Greyducks Look to Become More Consistent

Stuyvesant’s indoor girls’ track team, the Greyducks, traveled to Armory Track on December 27 to compete in the PSAL Holiday Classic. Refreshed from the holidays and the break, the team was determined to succeed at the meet after their rocky and inconsistent start to the season.

In their first two meets, the team had struggled but got back on track with a solid showing at the Day of Distance on December 23. The team’s placement was erratic again, performing well in some events but struggling in others.

There were many bright spots for the team, particularly in the varsity events. Senior Daria Shifrina finished fifth out of 14 participants in the high jump with a height of 4 feet, 8 inches and sixth out of 28 participants in the triple jump with a distance of 32 feet, 5 inches. Sophomore Tina Zheng finished 10th out of 33 participants in the weight throw with a distance of 27 feet, 11.5 inches. The Greyducks had a solid showing from their field team and are hoping that will continue as the season progresses.

In the track portion of the meet, juniors Bernice Chen (8:42:25), Kayla Lew (8:51:36), and Jeanette Cheung (8:55:51) finished third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, out of 20 participants in the 1500-meter racewalk, and junior Clara Mohri finished in second (10:56:58) out of 17 runners in the 3000-meter run. This strong junior class will look to help lead the team both this season and next.

However, the Greyducks finished in the middle of the pack in events like the 1000-meter run and the 300-meter dash. The team also did not compete in any of the relays. “The season is off to a decent start. We’ve already had several athletes qualify for the PSAL Championships, but we’ve also had a lot of injuries and health issues that have hampered us,” coach Carl DiSarno said.

Mohri has qualified for the 1500-meter run and the 3000-meter run, Shifrina has qualified for the triple jump, and Chen has qualified for the 1500-meter racewalk. The team will look to send as many members as possible to compete and represent Stuyvesant in the Championships.

“We’re also a very young team, with lots of freshmen and sophomores, so we’re also still figuring out what everyone is good at,” DiSarno said. A staggering 36 of the 46 athletes on the official roster are underclassmen.

This inexperience also creates an atmosphere of competitiveness. “We are starting to ramp up the work. We are excited to work to beat our personal records, as well as trying to run good races and potentially qualify for City’s [championships],” freshman Julianne Yotov said. The Greyducks are looking to become more consistent and reach their top form going into the second half of the season as the Borough and City Championships draw even closer.