The Newbury girls track team this season, led by first year varsity coach Elissa Ebbert, may not have the bodies some teams will put on the tracks this season, but they have strength in numbers in several events that should make things very interesting around area tracks this spring.
“One of the things that has been a pleasant surprise for me so far has been how many girls we have who are ready and willing to make up some relay teams for us,” Ebbert said. “Their attitudes have been outstanding, and the girls have some serious skills, too.”
Two seniors provide leadership and desire. Liesel Fenstermaker will take part in both throwing events and run a leg in the 4×100- and 4×200-meter relay teams.
Brittany Whelchel will run a leg of the 4×100 unit and also the 200 meter dash.
Four juniors will compete in multiple events, as well.
Sunnivah Eikestad, an exchange student, will throw the shot put and discus.
Hannah Grubbs is the team’s best athlete early on. Grubbs will run both sprints and both sprint relays.
Ayoung Kim, another exchange student with athletic skills, will run a leg in the sprints and sprint relays as well.
Paige Kristo will make a mark in both sprint dashes while filling in the high jump and long jump.
HannaRose Brastoff, the team’s lone sophomore, has had an impressive school year. Brastoff played some football and a lot of soccer in the fall.
She also had an excellent basketball season.
There are four freshmen who will round out the roster.
Sydney Louden will be a long jumper and run in relays. Lucy Lubanovich will run the short springs. Chelsey Mann will sprint, relay and high jump. And Eirn Piczer will represent the team in the 100-meter hurdles, among the sprints and relays.
“I’ve had a chance to coach many of these girls in junior high the last couple years,” Ebbert said. “I just love seeing some new faces, but we have some very good athletes that can compete very well. One of the biggest things in our favor is that we have such a great family feeling for each other in every way.
“The kids support each other to the max all the time, and having worked so well together before, they have the experience to know what they need to do to win.”
Newbury boys
Newbury Athletic Director Anthony Forfia will take over the boys team.
The boys will have no seniors on the roster, but they do have some multi-sport athletes looking for success.
Forfia has 15 boys to work with in multiple events.
Juniors Caleb Kaminski and Alex Piczer return with the most experience.
“It will be important to develop track leadership skills so that these young men will continue in the program and encourage others to join,” Forfia said.
Kaminski and freshman Max Reardon provide a powerful punch in the running events, as both showed steady improvement during cross country.
Kaminski will run middle distances and relays while also high jumping, and Reardon is penciled in to the mile and both middle distance relays.
Sophomore Thomas Bond showed vast improvement in his conditioning during wrestling season, which will carry over into the middle distance relays and both long runs.
Mason Heath should improve in the throws; Jacob Nicholson will work in both jumps; Owen Otto will work both jumps as well as both short sprints; and Noah Williamson will run both the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes.
Then come the rest of the freshmen cast — and they will be busy.
John Tropf, who showed power and energy on the basketball court, will transfer those traits to both throwing events and the middle distance relays.
Elijah Richards with run both the 200 and 400 dashes as well as both relays at that distance along with Williamson.
Tristian Kristo will take part in both jumps, both short sprints and the 4×200 relay unit; Xander Harrison will do the same as Kristo; Broedy Field will split his time between the 100- and 400-meter dashes and the 4×200- and 4×400-meter relays.
Danielle Dahlhausen will run short sprints and the 4×200 relay, and Joey Bond, who got his feet wet on the wrestling mats this season, will run distance races and middle distance relays.
Ages can be a fooling statistic, as this group of Black Knights is young but not lacking in varsity experiences.