Greyducks Spring into New Season

After Stuyvesant’s girls’ indoor track team, the Greyducks, finished their season on March 5, the team’s members began gearing up for the outdoor season. They performed well in the indoor season, placing second and third at the Freshman/Sophomore City Championships and varsity City Championships, respectively. This year, as the team acquires fresh runners, Stuyvesant will hope to improve on last year’s fourth place performance in the outdoor City Championships on May 28.

The first meet of the season will take place at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island on Saturday, March 25. The Greyducks are using each meet as a chance to show improvement from years past. “We have members who are returning from injuries that will make us stronger, and the team is working hard to improve our times,” said senior Sharon Hu. “Our goals are to continue dominating championships and placing higher, if possible.”

Led by seniors and co-captains Zovinar Khrimian and Kamila Radjabova, the team practices every weekday, with meets on weekends. The team is divided into distance runners, sprinters, and field eventers.

In addition to hard work, team unity is imperative to having a successful team. Khrimian feels that Stuyvesant does not lack this quality, as she highlights its impact on players’ performances. “My favorite part about this team is the mutual support and encouragement and the improvement-focused attitude,” said Khrimian. With the introduction of new Greyducks this spring, having this attitude will be an essential component in beating Stuyvesant’s competition.

This spring, one of the Greyducks’ main competitors will be Young Women’s Leadership School, located in East Harlem. “Young Women’s Leadership has a strong team and beat us in indoor, but I think we have a chance at beating them this season,” sophomore Vivian Cribb said. Young Women’s Leadership also beat Stuyvesant in last year’s outdoor City Championship, finishing in third place with 52 points—just above the Greyducks’ 45 points.

This school will prove to be an obstacle in getting a top-three finish, but the team’s outlook is optimistic. “We are hoping to be on the podium at the City Championships, [and] we are hoping to be Borough Champions again,” Coach Anna Markova said. These goals are not unrealistic, as many of the members of the indoor track team will be working hard to carry over the success had during the indoor season to the outdoor season, especially cultivating the young talent.

One freshman who is a great asset to the team is Angelique Charles-Davis. During the indoor season, she participated in long jump and placed third in the Borough Championship for the 55 meter dash with a time of 7.83 seconds. She will look to help the team this spring, as she now has one track season under her belt.

In addition to Charles-Davis, many sophomores and juniors have dominated their respective events. During the indoor track season, sophomore Kaitlin Wan won first place in the Borough Championships in both shot put and weight throw, sophomore Clara Mohri came in first place at the Freshman/Sophomore City Championships in the 1500-meter race with a time of 5 minutes and 6.65 seconds (5:6.65), and sophomore Jocelyn Tang came in third place for the 1000-meter race (3:18.32). In addition, junior Ziqi Guo placed first in the race walk at the City Championships, and junior Venus Nnadi excelled in many events, including her second place performance in pole vault during the Borough Championships.

This range of talent will hopefully make Stuyvesant a Championship-level team. Being able to earn points in many different events will go a long way for the Greyducks as they try to stand out among their competitors. “Our team has been dominated by long distance runners in the past, and having a greater diversity in our team’s events will definitely benefit us,” Hu said.