Like all spring sports, outdoor track and field started on Mar. 21, 2016, starting what may be Malden’s last season in the Greater Boston League (GBL). Teams in the GBL include Everett, Somerville, Medford, Chelsea, and Greater Lawrence.
The outdoor track and field team consists of three groups: long distance, sprinting and throwing. All of the groups have their own coaches who are David Londino for distance, Jason Payeur for sprinting, and Chris Kaulbfliesch for throwing.
Although track does have varsity and junior varsity races and runners, there are no team captains for the boys’ or girls’ teams. The team has been described as a “young” team, because it has many talented underclassmen runners, as well as talented juniors and seniors. The team had a number of people qualify for the States tournament during the indoor track season for relay teams as well as personal events and are sure to have more qualify during this outdoor season.
Junior Manel Soltani expressed that “this outdoor season is going to be a really interesting one because the team is going to be versing new teams and [their] focus has switched a little bit from the GBL meets to bettering [themselves] for more elite meets and ultimately, the state meet where [they] hope to qualify as many people as possible.”
Sophomore Jasmine Gray stated, “The beginning of outdoor really feels like the start of new chances, new faces, and new goals to qualify. New chances for some people, at least.” Gray continued, “Surrounded by seniors and people who are training for their very last races marks last chances.” But she is “excited because that kind of motivation will come out of this last season of the year and influence everyone to give it their all.”
The GBL Opening Meet will be on Sunday, Apr. 2, 2016 at 9:30 a.m. in Somerville. In this meet, all the GBL teams race, simply as an introduction to the season. The first 1v.1 meet will be a home meet against Everett on Wednesday, Apr. 6 at 4:00 p.m.
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