After breaking records and setting names for themselves, the Jesuit Track and Field team has been running away from the competition in their past meets.
“Our track team is very solid,” said cross country and 4x800M runner Dillon Smith ’14. “Our sprinters always perform really well and generally place top 5 in each meet. Our distance team is also very impressive, placing top 5 in every meet. Our shot-put throwers and other field event athletes are also very talented and place top 3 in every meet. For the past 3 years or so, our varsity track team has come in 1st or 2nd in our district, having numerous athletes perform in regionals.”
Though Jesuit’s team has only gotten better, one team has attempted to threaten the Jesuit throne. This team is Edmond from Oklahoma, always keeping their races close with their consistently fast times, while others such as Plano West and Coppell often falter.
When it comes to coaching, no one is more respected or feared than Coach Bob Molyet. “You couldn’t ask for a better coach, friend, or role model, but when it comes to the day of the meet, he is a military general,” says Dillon Smith. “He’s both a technique and a motivating coach,” says junior Andrew Pott. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a meet where he wasn’t yelling at us to get going and run faster, but that’s definitely a good thing in my opinion. It really helps us stay focused during the race and not slow down. After the race, he’s more of a technique coach and tells us what he saw and what we can improve on based on that. ”
While all of the events are potential blockbusters, Dillon Smith says that “the 4x800M relay team is the race to watch.” Starting off with Josh Segal ‘13, the team takes off before transitioning to Luke Kiser ‘13, who is very good at improving their place positions in the race. Then, Dillon Smith receives the baton as he sprints his way down the track. After, as he modestly says, “trying not to lose any place positions,” Smith hands off to Andrew Pott who “is [their] 800M runner and has outstanding running talent,” allowing them to go back and forth with the quick and powerful Edmond team.
In the latest meet, senior Ryan Mehl dominated in the hurdles, bringing home the gold in both the 110M and the 300M. Also landing in the top spot, Paden Gatlin ‘13 won the discus event in the Coppell meet.
A solid core of talented young track and field athletes has bolstered this track team to greater heights, and the potential that this year’s group has is immense. With such strong talent, intense coaching, and gut-wrenching practice, the Jesuit Track and Field team looks to dominate the competition advance as far as possible this year.
