Another Victorious Season for the Greyducks

“With Stuy having such a rigorous curriculum, I have to admit it gets difficult at times balancing a demanding sport like track, where we are in season for the whole year. I am impressed with how far this talented group of girls has come.” —Lucia Liu, senior and co-captain

“Our Race Walk is always a strong event, and we got as many points as we could.” —Dr. Markova, coach

“The difference between fourth and seventh places were very small. The competition was very close and we could have been fourth or seventh.” —Dr. Markova, coach

“The captains were very supportive of their teammates” —Dr. Markova, coach

“Throughout the whole season, the girls performed really well and were striving for their personal best… I am hopeful that the Greyducks will place on the podium in all three seasons [next year].” —Dr. Markova, coach

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With summer around the corner, the girls’ outdoor track team finished another stellar season. The Greyducks started the season with two goals: to become back-to-back Manhattan borough champions, and to finish on the podium at the City Championships. With a strong performance in the field events, the girls accomplished their first goal, coming in first place in the Manhattan Borough Championship on May 21. But despite stellar individual performances at City Championships a week later on May 28, the Greyducks came in seventh place and could not reach the podium.

While it is true that the Greyducks didn’t come in the top three, it is also important to note that the difference in points between places is minimal. For example, a seventh place and a fourth place finish are less than ten points apart, as Dr. Markova, the coach of the girls’ team pointed out. “The difference between fourth and seventh places were very small. The competition was very close and we could have been fourth or seventh.”

Starting from their first meet on March 25, the girls’ track team had a very successful season. Though it started out slow, it quickly picked up: they dominated the 1500-meter racewalk at the Bob Zifchak Classic Meet on April 30, and the Spring Series meets on March 29, April 19, and May 2, largely due to sophomores Kayla Lew, Bernice Chen, and Jeanette Cheung, freshman Tina Zheng, and junior Joyce Wu. With such a strong team, even without the graduating seniors, next year is looking bright.

At the Mayor’s Cup on April 8, senior and star athlete Zovinar Khrimian came in first place in the 1500 meter race (5:06.81). The sophomore 4x800-meter relay team, composed of Clara Mohri, Tiffany Zhong, Jocelyn Tang, and Vivian Cribb placed an outstanding second place in the sophomore division. In addition, the freshman 4x800-meter relay team, which consisted of Doris Chen, Tiffany Cao, Jing Su, and Ester Suleymanov, placed fourth in the freshman division.

At the Manhattan Borough Championship on May 21, the Greyducks dominated the field events. At the start of the season, senior and co-captain Lucia Liu had hoped to strengthen the Greyducks’ performance in field events—which ended up being one of the reasons that the team performed so well. For example, junior Daria Shifrina came in first in both the high jump and triple jump, with a height of four feet, six inches and a distance of 32-01.50, respectively. Shifrina also came in third in the long jump, with a distance of 14 feet and seven inches. The Greyducks also dominated the pole vault with outstanding individual performances, with Liu taking first place, junior Venus Nnadi coming in second, and freshman Zoe Zakrzewska coming in fourth.

Senior Zovinar Khrimian and sophomore Clara Mohri also did extremely well in the track events. Mohri came in first in the 3000-meter race and third in the 1500-meter race. Khrimian came in second in both the 3000-meter race and the 1500-meter race.

All of this led up to the City Championships event at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island on Sunday, May 28. In the field events, Nnadi and Liu tied for 7th place in the pole vault with seven and a half feet. In the relay events, the 4x800 team, consisting of senior Catriona Breen, Khrimian, Mohri, and Cribb, came in third place just behind the Staten Island Tech team—an incredible accomplishment for the Greyducks. Khrimian said, “Everyone was in good spirits, especially at the end when the 4x800 [meter relay team] came in third in the city.”

The Greyducks also did well in the individual running events at the City Championships. Mohri came in fourth in the 3000 meter run with an impressive time of 10 minutes and 47.49 seconds, (10:47.49), and Khrimian also came in fourth in the 1500 meter run with a time of four minutes and 58.09 seconds (4:58.09).

Racewalking has always been a strong event for the Greyducks, and it was no different at the City Championships, where the Greyducks dominated the 1500 meter walk. Juniors Ziqi Guo and Joyce Wu also came in first and second places, respectively, with times of seven minutes and 31.41 seconds (7:31.41) and seven minutes and 35.28 seconds (7:35.28), respectively. Guo will be attending Nationals for a second time. As Dr. Markova said, “Our racewalk is always a strong event and we got as many points as we could.”

The highlight of the City Championships on May 28, however, was the fact that Stuyvesant’s own senior and co-captain Sharon Hu was honored as the winner of the PSAL 2017 Track & Field Scholar-Athlete Scholarship Award, which honors students’ outstanding achievements in the classroom, in the community and on the field. Hu was nominated by Dr. Markova as an athlete who demonstrated a commitment to excel in these areas. As the winner, Hu received an incredible $2,500 scholarship award for college.

The Greyducks’ accomplishments are no small feat. Unlike many other sports, most members of them team not only run on the outdoor track team, but also run cross country and indoor track, along with having to juggle the rigors of Stuyvesant with the demands of their daily practice throughout the school year. Even so, the Greyducks have again emerged as a force, and they have much to celebrate. As co-captain Liu aptly said, “With Stuy having such a rigorous curriculum, I have to admit it gets difficult at times balancing a demanding sport like track, where we are in season for the whole year. I am impressed with how far this talented group of girls has come.” Dr. Markova echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that “the captains were very supportive of their teammates,” and that “throughout the whole season, the girls performed really well and were striving for their personal best,” she said. “I am hopeful that the Greyducks will place on the podium in all three seasons [next year].”