player there. She did great.”
The Girls 4×100-Meter Relay team, comprising Co-Captain Naima Reid ’25, Caitlin Ly ’27, Ela Budzinski ’28, and Julie Chan ’27, finished its race in 48.54 seconds—its fastest time this season. Ly commented on the relay team’s successes and its preparation leading up to the event.
“To start off the running events of the meet, both boys and girls ran great 4×100[-Meter Relay] times… We had smooth handoffs like how we practiced the days leading up [to the meet], and our hard work paid off as our time was just tenth of a second off from the school record,” Ly said.
Additionally, Ly praised her relay teammates Reid and Budzinski ’28 for their strong performances in their events. Reid scored a personal best, running the 200-Meter in 26.83 seconds. Budzinski ’28 placed first in the 400-Meter and ran 26.90 seconds in the 200-Meter after being placed in a slower heat due to a mishap.
“A notable performance was Naima’s 200-Meter race: she finally went under 27 seconds, which is such an incredible achievement as a sprinter. Also, before that, she had already run the 4×100[-Meter Relay] and the 400[-Meter Dash], so the fact that she was able to PR by almost half a second is super impressive,” Ly said.
Ly continued, “Another person who stood out was Ela. First, she was a part of our incredible 4×100[-Meter Relay] team, and then she placed first in her individual event of the 400-Meters, and then for her third event, despite some setback, she got back up on her feet and ran an impressive 200-Meter time with an almost six second gap between her and her opponents.”
The team will compete at the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Division I Championships on May 17.
