With about 90 athletes making up the entire track team, about one third of the team is made up of freshmen. Of that group, eight of the freshmen are on varsity: Annaka Bufton, Brooke Laakso, Brenna McBride, Therese Nahimana, Kuwaiola Ahina, Leah Russell, Harleen Vielmann and Emony Robinson.

To be on varsity, one has to be in the top three for time or distance, depending on the event(s) that they choose to participate in.

“It’s such an amazing feeling to be on varsity, especially as a freshman,” Bufton said. “It’s also a cool feeling to know that I’m fast at something and that hard work definitely pays off.”

Once on varsity, athletes do not really experience a difference compared to junior varsity. The only notable difference between the two levels is that varsity races are smaller, being that the team is made up of the top threes, while JV races are much bigger.

As for workouts, there is no difference. Everyone has their own type of workout that depends on their grade level and injuries, if there are any.

“We have higher expectations for the younger athletes, but we know they’re new,” distance coach Kylee Hutchins said. “We expect the older kids to be leaders and to take them under their wing.”

The expectation that Hutchins has for the older athletes is definitely fulfilled. According to Bufton, they help and support the younger athletes a great amount.

“It feels great to work alongside the experienced athletes,” Bufton said. “The veterans help out a lot, and they all support us.”

Also, with the support that the older athletes provide, the younger athletes do not feel out of place, instead they feel fully a part of the team despite the age differences, according to McBride.

“We aren’t really treated differently,” McBride said. “We really are all the same group and if you get along with everyone, you don’t really notice.”

Some of the freshmen, such as Ahina, Russell and Robinson, are exceeding the expectations that their coaches have for them.

All three of them help get points for the team by frequently placing first, second and/or third in their events. Ahina is in the top three for throwers in the league, and Russell is one of the leaders for hurdles in the league. Being in one of the top placements in the league is an outstanding feat for any track athlete to accomplish, and being a freshman and succeeding in doing so is admirable.

“It feels great to be a leader in the league,” Russell said,” like you’ve accomplished something great, knowing you can still improve on top of what you have already done.”

Ahina, Russell and Robinson are not the only ones to have good finishes on varsity. Vielmann has placed third in the 100 hurdles twice, helping the varsity team by gaining points in their track meets. Bufton has contributed to help her 4×100 relay team win over St. Mary’s during one of their meets. At the Marist meet, which is a varsity-only invitational, McBride nearly pulled off a five-second personal record, which led her to have a full-time spot on varsity for the 300-meter hurdles. She also placed first in her heat and eighth out of 16 for the event.

“It feels fantastic to have good finishes on varsity,” Vielmann said. “I’m going against upperclassmen, so I’m just proud of myself that I actually place.”

Laakso has not had any placings yet for her events, but she has made varsity for the 100 and 200 meter dash and the pole vault. Her goals are to keep improving as the years progress and to eventually be as good as some of the upperclassmen.

The accomplishments made by these freshmen will not go unnoticed. According to Hutchins, the underclassmen are what help the program by pushing the upperclassmen, giving the team more depth and bringing new, refreshing talent to the table.

“Young kids are what build programs,” Hutchins said.“They’re the ones who are going to be here for the next four years.They determine our team’s future success.”