Every afternoon Saint Paul Academy and Summit School’s Boys Varsity Track team drains their energy as they train muscles for explosive starts and first place finishes at weekly meets. The team’s training schedule includes long runs, ladders, cadence drills, and core work to build a broad base of strength.

This hardcore conditioning attracts only the very dedicated, resulting in a team that is exceptionally committed. This year’s roster includes a small number of seasoned Upper Schoolers as well as many younger athletes.

According to sophomore Kyle Ziemer, a second-year long distance runner, the Boys Varsity Track team would be “pretty sparse without the freshmen and middle schoolers.”

When asked what these young athletes bring to the team, Ziemer succinctly concluded that it was the addition of more team members, explaining that, “the more people you have, the higher chance you will get a very fast runner.”

Even this year, some middle schoolers are fast enough to represent SPA at the varsity level,” Ziemer added.

So far, the boys seems to be running in the right direction. However, even the fastest young struggle with pre-race nerves, especially at the their high stakes meets.

Experience and discipline, however cure runners’ cold feet. The team admits they do not undergo much mental preparation before meets, but that they gain momentum from each other’s support during and after their races: “Support from captains, teammates, and fans during and after the race is kinda cool,” Ziemer said.

Senior captains Mike Destache and Jackson Lea have a history of outstanding personal performances. At last year’s State meet, Destache finished an impressive 5th place in the 3200 meter and 9th place in the 1600 meter. Last year, Lea, the “Sprinting Spartan,” led the team with solid performances in team sprint relays and high jump.

Fans can expect to see more top finishes and breathtaking performances this year if they support the team at a meet.

The team is led by head coach Rob Donnelly, and assistants Dave Montgomery and Kaitlyn Frenchick.

Both the seasoned and inexperienced Spartan runners look forward to fan support at upcoming meets.