Greyducks Have High Expectations for Season

The Greyducks, Stuyvesant’s boys’ indoor track team and the defending Manhattan Borough Champions, have officially begun their season. With the expectation of maintaining excellence, there is already a major change in standards and attitude. “There was a little turmoil last year, so this year we've been trying to keep things a lot more serious and focused,” senior sprinter and hurdler Peter Jin said. “This year we have set certain times that freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors have to hit respectively.” When asked what would happen if someone did not mean the set time, he said, “They’d be cut.”

And while the Greyducks’ season has only just begun, this new attitude already seems to be paying off. Jin and fellow senior Richard Peng have continued to assert their dominance in the 55-meter hurdles. The average participant in the 55-meter hurdles runs a time of approximately 9.6 seconds. Jin and Peng’s average time is around 8.9 seconds, which has led them to several top five finishes this year. However, they are not completely satisfied with their time

“I hope to break 8.5 seconds for the 55-meter hurdles,” said Jin, who has been practicing over the summer and during his free time. With a time like that, he could qualify for cities and win the Manhattan Borough Championship.

But it is not only the seniors who have been looking to improve their performance. There are big expectations for the juniors, most notably Harper Andrews and Baird Johnson. Andrews, the team’s star triple jumper, looks to defend his Manhattan Borough Championship victory. Meanwhile, Johnson, who took second in the 3200-meter run in last year’s Borough Championships and first in the Frosh-Soph Championships for the same category, set a goal for himself. “Personally, I want to run well under 4:30 in the mile this season and maybe take a shot at the school record in 1000 [meters],” Johnson said. The current school record is 2:37:04, so it remains to be seen if he can top it over his next two years. Johnson racing against upperclassmen has not stopped him from coming in third place in the “Day of Distance” 1600-meter run. “Adding in the seniors makes it more difficult, but we’ve been racing each other for years,” Johnson said. His lofty expectations coupled with his competitive attitude make any goal seem within reach.

Even though qualifying for cities and winning meets are important for some individuals, the Greyducks are more focused on the long term goals. “We have a larger goal of beating out our old times, perfecting our form, and [for the seniors], preparing for college track,” Jin said. It is collective desire to compete at both the high school and collegiate levels that brings out the best in the team.