With the Niles West track team wrapping up a successful indoor season, they look to improve even further in their outdoor season. This past Saturday, April 6, West successfully placed 2nd out of seven teams in the Gans Zeedyk invite, truly showing what they have to offer. In the past couple of years, the Wolves have steadily increased their prowess on the track, and are looking to continue the trend by sending even more athletes to state this year. 

“The indoor season was strong, but there were some bumps in the way. Many athletes had some injuries, but I have high expectations for the outdoor season. This is the best team we have had in a while and I think a lot of people are going to state this year,” senior Logan Werth said.

The most painful thing (literally and figuratively) about any sport is injuries. Top teams in the state can plummet in the rankings if their athletes have a bad string of injuries. However, injuries are a part of any sport, and as long as West focuses on bouncing back instead of dwelling on their misfortune, their outdoor season can easily trump their indoor season. Since the Wolves are always improving, it will be very exciting to see how they can do in the outdoor season.

“I think this year’s team is 100% better than last year’s team. I’m expecting more people to qualify for state this year and I have so much confidence in this team,” senior Chris Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez is a talented athlete and is currently ranked #1 in the state for the 110-meter hurdles. Considering that nobody in the state is faster than him at hurdling, Rodriguez is very knowledgeable in the world of track. It would be a safe bet to agree with Chris that our team will send more people to state this year than we have seen in recent seasons.

Part of the reason that West has been so successful recently is because of their team dynamic. Most people on the team have close friendships with each other and push each other to run faster, throw harder, and jump higher. Many times in sports teammates leave issues to coaches, but sometimes it’s better for athletes to receive criticism from their friends because there is more of an urgency to not let their team down.

“The team’s environment is incredibly dynamic. I’ve continuously been impressed with how my teammates watch each other run and then give constructive feedback to one another. This is normally the job of a coach or captain but it shows how much these guys want to win. I’d expect to see big moves throughout this season because of this culture, especially at meets,” senior Toby Galson said. 

As long as Niles West doesn’t get discouraged by injuries, and keeps up their positive dynamic, it should be impossible for them to get worse. This team is one of the best ones we’ve had in years, so make sure to support them in all of their meets!