As much as it is based on talent and ability, track and field is a numbers game.
For the Malden Catholic girls’ program, head coach Joy Leone finally feels her team has enough of both to compete in the Catholic Conference this season.
“This is probably going to be the best season for us,” Leone said. “We took a while to get to where we are, compared to all the other well-oiled programs that have had continuous freshmen to seniors. We’re finally at the level where we can compete with all the other Catholic schools.”
In the past, health has been an issue for MC to start the season. Last year, the Lancers had 15 of their top athletes hobbled by injuries out of the gates.
This year, aided by the school’s brand new indoor athletics training facility–the 80,000 sq. foot Donovan Field House–MC can get started on the right foot. And they even experienced a rise in participation, entering the season with 65 girls on their roster.
Mia Waldron, of course, headlines the bunch. The senior holds the school’s records in the one-mile, two-mile, and thousand-meter races. Waldron is also coming off a cross-country campaign in the fall that saw her earn an All-Star selection.
“She is probably the only runner that I have coached that can do every event exceptionally,” said Leone. “This is going to be a great season for her. I expect her to have some great runs and her times to be exceptional.”
As one of the many events that Waldron will compete in, the 4×4 relay will be perhaps the most important to MC’s overall success, where she’ll work together with Anna White and the duo of Sophia and Olivia Wong.
“The dynamic between them is fantastic,” Leone said. “They work together, they’re friends, and they also critique each other, which is a huge thing. They’ll break down a whole race and see it together as a whole.”
The group has shattered every record there is at Malden Catholic and is hoping to compete at the national level this season. However, if the Lancers are truly going to take the steps they intend to, then they’ll need to see some there newcomers not only fill roles, but take them on and make them their own.
Among those newcomers is freshman Desiree Banks, who Leone believes has the type of raw athleticism that makes her malleable to any event. Sophomore Grace Velazquez has made a name for herself as a sprinter during the fall and spring seasons, but will feature as a distance runner this winter and even try her hand at the long jump.
“There are certain athletes who just have great discipline,” said Leone. “When they have discipline, you can get the dynamic talent out of them a lot easier.”
That’s the name of the game for Malden Catholic this season. It has the numbers. It has the talent.
Can the Lancers extract the most out of both? Time will tell.
It’s a sprint to the finish.
